Dmitri Shostakovich was considered the most promising composer of the young Soviet Union. In 1936, however, he fell out of favor because of his overly realistic opera . These were already the years in which millions of Soviet citizens feared for their lives because of the Stalin terror. Shostakovich 'decided to withdraw his equally ambitious Fourth Symphony out of sheer self-preservation. The
… monumental work, with countless beautifully elaborated moments, literally had to wait in the desk drawer for better times. Andris Nelsons conducts the Fourth and Eleventh Symphonies here. This is the fourth edition of Andris Nelson's much acclaimed Shostakovich cycle, of which two previous releases were good for a Grammy Award. (HJ)more
