Russian composer Dmitrij Schostakowitsch, born on September 25th 1906 in St. Petersburg, was in a difficult artistic position. He was severely restricted in his artistic freedom by the severe strictures of the Soviet Union's cultural ideologues and…

In 1942 Shostakovitch wrote a symphony in besieged Leningrad, with which he made the "moral contribution” demanded by the Party "to dig the grave for Fascism”. Under the name "Leningrad Symphony” this Seventh Symphony became one of the composer’s…

Born in Moscow, Valery Gergiev initially studied conducting under Ilya Musin at the Leningrad Conservatory. While still a student, he won the Herbert von Karajan conducting competition in Berlin. In 1978, aged 24, Valery Gergiev became assistant…