SHOSTAKOVICH

SYMPHONY NO. 7
KURT MASUR conductor
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
SYMPHONY NO. 7 IN C MAJOR ‘LENINGRAD’, OP. 60

1. Allegretto helped fortify the new anti-Nazi alliance of

2. Moderato (poco allegretto) USA and USSR. ‘What devil could vanquish a
3. Adagio nation capable of creating such music!’, one
4. Allegro non troppo American newspaper enthused. This was
modern classical music out there in the world
It is one of the great stories of 20th-century
and making a difference.
classical music. Shostakovich, working at his
desk in the darkening months of 1941 on a
Shostakovich’s own pronouncements at the
symphony of ‘war, struggle, and the heroism
time must have left few in doubt as to what
of the Soviet people’ as the bombs fell on
the work signified. In an article in Pravda
Leningrad. The premiere the following March
not long after the premiere, he wrote that
in Kuibyshev, where the composer had been
‘I wanted to compose a piece about today,
evacuated. The loudspeakers in the streets
about our life and our heroic people, fighting
of Leningrad relaying the performance to
and conquering the enemy.’ A few weeks
the people of the still-besieged city. The
later in another article he told of how he
microfilm copy of the score smuggled past
had composed the first three movements
the Germans to the West, where Henry Wood
quickly between July and September, his
conducted the British premiere with the
inspiration sharpened by the sounds of
London Philharmonic Orchestra in June 1942,
gunfire and explosions. And his programme
and major conductors vied for the first US
note for the Moscow premiere described it as
performance. The rapturous reception when
‘a programmatic work inspired by the threat
Toscanini performed it in New York in July, an
of events in 1941’. Yet, as has now been long
event that landed a photo of Shostakovich
recognised, Shostakovich was careful what he
(wearing his firewatcher’s helmet) on the
said and how he said it, whether in words or
cover of Time magazine and, together with
musical notes. Living and working as he did in
60-or-so more performances of the work in
a totalitarian state which had enlisted art as
the USA during the 1942/43 season alone,
an instrument of social control and in which
the slightest miscarriage of that purpose could exist in it alongside the immediate
could quite literally prove fatal, he yet sought experience of fear of, and resistance to,
to produce powerful and meaningful music military destruction. According to Volkov,
worthy of his mighty creative personality. Shostakovich said that ‘the majority of my
So yes, in a time of war, when the mother symphonies are tombstones’, and
country is under threat of conquest by multi-faceted though the composer’s
another, palpably worse dictatorship, a expressive powers were, human compassion
symphony of stirring patriotism has its place. was usually stronger in him than
triumphalism.
But could it also be more than that? In
Testimony, the memoir of Shostakovich ‘as The ‘Leningrad’ is surely less war story than
related to and edited by’ Solomon Volkov, (as Ian MacDonald has put it) ‘a civic requiem’.
the composer reveals that ‘the Seventh The first movement is undoubtedly the most
Symphony had been planned before the programmatic in feel. In his programme note
war, and consequently it cannot be seen Shostakovich said that it depicted ‘the happy
as a reaction to Hitler’s attack … I suffer for lives of our people’, presumably shown in the
everyone who was tortured, shot or starved confidently striding opening theme and the
to death. There were millions of them in peaceful and lyrical second. But then a
our own country before the war with Hitler quietly rattling side-drum sets on its way a
began’. The authority of Testimony has been trite march theme, which over the course
questioned ever since it was published four of long and terrifying repetition grows to
years after Shostakovich’s death, but once an almost unbearable height of intensity
immediate thoughts of invading Nazis have and menace. When at last this gives way,
become distanced, it is possible to see not it is to a climax of searing tragedy and
only that such an alternative view of the piece grief which gradually relents to war-worn
is entirely plausible, but that the lamenting transformations of the original second theme.
of Stalin’s Russia and sympathy for its victims Some sense of repose is eventually reached,
though not without the disturbance of being an exhibition of uncomplicated joy,
occasional reminders of the march. with any moves towards open celebration
reined in until we near the end. Even in
The second movement is a kind of scherzo, these clamorous final pages, however, for
though one that – for all its gestures towards all the strength they show, there is a weight
playfulness – seems sad and heavy-laden. that suggests that events have not left this
A central episode tries to raise the spirits, but massively resilient human spirit unchanged.
the screaming woodwinds succeed only in ‘I never thought about exultant finales’,
conjuring a grotesque totentanz before the Volkov reported Shostakovich as saying,
music returns to the weary world whence ‘for what exultation could there be?’
it came. ‘Ecstasy in life and admiration of
nature’ was the Mahlerian subject matter Programme note © Lindsay Kemp
suggested by Shostakovich for the slow
third movement, though it is Stravinsky’s
soundworld that is echoed in its stark opening
chord sequence, and if nature had never been
mentioned one might think the mood of
the movement less pastoral than funerary –
lyrically and sometimes heroically so in the
keen-aired string lines and gracefully winding
solos for flute and viola of its outer panels;
despairingly so in the tortured, driving central
section. The finale follows without a break,
gradually easing the music from sombre
depths into a jaunty but determined march.
Shostakovich originally had ‘victory’ lined
up as a subtitle for it, but this is far from
 KURT MASUR conductor

Kurt Masur was his tenure as Music Director of the New York
well known as Philharmonic Orchestra he led a moving
a distinguished performance of Brahms’s German Requiem in
conductor and the wake of 9/11.
humanist.
His 25 year As well as towering interpretations of the
© Christian Steiner

relationship with core central European orchestral repertoire,

the LPO began Masur conducted world premieres of works by
in 1987, and he many of the major composers of the late 20th
became Principal century, and collaborated with jazz pianist
Guest Conductor from 1988–1992. He was Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis’s Lincoln
appointed the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor Centre Jazz Orchestra.
in September 2000 and led them for the
following seven years. In September 2002 A professor at the Leipzig Academy of Music
Masur also became Music Director of the from 1975, Kurt Masur received numerous
Orchestre National de France in Paris, and in honours and titles, including Commander of
July 2007 he conducted the joint forces of the the Legion of Honour from the Government
two orchestras in an extraordinary BBC Prom of France and New York City Cultural
concert to celebrate his 80th birthday. Ambassador from the City of New York in
1997; Commander Cross of Merit of the Polish
Masur was Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Republic in 1999; and the Cross with Star of
Gewandhaus Orchestra for an unprecedented the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic
26 years from 1970, after which he became of Germany in 2002. He held an honorary
the Orchestra’s first ever Conductor Laureate. doctorate from London’s Royal College of Music
He was instrumental in preventing an and was an Honorary Citizen of his hometown,
outbreak of violence in Leipzig in the lead Brieg.
up to the fall of the Berlin wall, and during
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is one of The Orchestra is based at Southbank Centre’s
the world’s finest orchestras, balancing a long Royal Festival Hall in London, where it has
and distinguished history with its present- been Resident Orchestra since 1992, giving
day position as one of the most dynamic and around 30 concerts a season. Each summer it
forward-looking ensembles in the UK. This takes up its annual residency at Glyndebourne
reputation has been secured by the Orchestra’s Festival Opera where it has been Resident
performances in the concert hall and opera Symphony Orchestra for over 50 years. The
house, its many award-winning recordings, Orchestra performs at venues around the UK
trail-blazing international tours and wide- and has made numerous international tours,
ranging educational work. performing to sell-out audiences in America,
Europe, Asia and Australasia.
Founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932, the
Orchestra has since been headed by many of The London Philharmonic Orchestra made its
the world’s greatest conductors, including first recordings on 10 October 1932, just three
Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg days after its first public performance. It has
Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. Vladimir recorded and broadcast regularly ever since,
Jurowski was appointed the Orchestra’s and in 2005 established its own record label.
Principal Guest Conductor in March 2003, and These recordings are taken mainly from live
became Principal Conductor in September concerts given by conductors including LPO
2007. Principal Conductors from Beecham and Boult,
through Haitink, Solti and Tennstedt, to Masur
and Jurowski. lpo.org.uk

© Benjamin Ealovega / Drew Kelley

 Shostakovich and Kurt Masur on the LPO Label

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Shostakovich: Symphonies Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10

Nos. 1 & 5 (Kurt Masur) (Gennady Rozhdestvensky) (Bernard Haitink)
‘Emphatic style, with some ‘A formidable performance ... ‘An edge-of-seat tension that
superb soloists, serious class in immensely strong on raw power’ transcends national style’
every department’ Classic FM The Guardian The Financial Times
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Shostakovich: Symphonies Beethoven: Symphonies Shostakovich: piano works

Nos. 6 & 14 (Vladimir Jurowski) Nos. 1 & 4 (Kurt Masur) (Jurowski/Helmchen)
‘The most stunning Shostakovich ‘Readings that combine wisdom, ‘‘One of the most impressive
disc I have heard this year’ humanity and discipline, old- performances ... that I’ve heard in
BBC Music Magazine world values’ Classical Source recent years’ BBC Music Magazine

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906–75)

70:33 Symphony No. 7 in C major ‘Leningrad’, Op. 60

01 24:40 Allegretto
02 10:19 Moderato (poco allegretto)
03 17:33 Adagio
04 17:58 Allegro non troppo

KURT MASUR conductor

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Boris Garlitsky leader

Recorded live at Southbank Centre’s ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL, London

LPO – 0103