Founded in 1938, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (SSO) today consists of 85 musicians representing 22 nationalities. They have made several recordings, including most recently on Lawo, Carl Nielsen’s Symphonies No. 2 and 4 with Andris Poga as the conductor. Gramophone Magazine said of the recent Nielsen recording: “Under Chief Conductor Andris Poga, they [Stavanger Symphony Orchestra] play very well ... I rather like their leaner sound…” Now introducing their second recording for Lawo Classics featuring Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7. His Symphony No. 7 is the first of the composer’s trilogy of symphonies written during the Second World War. The Seventh had a galvanizing effect at the time (particularly on Shostakovich’s fellow citizens of a city enduring a siege by German troops, Leningrad) while its success abroad secured Shostakovich’s status as a figure of hope at a time of global conflict.