Main content
Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 (excerpts) – triumph or terror?
When Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 premiered in November 1937, the composer was under immense pressure to conform to the Soviet authorities’ expectations of upbeat, optimistic, accessible music.
What he produced was a masterpiece of ambiguity – the finale could be heard both as a triumph for Stalin, and as the defiant survival of humanity against the dictator.
Duration:
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Orchestra | Â鶹Éç National Orchestra of Wales |
| Conductor | Otto Tausk |
Featured in...
![]()
Tunes for Tyrants - The Music
Â鶹Éç Music presents longer extracts from some of the key performances from this series.
More clips from Dictatorship
-
![]()
Shostakovich's secret code
Duration: 02:07
-
![]()
O Fortuna from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff
Duration: 02:41
More clips from Tunes for Tyrants: Music and Power with Suzy Klein
-
![]()
Shostakovich's secret code—Series 1, Dictatorship
Duration: 02:07
-
![]()
Tunes for Tyrants: Music and Power with Suzy Klein - Trailer
Duration: 00:30
