Described as being "one of his most important utterances," Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 was written as a response to the sinister unsigned article which appeared in Pravda, the state newspaper, in January 1936, denouncing the composer and implying the ultimate threat, during the time of Stalin's "Great Terror." Whilst the messages of the Symphony have been subject to a variety of often conflicting interpretations, the music and vivid orchestral writing, to which the Halle live performance fully attests, have earned it a leading place in the composer's legacy. In coupling the Symphony with the Four Romances which immediately pre-date it, Elder sheds light on his interpretation of the meaning of the Symphony. The latter work quotes thematic material used in the first of the Pushkin settings in which faith is expressed that art can survive even the most brutal oppression and desecration, perhaps revealing an element of pride that the composer had been true to his art in the face of state threats. James Platt is one of the leading British singers of his generation who frequently appears in the major opera houses across Europe and in concert performances with leading international ensembles and conductors.

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Last year Andrey Boreyko’s recording of Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 9 and 15 was released to worldwide acclaim, and he now returns with his third installment with the RSO Stuttgart. Boreyko’s intense, highly emotional yet carefully controlled interpretations reveal Shostakovich at his most profound.

Prior to becoming Principle Guest Conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Andrey Boreyko served as chief conductor of the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra from and is currently in the same position with the Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra. In his first recording for Henssler CLASSIC, Maestro Boreyko delivered what has come to be regarded as one of the definitive recordings of Shostakovich's difficult and emotionally searing Fourth Symphony. For this new release, Boreyko returns with what will surely become benchmark versions of two equally difficult Shostakovich scores.

In a passionate and emotionally gripping recording, Scottish Ensemble performs Shostakovich's deeply personal Chamber Symphony, a transcription by Rudolf Barshai of the composer's monument to 'the victims of fascism and war'. Originally released in 2000 'Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony' has been re-issued as part of Linn's ECHO series which offers a second chance to enjoy the best of the label's award-winning catalogue. The Chamber Symphony is a gripping portrayal of the brutality of con?ict. It's jagged, dynamic rhythms in the central sections are contrasted by elegiac outer movements that never fail to move the listener. In contrast the Piano Concerto is one of the most exuberant examples of Shostakovich's wonderfully subversive sense of humour. Sophia Rahman and John Wallace are the highly accomplished soloists who excel in this repertoire. The programme concludes with the rarely heard Two pieces for string octet which includes the feverishly brilliant Scherzo. Re-defining the string orchestra, Scottish Ensemble inspires audiences with vibrant and powerful performances. Scottish Ensemble is the UK's only professional string orchestra, built around a core of twelve outstanding string players. The ensemble is known both in the UK and internationally for it's versatility and ambitious programming. Performing standing up, the individual layers bring an energetic and passionate dynamic to every performance.

In this new release, the Delian Quartet along with Anatol Ugorski perform works by Shostakovich. Featured on this album are Shostakovich’s String Quartets Nos 4 & 6, as well as the rarely performed Theatre Suite. The Theatre Suite is a compilation of pieces from two works of incidental music: The Human Comedy, Op. 37, and Hamlet, Op. 32. “The performers of Shostakovich’s D-major Quartet, Op. 83 do full justice to all the double meanings compellingly contained in this work of disturbingly intimate character.” (General-Anzeiger)

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Ondine’s successful partnership with violinist Christian Tetzlaff continues with a new recording of Dmitri Shostakovich’s two Violin Concertos, personal, powerful yet distinctive works originally written for legendary Russian violinist David Oistrakh. Mr. Tetzlaff has been considered one of the world’s leading international violinists for many years, and still maintains a most extensive performing schedule. Musical America named him “Instrumentalist of the Year” in 2005. Previously released recordings on Ondine of the Mendelssohn and Schumann violin concertos, the Mozart Violin Sonatas and the Schumann Violin Sonatas have all received the highest critical praise. John Storgårds is today one of the most prominent Finnish conductors of his generation, known for his innovative and pioneering programming as Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic (2008–2015), Artistic Director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra (1996–) and Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic (2012–). Mr. Storgårds also has several award-winning recordings with various orchestras to his credit,

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The First Violin Concerto was given as op. 99 on account of it's late appearance. This was not the wish of Shostakovich, who had composed it as op. 77. When asked: What is the history of your relationship with Shostakovich's music? Why did you decide to record these particular works? Ivan Pochekin answered: "Shostakovich's music very accurately conveys what was happening in the lives of people in my country until very recently. I feel it deeply and want to convey it to the audience, as if tracing the link between past and present, preserving authenticity. Together with Valentin Uryupin, we as individuals were formed in the very musical system where Dmitri Shostakovich worked several decades before. My father attended several premieres of Shostakovich's works, including the Violin Concerto No.2. There is a recorded telephone conversation between David Oistrakh and Dmitri Shostakovich in the public domain, where the composer points out the most important details of the interpretation and even hums the Concerto No.2 finale. For me, this is still live history."

Shostakovich - his music is a challenge each and every quartet sooner or later has to face up to. Yet when it comes to the Pavel Haas Quartet, it seems to be in their very DNA. The ensemble's unbridled, impulsive and, now and then, frenetic energy, sense for extreme contrast, ability to bring to bear gradation from breath-taking subtlety and tenderness to symphonic drama are facets essentially incident to Shostakovich's music. Although composed in safety, away from the horrors of World War II, String Quartet No. 2 (1944) reflects the suffering, uncertainty and anxiety of living at the time (the lyrical Recitative of the second movement, as performed by Veronika Jaru�kov�, the first violin). Both dating from 1960, String Quartets Nos. 7 and 8 are truly intimate confessions. While Shostakovich dedicated the former (the shortest piece of the cycle) to the memory of his first wife, he most likely intended the latter as his own epitaph, at the time when be hovered on the thin line between life and death. Attesting to the autobiographical nature of String Quartet No. 8 is the opening DSCH motif, Shostakovich's musical signature, which reoccurs throughout the piece. The Pavel Haas Quartet surpass the abyss of time, as well as the barrier of personal physical existence, delving into the very centre of Shostakovich's music and reflecting the full scale of emotions with airiness, as if the music were their own. The Pavel Haas Quartet and (in truth) their Shostakovich. At long last!

Following their debut release DRESS CODE on Navona Records, Altius Quartet returns with a drastically different set of repertoire on SHOSTAKOVICH STRING QUARTETS 7, 8 & 9 but is played with the same passion and meticulous dedication one could expect from the group. The quartet notes that through studying these works the group was able to find their artistic voices both as individuals as well as an ensemble. Through listening to their performances, one can really get a sense of their personal connection to these pieces, and that reverence only helps to highlight the personal connection Shostakovich felt to these quartets as well. In fact, these three quartets are each written in honor of different person or group he felt a close connection to.Shostakovich’s Seventh Quartet was written in memory of his first wife, she had died suddenly from complications during an emergency surgery. He even goes so far as to write “To live for you! To die for you!” in his score; that anguish is abundantly clear through the complex and chromatic harmonies he brings forth. Altius’ blazing technical facilities in the allegretto is nothing short of awesome, and their careful balancing of Shostakovich’s dense harmonies makes even the strongest of dissonances ring sonorously. Written after reluctantly joining the Communist Party and in the midst of his first instance of debilitating muscle fatigue, Shostakovich dedicated the Eighth Quartet “to the victims of fascism and the war.” Whether this is a reference to the atrocities he experienced during World War II or an expression of his closeted dissent of his country’s regime, the brooding largo and visceral allegretto demonstrate that this quartet could be dedicated to victims anywhere. In this work, the group’s cohesion comes to the forefront; the way in which the group can achieve dynamic unity in every swell and change allows the atmospheres that Shostakovich intended to come vividly to life. Finally, the Ninth Quartet was written in dedication to his third wife and it’s clear this work is written with a much more hopeful tone than his other pieces. For instance, this quartet doesn’t end with a morendo like so many of his other works; in fact, the quartet ends with a luminous forte. Even within the first few measures, it’s clear the ensemble has taken the time to live within the work. Although contingent upon rhythmic accuracy, the group still allows each phrase to breathe, ebb, and flow; all within perfect unison of one another. In the following brisker movements, the group is still able to convey the passion and fervor this work emits, whether it be the softest sul tasto or strongest fortissimo. HIGHLIGHTS This is Altius Quartet’s second Navona Records release, following their debut DRESS CODE. Each of these works were written in the early 1960’s, arguably one of the most tumultuous points in Shostakovich’s life.

The first volume in an adventurous new series juxtaposing the piano music of Shostakovich with his most talented pupils. All three of the younger composers here demonstrate the individuality of their own voice.

Least known of them now is German Galynin (1922-1966). In 1951, the year in which he paradoxically obtained the Stalin Prize for his Epic Poem on Russian Themes, Galynin began suffering from schizophrenia that he was admitted to an asylum, and continued to received psychiatric care for the rest of his short life. He wrote this five-movement Suite in 1945, while still a student at the Conservatoire, and it alternates somewhat prophetically between moods of mania and melancholy.

Shostakovich himself cited Alemdar Karamanov (1934-2007) as one of the most original composers of his time. Ukrainian born but of Turkish parentage, he studied in Moscow before returning to Crimea, converting to Christianity and thus consigning himself to obscurity at the time, and his later music shares an experimental, visionary quality with contemporary pioneers such as Schnittke, Denisov, and Gubaidulina. The Variations for piano (1962) belong to the last phase of his Moscow period.

The career of Boris Tchaikovsky (1925-1996) proceeded along smoother lines. The single-movement Sonatina from 1946 is again a student work, albeit a highly talented and disciplined one, with the kind of thorough-going understanding of Classical form which Shostakovich evidently instilled in and expected from his students.

Fernanda Damiano juxtaposes these pianistic rarities with several pieces which demonstrate the breadth of style and confidence of artistic personality that made Shostakovich stand out from his contemporaries. Alongside the fleet-fingered brilliance of the Three Fantastic Dances and the Polka from his ballet The Golden Age, she plays a trio of Preludes and Fugues (Nos. 1, 7 & 24) from the collection he wrote for Tatiana Nikolaeva, another pupil, in 1950-51.

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