Music of Shostakovich

Shostakovich’s reputation as public servant and loyal Soviet son was made or broken largely through his symphonies. His Fifth came out at the height of the Terror, a sort of rehabilitation gesture after a blistering Pravda attack on his R-rated opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk; the authorities approved of its traditionalism and its superficial conformity to the requirements of Socialist Realism, while the audience wept and cheered at its overt, cathartic emotionalism. Peter Ëros conducts it with the UW Symphony next Tuesday. His Symphony No. 14, however, a 1969 song-cycle on the subject of death, was too pessimistic for the apparatchiks, who applied some (unsuccessful) pressure to stop the premiere performance. It’s the centerpiece of this weekend’s Northwest Chamber Orchestra concerts; Ralf Gothoni conducts. Meany Hall, UW campus, 206-543-4880. $8-$10. 7:30 p.m. Tues. Feb. 22. Benaroya Recital Hall, Third and Union, 206-343-0445. $25-$35. 8 p.m. Sat. Feb. 19; 2:30 p.m. Sun. Feb. 20. GAVIN BORCHERT

Maureen Whiting Company

Whiting often glories in unusual locations and unexpected collaborations—recent work has premiered in parking lots, hotel rooms, and abandoned factories, with casts drawn from both the performance art world and ballet. Her newest work, Juicy Point B, brings it all together, heightening our experience of these disparate influences by placing them in a familiar theatrical context. On the Boards, 100 W. Roy St., 206-217-9888. $18. 8 p.m. Thurs. Feb. 17-Sat. Feb. 19. SANDRA KURTZ