蜜芽传媒

Donald Macleod explores Dmitri Shostakovich鈥檚 life during the great terror in Russia in the lead up to World War II.

Donald Macleod explores Dmitri Shostakovich鈥檚 life during the years of World War II, a period indelibly linked to his most famous work 鈥� the 鈥楲eningrad鈥� symphony - which became an international symbol of resistance against the Nazis when it was performed by an orchestra suffering from the effects of starvation during the siege of the city.

In Monday鈥檚 episode, Donald explores Shostakovich鈥檚 life in the lead up to the war. It was the time of the 鈥済reat terror鈥� - a period of cultural censorship and oppression where many composers, Shostakovich included, became enemies of the state. Donald also examines how Shostakovich heard of the German forces invasion of Russia in 1941, and how it led to the conception of the 7th Symphony.

Funeral march in Memory of Victims of the Revolution
Nicolas Stavy, piano

Piano Concerto No 2 in F Major, Op 102 (2nd mvt, Andante)
Yuja Wang, piano
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District (Act IV, Vstav谩y! Po mest谩m! Z铆vo!)
Sergei Larin, tenor (Sergei)
Orchestre et choeurs de l鈥橭pera Bastille
Myung-Whun Chung, conductor

Symphony No 5 in D minor, Op 47 (4th mvt, Allegro non troppo)
London Symphony Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

Piano Quintet in G minor, Op 57 (1st mvt, Prelude 鈥� Lento)
Martha Argerich, piano
Renaud Capucon, violin
Alissa Margulis, violin
Lyda Chen, viola
Misha Maisky, cello

Symphony no 7, Op.60 鈥淟eningrad鈥� (2nd mvt, Moderato)
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko, conductor

King Lear - the fool鈥檚 10 songs (excerpt)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Mark Elder, conductor

Produced by Sam Phillips for 蜜芽传媒 Audio Wales & West