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Shostakovich’s Eighth

Beauty in Darkness

📍 This event takes place at Powell Hall

🕒 2 hours, 10 minutes (including intermission)

Saturday, Nov 14, 2026, 7:30pm View Subscriptions Sunday, Nov 15, 2026, 3:00pm View Subscriptions

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Program

David Afkham, conductor
St. Louis Symphony Chorus | Erin Freeman, director 

Felix Mendelssohn Psalm 114 (When Israel out of Egypt Came), Op. 51
Igor Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms 
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 

About this Concert

Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony oscillates between the brutality of war and the indomitable spark of humanity. Though the composer described the work as a wartime requiem and the score is infused with deep sadness, he also said of it that “life is beautiful. All that is dark and depressing will disappear, depart, and the beautiful will reign.” The St. Louis Symphony Chorus also presents beauty with visionary musical psalm settings by Felix Mendelssohn and Igor Stravinsky in this first performance of their 50th anniversary season. 

Artists

Meet the people that make the music.

David Afkham

Conductor

St. Louis Symphony Chorus

Erin Freeman, director

Musicians of the SLSO

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Through dark storms, we reach peace in Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony and the Symphony Chorus’ expression of visionary works by Mendelssohn and Stravinsky.  

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