The Boston Symphony Orchestra and their music director Andris Nelsons announce their upcoming album, on which they present their acclaimed Shostakovich symphony cycle to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death in 1975.

Since his death, Shostakovich’s stature has only continued to grow and he is now recognized as one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. Moreover, his relationship to the Soviet regime continues to fascinate. Was he a loyal servant or an embittered closet-dissident? For Nelsons, who experienced the Soviet system firsthand growing up in Latvia and who has spent much of his career studying and conducting Shostakovich’s music, these questions are irrelevant: “The greatness of his music lies beyond politics. It speaks to people whether they know the times he lived in or not,” says Nelsons.

This Grammy-winning exceptional anthology contains brand-new recordings by pianist Yuja Wang, violinist Baiba Skride and cellist Yo-Yo Ma in the concertos, while the Lady Macbeth cast is headed by Kristine Opolais, Brenden Gunnell, Peter Hoare and Günther Groissböck.

Listen to a first pre-release track, the energetic and fierce Interlude taken from Act III, Scene 7 of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District. The full album is released digitally, on CD as well as on vinyl on 28 March and is now available for pre-order.