London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir & Gianandrea Noseda - Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13, "Babi Yar" (2025) [Hi-Res]

In 1961 Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko published "Babi Yar", a reflection on the 1941 massacre of nearly 34,000 Jews at the Babi Yar ravine in Kiev (Kyiv), and a searing condemnation of Soviet condoned anti-Semitism. A long-time sympathiser towards the difficulties faced by Jews in Russia, Dmitri Shostakovich was determined to set the poetry to music. The result is his Symphony No 13—five movements for bass soloist, lower voice chorus, and full orchestra.

Principal Guest Conductor Gianandrea Noseda leads the LSO in this thrilling addition to his Shostakovich symphony cycle. With an unconventional symphonic form and unusual instrumentation, including expanded percussion and exclusively low voices, the music takes an unforgettable journey: from the ominous tolling bells of the opening bars, through moments of ironic humour to the final hushed notes honouring the memory of lives lost.

Marred by controversy before and after its premiere, including being banned after two performances, Shostakovich’s Symphony No 13 remains a brazen protest against institutional racism and a hauntingly original memorial to the silent victims of persecution.