Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 "To October"; Symphony No. 5 BBC Philharmonic Orchestra & John Storgårds

• Dimitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975): Symphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 "To October":
• 1 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 "To October": I. Largo 06:13
• 2 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 "To October": II. Poco Meno Mosso - Allegro molto 03:47
• 3 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 "To October": III. Meno Mosso 01:58
• 4 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 "To October": IV. My shli, my prosili roboty i khleba (We marched, we asked for work and bread) 06:26
• Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47:
• 5 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: I. Moderato 17:23
• 6 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: II. Allegretto 05:39
• 7 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: III. Largo 14:33
• 8 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: IV. Alllegro non troppo 11:19
• Total Runtime 01:07:18

Info for Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 "To October"; Symphony No. 5

Commissioned by the Propaganda Department of the Soviet State Music Publishing House to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the October Revolution, the ‘Symphonic Dedication to October’ eventually became Shostakovich’s Second Symphony, and was first performed, in Leningrad, in 1927. It is a short, through-composed work of around twenty minutes, its structure involving four sections. It opens with a Largo meant to portray the primordial chaos from which order emerged, and ends with a choral setting of ‘To October’, a poem by Alexander Bezymensky, praising Lenin and the October Revolution. The symphony shows a marked departure in style from Shostakovich’s first symphony, and is far more modernist and avant-garde. The Second Symphony made little impression, in Russia or the west, and is rarely performed. In contrast, the Fifth Symphony received a standing ovation at its première, one that lasted for over half an hour, and was acclaimed both by state officials (for delivering everything that they had asked of Shostakovich) and by the public (who heard it as an expression of the suffering to which it had been subjected by Stalin). The Fifth Symphony is one of Shostakovich’s best-known and most performed works, and has become standard repertoire for orchestras around the globe.

"This is a compelling Fifth – first-class playing by BBC Philharmonic (Yuri Torchinsky, leader), immaculate production by Mike George, superbly recorded by Stephen Rinker...No matter how many Fifths you have, I suggest this from Storgårds is a must-have." (Colin Anderson, colinscolumn.com)

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
John Storgårds, conductor

John Storgårds
“The Finnish conducting miracle” is the phrase used of the fantastic host of talented conductors to come out of sparsely-populated Finland over the last few decades. And from that crowd John Storgårds stands out. He has a dual career as conductor and violin virtuoso, and he is a pioneer in contemporary music – an idealistic and eclectic musician.

From the autumn of 2008 John Storgårds became the new chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic, one of Scandinavia’s best and most tradition-rich orchestras. He is also chief conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic and artistic director of the magical Lapland Chamber Orchestra, which gives some of Europe’s most imaginative concerts north of the Arctic Circle.

Abroad John Storgårds has appeared with international orchestras such as l’Orchestre de Paris, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared in the USA, Asia and Australia and with leading ensembles specializing in contemporary music such as the Parisian Ensemble Intercontemporain. He has recorded a succession of CDs and can be heard for example as a soloist in Dacapo’s recording of Sunleif Rasmussen’s Violin Concerto no. 2, Songs of Seasons.

Booklet for Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 "To October"; Symphony No. 5