"The War Symphonies is a documentary of great power and originality"

Citation for the FILM OF THE YEAR AWARD, AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

This DVD presents Larry Weinstein’s award-winning film ‘Shostakovich against Stalin’, which tellingly examines the harrowing subject of Stalin’s bloody purges and Shostakovich’s musical response. Described by the composer as his “tombstones”, Symphonies 4 to 9 represented the composer’s weapons against Stalin’s tyranny, and remain powerful testimony to a great artist’s struggle against oppression. Shot on location in St Petersburg and Moscow, the film brings together archive film, personal recollections from Shostakovich’s family, friends and colleagues, and key extracts from the symphonies, performed by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, conducted by Valery Gergiev.

As a substantial bonus feature, the DVD includes complete movement extracts from all six symphonies, in the acclaimed performances recorded by Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra. They are featured on this disc in both DTS 5.1 surround sound and PCM stereo.

An additional bonus feature is the famous wartime radio broadcast given by Shostakovich himself, to introduce a performance of his Seventh Symphony, the ‘Leningrad’.

The film feature, which is spoken in English and Russian, is subtitled on this DVD in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese.

DTS 5.1 Surround & PCM Stereo

Symphony no.4, 3rd movement (conclusion) 7.24

Symphony no.5, 1st movement 16.26

Symphony no.6, 2nd movement 6.07

Symphony no.7, 1st movement 27.32

Symphony no.8, 3rd movement 7.10

Symphony no.9, 1st movement 5.54

Shostakovich Wartime Radio Broadcast 0.54

Shostakovich Chronology