Trans­for­ma­ti­on

The request by Dvořák's publisher that he write an original, cantilena-rich, virtuoso violin concerto was taken to heart by Dvořák, who produced a piece containing both exuberant dances and drawn-out, sing-song melodious motifs.

In his Symphony No. 5 Dmitri Shostakovich was trying to revamp his career after falling out of favour with Stalin in 1936. The symphony is a statement of transformation and catharsis and is ostensibly in line with the Soviet doctrine of simplicity and folk popularity, but is a powerful indication of Shostakovich’s artistic independence, which he never allowed political orthodoxy to smother. Thus, the symphony is also a testimony to the survival of art in a repressive system.