Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5, 6 & 10

Featuring

Mark Wigglesworth
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Dmitri Shostakovich

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Critical Reception

The Russian audience at the premiere of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony understood its true meaning, giving a forty-minute ovation and shedding tears of gratitude.

Composer Biography

After a Pravda article, widely believed to be written by Stalin, denounced his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Shostakovich was shunned and his relatives were arrested.

Performer Biography

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, established in 1987, has achieved international recognition and performs regularly at major festivals and on BBC Radio and Television.

Composition History

Following the Pravda attack, Shostakovich withdrew his Fourth Symphony from rehearsals, knowing that its dark and introspective nature would have led to his execution.

Historical Context

In the 1930s, Stalin's regime maintained power by creating widespread fear, with citizens encouraged to denounce each other, and quotas for arrests were set weekly.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Shostakovich's music is described as his truth, while his words protected him, embodying an old Russian proverb: 'Pretend to be kissing someone, but then spit when they are not looking.'

Compositional Technique

Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony includes a direct quote from his Pushkin song 'Rebirth,' which was his initial reaction to the Pravda attack, but its existence was unknown at the symphony's premiere.