To commemorate the bombing of Dresden on February 13, 1945, the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michael Sanderling, performed Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 15.

Sanderling and Shostakovich: two names that make you sit up and take notice in this combination. Michael's father Kurt Sanderling left a legacy of reference recordings of great symphonies. A legacy for Michael Sanderling too.

When Dmitri Shostakovich began his 15th and final symphony, he was already physically exhausted, but was able to mobilize all his strength one last time. Compared to many of his earlier symphonies, the orchestration of the work is almost reminiscent of chamber music.

The frequency of quotations in this symphony is also striking: motifs from Giacchino Rossini's Guillaume Tell and Richard Wagner's operas appear as well as themes from his own earlier works. All in all, Shostakovich shapes 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 bears traits of a musical journey into his own past.

The bonus material is a 14-minute interview with Michael Sanderling.