BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 “to October”; Symphony No. 5 – SUPER-AUDIO CD

Title: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 "to October"; Symphony No. 5 Artist: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Label: Chandos Product Type: SUPER-AUDIO CD UPC: 0095115537824 Genre: Classical Artists Release Date: 2026-04-03 Number of Discs: 1 Commissioned by the Propaganda Department of the Soviet State Music Publishing House to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the October Revolution, the Symphonic Dedication to October eventually became Shostakovich's Second Symphony, and was first performed, in Leningrad, in 1927. It is a short, through-composed work of around twenty minutes, it's structure involving four sections. It opens with a Largo meant to portray the primordial chaos from which order emerged, and ends with a choral setting of To October, a poem by Alexander Bezymensky, praising Lenin and the October Revolution. The symphony shows a marked departure in style from Shostakovich's first symphony, and is far more modernist and avant-garde. The Second Symphony made little impression, in Russia or the West, and is rarely performed. In contrast, the Fifth Symphony received a standing ovation at it's premire, one that lasted for over half an hour, and was acclaimed both by state officials (for delivering everything that they had asked of Shostakovich) and by the public (who heard it as an expression of the suffering to which it had been subjected by Stalin). The Fifth Symphony is one of Shostakovich's best-known and most performed works, and has become standard repertoire for orchestras around the globe. Tracks:1.1 Symphony No. 2, Op. 14 'To October' in B Major-Largo Quarter Note = 46 - Quarter Note = 152 - 1.2 Symphony No. 2, Op. 14 'To October' in B Major-Poco Meno Mosso Quarter Note = 138 - Allegro Molto Quarter Note = 192 - Quarter Note = 152 - Quarter Note = 168 - 1.3 Symphony No. 2, Op. 14 'To October' in B Major-Meno Mosso Quarter Note = 100 - Moderato Quarter Note = 76 - 1.4 Symphony No. 2, Op. 14 'To October' in B Major-We Marched, We Asked for Work and Bread 1.5 Symphony No. 5, Op. 47 in D minor-I. Moderato Eighth Note = 76 - Quarter Note = 84 - Quarter Note = 92 - Quarter Note = 104 - Allegro Non Troppo Quarter Note = 126 - Quarter Note = 132 - Poco Sostenuto Quarter Note = 126 - Quarter Note = 138 - Largamente Quarter Note = 66 - Pi Mosso Quarter Note = 1.6 Symphony No. 5, Op. 47 in D minor-II. Allegretto Quarter Note = 138 1.7 Symphony No. 5, Op. 47 in D minor-III. Largo Quarter Note = 50 - Largamente - Poco Pi Mosso Quarter Note = 72 - Quarter Note = 50 - Quarter Note = 72 - Quarter Note = 50 1.8 Symphony No. 5, Op. 47 in D minor-IV. Allegro Non Troppo Quarter Note = 88 - Quarter Note = 104 - Quarter Note = 108 - Quarter Note = 120 - Quarter Note = 126 - Allegro Quarter Note = 132 - Pi Mosso Half Note = 72 - Half Note = 92 - Half Note = 80 - Poco Animato - Quarter Note = 100 - 108 - Quarter