Shostakovich, Symphony No.1 in F minor, op.10

Dmitry Shostakovich (* St. Petersburg, 1906 - + Moscow, 1975) immediately made a name for himself with his First Symphony. In spite of political pressure from the Soviet authorities on account of his alleged "Western formalism", and in spite of certain critiques from Western commentators, Shostakovich is considered as the Soviet Union's major symphonist and one of Russia's greatest composers. The influence of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky- Korsakov, Mahler, Stravinsky and Hindemith is evident in his early works. This concert featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under its longtime principal conductor Sir Georg Solti was recorded live in 1977. At its first telecast in the United States in 1979, the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that "these are remarkable hours, firstly because of the quality of the music and secondly because of the outstanding technical competence that went into this production. What's more, these productions convey much of the impact Solti makes on his audiences in his concerts."