Gimeno Conducts Shostakovich & Prokofiev at Davies Symphony Hall

For Shostakovich, Walton, and Prokofiev, cinematic assignments often found their way into their concert music—and vice versa. Drama abounds in Shostakovich's score for The Great Citizen, a fictionalized biopic about a Bolshevik hero. In his Third Symphony, Prokofiev recycles music from his yet-to-be-staged opera The Fiery Angel, a love story that traffics in demonic possession. Walton's searing and sumptuous Viola Concerto polarized early listeners but ended up launching his career.