Under Stalin’s Shadow – Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9; Suite from Hamlet Op 32a —Boston Symphony/Andris Nelsons (DeutGram 4795201)
This set was the subject of a recent NPR First Listen article by Tom Huizenga. In part, he says: “If you're new to Shostakovich's 15 symphonies, this new double-disc album is a pretty good starter kit. It contains the Fifth, his most famous symphony, the Ninth, his most approachable and which looks backward toward the classical period of Haydn, and the Eighth, one of his boldest and most unconventional. The set also includes an example of another Shostakovich specialty, writing for films and plays, with a suite of excerpts from a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The bonus is that these works are played with insight and panache by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its music director, Andris Nelsons, who are recording all the Shostakovich symphonies live. The first installment in the series, featuring the Symphony No. 10, was released last fall and won a Grammy.”
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