Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Tom Woods

Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 silent epic has consistently been voted one of the greatest films of all time, famous as much for its extreme propaganda content as the extraordinary advances in filmmaking it represents.

The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra performs Arnim Brunner’s adaptation of the score from works by Shostakovich. No other composer in the 20th century dealt so frankly and narratively with the film’s themes of war, desertion and suffering. In this score, the composer has sculpted a work that is at times brutal, at others
lyrically haunting; heavy brass and a battery of percussion mix with the string and woodwind writing of heart-breaking sincerity.

This concert is a rare opportunity to witness the extraordinary emotional impact of both Eisenstein’s classic film and the eternal genius of the music of Shostakovich.

For more information on the CSO visit http://www.cso.co.nz/