Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos 5 & 1

Gianandrea Noseda and the London Symphony Orchestra continue their Shostakovich cycle with the iconic Fifth Symphony alongside the composer's First.

Few pieces of classical music have been the subject of so much debate and discussion as the Fifth Symphony of Dmitri Shostakovich. Following the ‘justified criticism’ of his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk the Fifth marked a turning point in his career, after which he balanced an even more precarious position as an artist under Stalin’s brutal regime.

Just 18 years old at the time of its completion, Shostakovich’s First Symphony propelled him into the international spotlight. Breathtakingly unpredictable, the piece charts a course through soundscapes of blazing passion, melancholy introspection and caustic humour.