Prom 16The Halle Performs Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony

Part of the BBC Proms.Rachmaninov’s The Bells opens this all-Russian programme from Sir Mark Elder and the Halle. Based on an Edgar Allan Poe poem, this magnificent choral symphony blends gothic drama with mystical intensity, haunted by the tolling of the Dies irae chant. Fear of death also lurks beneath the triumphant fanfares and jollity of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 – the composer’s attempt to satisfy Stalin and the Soviet regime after his career-riskingly provocative opera The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.