Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60

Shostakovich began the symphony during the German siege of Leningrad and dedicated it to the city. The work became an international symbol of Soviet resistance, although its political meanings remain more complicated than simple wartime propaganda.

A quiet theme repeats over a snare-drum rhythm and grows into an enormous orchestral climax. It is often called the invasion theme, but listeners and scholars have interpreted it as representing Nazism, Stalinist terror, or the broader machinery of oppression.

Karl Eliasberg conducted the depleted Leningrad Radio Orchestra in the besieged city in August 1942. Additional musicians had to be located and fed, and the performance was broadcast through loudspeakers across Leningrad.

A performance usually lasts around 70 to 80 minutes, depending on the conductor's tempos. Its four movements require a very large orchestra, including expanded brass and percussion.