European Tour
Klaus Mäkelä Dmitri Shostakovich

In the 1930s, like many Soviet artists, Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) lived under intense pressure to conform to the regime’s demands. Toward the end of the decade, Joseph Stalin’s grip loosened slightly after the height of the terror, and Shostakovich was able to breathe—and compose—a little more freely.

“This is the first time I’ve written such a successful finale,” said Shostakovich—who was by no means known for boasting about his music—to his friends after performing a piano version of his Symphony No. 6 for them in the autumn of 1939.

The symphony’s structure took early listeners by surprise. In an interview before the premiere, the composer said he aimed to express spring, joy, and youth. Yet the work opens with a slow and solemn Largo, followed by a vigorous Scherzo and a breathless final movement.

When Shostakovich composed his Symphony No. 8 in the summer of 1943, World War II was beginning to turn. Soviet authorities expected an optimistic symphony in line with the prevailing spirit of the time. Instead, Shostakovich produced a somber and introspective work that culminates in an almost melancholic conclusion.

As the war receded, the fear of Stalin’s regime returned. Shostakovich reportedly viewed his Eighth Symphony as a requiem, and in the years that followed, it was nearly banned. After Stalin’s death in 1953, the symphony returned to concert programs and is now regarded as one of Shostakovich’s finest works.