Lady Macbeth
The collaboration between the young Latvian conductor and the Boston Symphony Orchestra has now been announced. The Shostakovich cycle will begin with the recording of Symphonies Nos. 5, 8, 9, and Hamlet in 2016, followed by Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7 the following year. Rooted in the musical tradition of Soviet Russia, the rising maestro Andris Nelsons has found a perfect partner in the BSO—an orchestra with its own rich Shostakovich history, which has presented American premieres of his compositions. The album reflects the relationship between the composer and Stalin, whose death occurred in the same year as the completion of the 10th Symphony. Following the regime's sharp criticism of the premiere of Lady Macbeth, a fundamental stylistic shift took place in Shostakovich's work.