The Symphonies (complete) plus 'the Song of the Forests', October, Op.131 & Festival Overture, Op.96

"There's much to be said for the present set of sturdy, central, "un-aristocratic" performances, decently annotated with full texts and translations."
(Gramophone Magazine)

"I expected to enjoy this excursion through the symphonies of Shostakovich but, in the end, it has been more onerous than I anticipated. Some have welcomed this middle-of-the-road Ashkenazy set with (almost) open arms and I have mostly enjoyed the performances, but I have found sometimes myself much more out of sorts with the music than I expected. Ashkenazy has not helped me to come to terms with Nos. 14 and 15 and he has sometimes left me wanting a firmer direction in other symphonies. I'm not sure how much the fault is Ashkenazy's: there is very little that is actually wrong with this set, but I have, in the main, derived more pleasure from listening to my existing versions."
(MusicWeb Nov 2007)

Dmitri Shostakovich was born in St Petersburg on 25 September 1906 and died in Moscow on 9 August 1975. As one of the most important figures in 20th century Soviet music - and indeed in 20th century music in general - much of his music is now a regular part of the repertory of orchestras and chamber ensembles.

Shostakovich lived through some of the most significant political events of the 20th century and he was just eleven years old when the October Revolution took place in 1917. He witnessed the massive changes that took place in his homeland and the creation of the Soviet state. He was no stranger to controversy and was at odds with official doctrine at various times throughout his career and while he was obliged to follow the Party line he nevertheless maintained his artistic integrity throughout his life.
Shostakovich wrote music in all genres but it is for the 15 Symphonies and 15 String Quartets that he is held in the highest esteem and for which he produced some of his greatest works.

Vladimir Ashkenazy has performed and recorded a great deal of Shostakovich over the past twenty years and began his recording of the Symphonies with Symphony No.5 in 1987. He has recently completed the cycle with recordings of Symphonies 13 & 14 and this set also includes a new recording of Symphony No.4.