With more experience conducting Shostakovich than any of his contemporaries, Valery Gergiev is one the world's leading authorities on the great Russian's repertoire. Here Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra continue their Shostakovich symphony cycle with the release of the Eighth Symphony.

The Eighth Symphony is imbued with a deep sense of sorrow and fear, widely considered to be one of the composer's finest scores. The Soviet authorities expected a victorious anthem in light of the Nazi retreat, but Shostakovich appeared too affected by the casualties and ruin of the war to produce anything like a celebratory composition.