Record Review

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A thorough look at the week's classical music releases, plus news and recommendations.

A thorough look at the week's classical music releases, plus news and the Radio 3 Disc of the Week recommendation.

Record Review: Shostakovich Symphony No 5 with Edward Seckerson and Andrew McGregor

Shostakovich Symphony No 5 with Edward Seckerson and Andrew McGregor

BBC Radio 3 - Record Review, Shostakovich Symphony No 5 with Edward Seckerson and Andrew McGregor

Edward Seckerson chooses his favourite recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No 5.

Edward Seckerson chooses his favourite recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No 5, plus a round-up of the best new classical releases.

Andrew McGregor with the best new recordings of classical music.

3.00 pm
Building a Library

Edward Seckerson chooses his favourite recording of Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No 5 in D minor.

With the 1926 premiere of his brilliant first symphony, the career of 19-year-old Shostakovich could hardly have begun better. Ten years later, however, Shostakovich's prospects seemed bleak indeed after Pravda, the official newspaper of Stalin's Communist Party, had savagely denounced his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. His confidence battered, Shostakovich withdrew his fourth symphony, his most adventurous orchestral score to date, immediately before its premiere. His next symphony was much more conservative and it did the trick when a reviewer pronounced it 'a Soviet artist’s reply to just criticism' and it had huge public success, both in the Soviet Union and the West. 

With its conventional symphonic structure, memorable tunes and triumphant-seeming finale the fifth symphony is still one of Shostakovich's most popular works. But with the benefit of hindsight and testimonies of varying reliability, no effort has been spared to scour it for traces of ambiguity, subversion and anti-Soviet revolt.

3.45 pm
Record of the Week: Andrew’s top pick.

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

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Shostakovich Symphony No 5 with Edward Seckerson and Andrew McGregor

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