EDMISSIONUK
Specialist Advice in Education and Culture
Like a Chemist from Canada
A new play by Lewis Owens
In 1958, at the height of his artistic ability and reputation, the composer Dmitri Shostakovich was invited by Oxford University to receive an Honorary Doctorate of Music, along with fellow musician Francis Poulenc and other dignitaries. From the initial invitation by Oxford to Shostakovich in Moscow, the story is a fascinating, humorous and poignant portrayal of the clash of two distinct, and distinctly insular, worlds: the Byzantine rituals and orotundity of Oxford University and the unsmiling officialdom of Soviet Russia. When Shostakovich finally arrives in Oxford for his three-day stay, hosted by Sir Isaiah and Lady Berlin, we are presented not only with a unique insight into the inner personalities of Shostakovich, Poulenc, Berlin, Trevor-Roper and others, but also a searing reminder of the value of art in the Cold War period.
The play is based on the official correspondence and telegrams surrounding the visit, first published by Dr Lewis Owens in 2004, including Berlin’s astonishing ruminations on the significance of Shostakovich’s visit.
This story has never been staged before and includes the music of Shostakovich and Poulenc (including performance by internationally acclaimed pianist Colin Stone).
*BOOK BY JUNE 15 FOR THE EARLY BIRD PRICES DISPLAYED BELOW *
Saturday June 13, 7pm
Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells - Rosebery Ave, London EC1R 4TN
Like a Chemist from Canada
Interval
Recital:
Dmitri Shostakovich: 24 Preludes Op. 34, Nos. 2,6,10,15,16,17,20.
Dmitri Shostakovich: Three Fantastic Dances Op.5.
Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.6 S. 244
Dimitris Daskalakis - Piano
Tickets: £15/£10 (concessions)
Available from here
The Dukes Hall, Royal Academy of Music - Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5HT
Dmitri Shostakovich, Sonata for Piano and Cello in D Minor, op. 40
Francis Poulenc, Sonata for Piano and Cello, op. 143
Tickets: £20/£15 (concessions).
The Sheldonian Theatre - Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AZ
Dmitri Shostakovich, Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in E minor
Dmitri Shostakovich, Prelude and Fugue No. 15 in D flat major
Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Quintet in G Minor, op. 57
Tickets: "Early Bird" discount until 15th June - from £15 to £20 (£13 to £18 concessions)
"It is easier to save a manuscript than to save a man"
Nadezhda Mandelstam
“The life of Isaiah Berlin contained several episodes that cry out for theatrical treatment, and Lewis Owens here dramatises one of them, co-starring Shostakovich, with intelligence and flair.” Dr Henry Hardy, Isaiah Berlin’s editor, Wolfson College, Oxford
“A very imaginative and unusual play.” Peter Bien, Emeritus Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Dartmouth College, USA
“The play portrays, in sharp focus and with an immense attention to detail, not only the visit of Shostakovich to Oxford but, and as significantly, the various machinations that lay behind the apparent success of the visit. There are surprises too, both musically and politically speaking.” Alan Mercer, DSCH Journal editor
"Shostakovich honoured: a thought-provoking snapshot, drawn from authentic documents and music, of ceremonial Oxford meeting totalitarian Russia." Peter Oppenheimer, Christ Church College, Oxford.