SKU: P2.80105

Dmitri Shostakovich is generally regarded as the greatest symphonist of the mid-20th century, and many of his string quartets, concertos, instrumental and vocal works are also firmly established in the repertory. The music of his middle period is often epic in scale and content; it has been understood by many Russians, and in more recent years also by Westerners, as chronicling his society and times, conveying moods and, as some would argue, experiences and even political messages in notes at a time when to do so in words was prohibited. His Ballet Suite No. 4 is a collection of three unrelated compositions taken from Shostakovich's earlier scores. The first of these movements, Introduction, was garnered from the ballet The Limpid Stream, composed in 1934. The composition revolves around a single melody that repeats seven times. As new voices are introduced, the repetitions build in intensity to an emotional climax and finale.