BBC Philharmonic: Rodion Shchedrin | Shostakovich at The Bridgewater Hall

Will Fulford-Jones
BBC Philharmonic

Rodion Shchedrin | Shostakovich at The Bridgewater Hall, City Centre 9 December 2017 Tickets from £12.00 — Book now

Few composers are shrouded in as much mystery as Dmitri Shostakovich. Born in 1906, he was just 11 when the Russian Revolution put in place a communist regime that lasted for the rest of his life – and historians have never agreed on whether he was a willing supporter of the Soviet government or something closer to the man portrayed in Julian Barnes’ recent book The Noise of Time, a reluctant pragmatist who did what he had to do in order to survive in his treasured homeland. Tonight’s concert aims to bring us closer to one of the 20th century’s most important composers and one of its most elusive personalities. Dialogues with Shostakovich, Rodion Shchedrin’s orchestral portrait of his fellow Russian, offers its own insights into both man and myth, and receives its first ever UK performance tonight. But to really understand Shostakovich, we need to hear his own notes jump off the page – in his First Violin Concerto, kept secret by the composer until the death of Stalin, and in his 15th and final symphony, a gripping work first performed just three years before his death in 1975.

Juanjo Mena – Conductor
Renaud Capuçon – Violin

Rodion Shchedrin | Shostakovich at The Bridgewater Hall, City Centre 9 December 2017 Tickets from £12.00 Book now

What's on at The Bridgewater Hall

Walking Tour Stock imagery
Until
ActivityCity Centre
The Manchester Music Walkabout

Manchester’s famous musical legacy comes to life in this walking tour around the city, which will take you from the 1960s to the present day.

from £25.00

Where to go near BBC Philharmonic: Rodion Shchedrin | Shostakovich at The Bridgewater Hall

Manchester
Restaurant
Midland Tea Room

Dating back to 1903, Manchester’s stately Midland Hotel now has its own dedicated tea room. Expect traditional offerings in elegant surroundings.

City Centre
Hotel
The Midland Hotel

With 312 luxurious bedrooms, the Grade II-listed Midland Hotel occupies one of the most beautiful and storied buildings in Manchester.

Society Manchester
City Centre
Society Manchester

Society Manchester is a glorious indoor and outdoor space in the very heart of the city, with five street food vendors to choose from and a range of high-quality drinks.

Manchester
Restaurant
Friska

Latest branch of Friska, the independent healthy fast food chain.

Manchester
Restaurant
Don Giovanni

Traditional Italian restaurant, serving everything from pizza to steak. All this in a large modern venue with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Haunt MCR
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Haunt MCR

Haunt MCR is a speciality coffee shop and wine bar located on Manchester’s bustling Peter Street.

City Centre
Restaurant
ONDA Pasta Bar

ONDA is a treat for the tastebuds. Long dark wood tables are shared by eager diners, as tapas-style plates of fresh pasta and other Italian dishes are ferried around the restaurant.

Manchester
Restaurant
Exhibition

Exhibition hosts three of the city’s most celebrated independent kitchens: Osma, Baratxuri, and Jaan by Another Hand.

Manchester
Restaurant
Jaan

Serving up exceptional Persian cuisine, this new food concept from the team behind Another Hand is a must-try.

City Centre
Restaurant
Nudo Sushi Box

Nudo Sushi Box on Manchester’s Oxford Road specialises in freshly-prepared boxes of – you guessed it – sushi.

What's on: Music

Rock and Goal
Until
ActivityManchester
Rock and Goal Tour

Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.

from £9.99
A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

from £10.00
Two dancers and orchestra on stage
Until
DanceManchester
Dance:Music at the RNCM

Through a treasure trove of concerts, the RNCM’s initiative Dance:Music explores the symbiotic relationship between music and dance.

from £0.00

Culture Guides

Sextile
Music in the North

Electronic music features heavily in our latest round-up of gig highlights across Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.