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New. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 (Complete Symphonies, Vol. 2)
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Alain Altinoglu
You hear that directness at once in the way the strings dig deep, bringing remarkable colours to a 26-minute Adagio that, in the wrong hands, can sound merely bleak and black. Not that Altinoglu...
New. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 (Complete Symphonies, Vol. 2)
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Alain Altinoglu
Purchase product
You hear that directness at once in the way the strings dig deep, bringing remarkable colours to a 26-minute Adagio that, in the wrong hands, can sound merely bleak and black. Not that Altinoglu...
About
‘Basically, I only have two symphonies: the Fourth and the Eighth.’ Shostakovich is said to have remarked. Yevgeny Mravinsky, to whom Symphony No. 8 is dedicated, wrote in his diary: ‘I spent the whole evening reflecting on and sketching out the form and dramatic arc of Shostakovich’s Eighth. It moves me ever more deeply each time. Especially the "Great Terror" section of the first movement!!’. The themes of martyrdom and the transformation of the human being into a manipulable puppet run through this unsettling and monumental work. This recording constitutes the second volume of the complete Shostakovich symphonies by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its music director, Alain Altinoglu.
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Awards and reviews
9th October 2026
You hear that directness at once in the way the strings dig deep, bringing remarkable colours to a 26-minute Adagio that, in the wrong hands, can sound merely bleak and black. Not that Altinoglu shuns the horrors: his phrasing and textural dynamics bring fearsome weight and a sense of wide-eyed terror to the composer’s protracted cry of despair. The orchestra covers itself in glory with instrumental solos that are piquant and precise.
