大象传媒

Dmitry Shostakovich, like his home country of Russia, was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. From the very beginning of his career, he pushed the boundaries, but under Stalin鈥檚 stifling regime, experimental artists were enemies of the state, and Shostakovich was at the top of the wanted list. The composer was forced to censor his work and betray his own morals to survive - or was he?

Some say Shostakovich was Stalin鈥檚 faithful lackey; others read dissident messages in his music. This week, Donald Macleod traces five turning points in the composer's career, from his explosive debut to his dramatic exile, as he attempts to decode the mystery that surrounds Shostakovich.

In today鈥檚 final programme, Shostakovich finds himself backed into a corner, forced to make a decision that shocks and mystifies those closest to him.

Jazz Suite No. 2: VI. Waltz 2
Russian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dmitry Yablonsky

String Quartet String Quartet No. 7 In F. Sharp Minor, Op.108: I., II. & III.
Emerson String Quartet
David Finckel, cello
Lawrence Dutton, viola
Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violin

Hamlet, Op 116: The Flutes Play, Ophelia's Descent Into Madness, & The Duel - The Death of Hamlet - Hamlet's Funeral
Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Dmitry Yablonsky

String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110
Emerson String Quartet
David Finckel, cello
Lawrence Dutton, viola
Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violin

Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113 鈥淏abi Yar鈥�: IV. Fears
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mariss Jansons
Sergei Aleksashkin, bass vocals
Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, chorus

Produced by Alice McKee in Cardiff.