Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60 "Leningrad"

Featuring

Vasily Petrenko
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Dmitri Shostakovich

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Critical Reception

Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, 'Leningrad', was lavishly praised during wartime but largely dismissed afterwards, though it has recently seen a return to favor.

Performer Biography

Vasily Petrenko, the Chief Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, was named Classical BRIT Awards Male Artist of the Year in both 2010 and 2012.

Notable Performances

The Leningrad premiere of the Seventh Symphony on August 9, 1942, was broadcast on loudspeakers throughout the city as a psychological weapon against German troops.

Composition History

Shostakovich began his Seventh Symphony, subtitled 'Leningrad', on July 19, 1941, during the siege of Leningrad, which lasted 870 days and cost over a million lives.

Notable Performances

The score of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony was microfilmed and flown to the West, with Arturo Toscanini conducting the American premiere with the NBC Symphony in New York on July 19, 1942.

Compositional Technique

The first movement of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony features a famous 'war machine' episode, where the development section is largely replaced by a new theme that builds in intensity with a martial rhythm.