Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47 (Live)

Featuring

Mariss Jansons
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Dmitri Shostakovich

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Composer Biography

While working on the Fifth Symphony, Shostakovich feared for his life during Stalin's 'Great Terror', especially after his friend and sponsor Mikhail Tukhachevsky, a powerful Red Army figure, was arrested and executed.

Performer Biography

Mariss Jansons, the conductor on this recording, was the Music Director of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks from 2003 until his death in 2019, leading to a Grammy-winning recording of Shostakovich's 13th Symphony.

Composition History

Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 premiered on November 21, 1937, marking a grand comeback for the composer after his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District was condemned by Pravda.

Interpretation

Shostakovich later revealed that the Fifth Symphony's seemingly optimistic ending was forced, stating, 'As if someone were beating you with a stick and insisting 'Rejoice! You have to rejoice!'

Historical Context

In January 1936, Joseph Stalin attended a performance of Shostakovich's opera, leading to its condemnation as 'muddle instead of music' and 'formalist' by Pravda, a Soviet newspaper.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Shostakovich officially titled his Fifth Symphony 'A Soviet Artist's Creative Answer to Justified Criticism' and stated its theme was 'the development of personality' to conform to 'Socialist Realism'.

Compositional Technique

The Allegretto movement of the symphony uses a humorous Ländler sound, reminiscent of Gustav Mahler's ambiguous Scherzi, to ironically comment on official mass culture.