‘My aim was to convey human feelings and passions in this work,’ Shostakovich said of his newly completed Tenth Symphony in 1953. And it is clear exactly what it was that he wanted to relate: Stalin was dead, and after his music had been publicly denounced for being too abstract in 1948, Shostakovich had finally plucked up the courage to write another symphony. With the Tenth Symphony, Shostakovich effectively put his memories of the great tyrant behind him.
Ever since Kirill Kondrashin and Bernard Haitink first led performances of Shostakovich's Symphonies in the late 1970's, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra has astonished audiences and record buyers with their level of refinement and involvement in this repertoire. With the tenure of Mariss Jansons, a degree of authenticity is added; like Kondrashin before him, Jansons has experienced himself what it is like to work under Soviet conditions.
Following the award winning RCO Live release of his interpretation of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, Jansons's take on the composer's Tenth Symphony, presented in this new album, adds an another benchmark performance to the orchestra's discography.
