Symphony no. 5 / Festive Overture

Album by Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich & Evgeny Fyodorovich Svetlanov & Государственный академический симфонический оркестр России

Symphony No. 5 and the Festive Overture are orchestral works by Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich, composed in 1937 and 1954 respectively. The symphony combines brooding lyricism, dramatic climaxes and tightly argued formal structure that reflected his response to political pressures in the 1930s and occupies a central place in his output, while the overture is a buoyant, fanfare-like orchestral piece characterised by bright brass writing and brisk, celebratory orchestration that reflects his later public-facing works.