After a pause of eight years, Shostakovich returns to the symphonic form and produces his 10th Symphony. It is recognised as a masterpiece both here and abroad. String Quartets no. 7 & 8 are composed.

I’ve written about the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony before. It’s one of the masterworks of the classical repertoire, alongside ...

His Second Symphony, To October, was less successful despite its rousing choral finale and revolutionary sentiments. Shostakovich, when he apologised for his errors, said he would try to do better and ...

There’s nothing like an anodyne new(ish) work to give a masterpiece an even higher profile. Rachel Portman‘s Tipping Points, promising to address climate change issues, was so bland and featureless it ...