To commemorate the bombardment of Dresden on 13 February 1945, the Dresden Philharmonic, conducted by Michael Sanderling, performed Shostakovich’s 15th Symphony.

Sanderling conducts Shostakovich: Two names which, in this combination, really make you sit up and notice. With his recordings of the Russian’s great symphonies, Michael’s father Kurt Sanderling left the ultimate reference recordings. A legacy too for Michael Sanderling, just as the 15th, Shostakovich’s final symphony, was a legacy from the composer himself.

As Dmitri Shostakovich began his 15th and final symphony, he was already physically ailing, but he was able to summon up all his powers for one last time. Compared to many of his earlier symphonies, the work’s instrumentation is almost reminiscent of chamber music.

The frequency of quotations in this symphony is also striking; motifs from Gioachino Rossini's Guillaume Tell and Richard Wagner's operas appear, as well as themes from his own earlier works. All in all, Shostakovich creates the symphonic events with both cheerful and sad moments. Critics also see this symphony as a retrospective of his life and his quiet and slow farewell in the final movement. It possesses traits of a musical journey into his own past.

Bonus: Interview with Michael Sanderling (14 mins)

Recorded in 2019, now available on Blu-ray for the first time.

Picture: 16:9 – NTSC
Sound: PCM Stereo, DTS 5.1
Languages / Subtitles: German / English (interview)
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 50 mins concert + 14 mins interview