Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op 93

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"Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 premiered in Leningrad nine months after the death of Stalin, of whom the second movement is supposed to be a portrait. The symphony also contains, surfacing and resurfacing in cipher form as a four-note motif, the composer’s own name. Four specific notes act as the composer's musical 'signature': D--Eb-C-B (in German spelling: D-SCH). Listen out for the repeated 'signature' in the finale and what it says about Stalin. It's 1953 and he shouts: '""Stalin is dead, and I - Dmitri Shostakovich - have survived!"" Shostakovich released three of his symphonies after Stalin's death and the world learned what a great composer he really was." Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich Performers: BBC Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Jiří Bělohlávek Recording date: 23 July 2014 Date of broadcast: 24 July 2014