SYMPHONY 8

Shostakovich's blisteringly tragic Eighth Symphony, written in the midst of World War II, is regarded as his 'Guernica,' a powerful examination of the horror of war. Initially censured by the Soviet authorities, it is now honoured as one of Shostakovich's most dramatic and moving compositions. Yevgeny Mravinsky, to whom the work is dedicated, first premiered the work in 1943 and in this legendary recording presents this masterpiece with a ferocity that was later praised by Gramophone.