Shostakovich's Fourth and Fifth Symphonies begin with a theme of martyrdom, which became a central idea in his later symphonies and his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.
Compositional Technique
The finale of the Fifth Symphony uses a 'double meaning' characteristic of art under tyrannical regimes, presenting both a 'heroic march' externally and a 'last road' internally.
Composition History
The Fourth Symphony was suppressed and did not premiere until a quarter-century later, during the Khrushchev thaw, while the Fifth Symphony was a triumph at its premiere.
Performer Biography
Alain Altinoglu, the conductor on this album, is the Music Director of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and the Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie in Brussels, and also teaches conducting at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.
Performer Biography
The Frankfurt Radio Symphony, founded in 1929, is known for its groundbreaking world premiere recordings of original versions of Bruckner's symphonies and the first complete digital recording of all Mahler symphonies.
Critical Reception
The Fifth Symphony was intended to restore Shostakovich's reputation with Soviet officials, and the press praised it with stereotypical phrases like 'an optimistic tragedy' and 'personality development'.
Composition History
Dmitri Shostakovich composed his Fourth and Fifth Symphonies between 1935 and 1937, a period marked by articles criticizing his work and the arrest of many people close to him.
