Shostakovich and his 'Leningrad Symphony'

Composers Datebook

Synopsis

The eastern Russian city of Kuibyshev might seem an unlikely site for an important symphonic premiere, but from 1941 to 1943, Kuibyshev was the temporary capital of the Soviet Union. As German and Finnish troops advanced from the west, the Russian government and its cultural institutions moved east. Among the refugees relocated to Kuibyshev were the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra from Moscow and composer Dimitri Shostakovich from Leningrad. And so, on today’s date in 1942, Kuibyshev was the venue for the world premiere of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 (Leningrad).

A microfilm copy of the new score was flown to Tehran, then transported by car to Cairo, then flown to Brazil for transfer by the U.S. Navy to New York, where the American premiere was given on July 19, 1942, by the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini.

Less than a month later, on August 9, 1942, the Leningrad Symphony was even performed in the besieged and starving city of Leningrad. The few musicians still capable of performing were given extra rations to keep up their strength, and, to ensure a measure of quiet during their performance, a Russian artillery commander ordered an intensive artillery bombardment on the enemy troops surrounding the city.

Music Played in Today's Program

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975): Symphony No. 7 (Leningrad); Kirov Orchestra and Rotterdam Philharmonic; Valery Gergiev, conductor; Philips 376-02