Shostakovich - Symphony No. 8 / Yoel Levi, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra / Telarc Classics / Telarc Audio CD 1994 / CD-80291

UPC 089408029127

The Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65, by Dmitri Shostakovich was written in the summer of 1943, and first performed on November 4 of that year by the USSR Symphony Orchestra under Yevgeny Mravinsky, to whom the work is dedicated. It was named the 'Stalingrad Symphony' by the USSR.

The symphony does not appear on concert programs very often, yet many recent scholars^[who?] have ranked it among the composer’s finest scores. Although some^[who?] have argued that the work falls within the tradition of other C minor "tragedy to triumph" symphonies, such as Beethoven's Fifth, Brahms' First, Bruckner's Eighth, and Mahler's Second, there is considerable disagreement over the level of optimism present in the final pages. Shostakovich's friend Isaac Glikman called this symphony "his most tragic work". The work, like many of his symphonies, breaks some of the standard conventions of symphonic form and structure. Shostakovich clearly references themes, rhythms and harmonies from his previous symphonies, most notably Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 7.