Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 (Arrangement For Two Pianos By Shostakovich)

In the mid-1930s Dmitri Shostakovich was on top of the world artistically. In one fell swoop that all changed when his opera "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" was condemned in the pages of Pravda -a review likely penned by Stalin himself. So it came as no surprise that at this time his next major work, his Fourth Symphony, was

withdrawn from performance after a number of rehearsals. It was deemed simply too risky and provocative to perform it. This grand symphony, a true masterwork and Shostakovich's first large format purely instrumental symphony, lay in obscurity, unperformed for more than a quarter century until after Stalin's death. The original score to Symphony No.4 was lost and remains unfound. It was only by virtue of having the original orchestral parts from rehearsals and this arrangement for two pianos that Shostakovich made to perform the piece in private for his friends, that the work was able to be reconstructed. This masterful performance by pianists Maki Namekawa and Dennis Russell Davies brings to light the majesty of this underappreciated work. This is truly a recording of Symphonic Pianos and is part of a series of recordings the duo has made, including recently recording the three major early Stravinsky ballets, to explore the musical essence of works more often known in their original versions.