The works recorded here are by Maximilian Steinberg and Dmitri Shostakovich, the first is the teacher of the second, and both are representatives of different generations in Russian music of the 20th century. Written at almost the same time, their works are very different in their genres, their way of thinking and their imagery. Steinberg’s symphony, a fully mature work, remains faithful to the traditions of Russian and European cultures and is set apart by its conceptualisation of the theme “Personality and the World”. Performed in Russia and abroad only during the 1930s, it is recorded here for the first time; a new discovery for lovers of symphonic music undoubtedly awaits.

The young Shostakovich, unlike his mentor, grew up in the atmosphere of the avant-garde and the demolition of tradition. In his early ballet The Bolt he paid tribute to the era of socialist industrialisation and created a light-hearted, divertimento-like work, although it does not lack a certain daring. Its theatricality and satirical nature are perfectly suited to the Ural Youth Symphony Orchestra, whose musicians are around the same age as Shostakovich when he composed the ballet.