Dmitri Shostakovich is best known for his symphonies and string quartets which mark him as a very serious composer. But he was also one of the most prolific film composers of the 20th century, producing the scores for 36 films which span virtually his entire professional career. It’s a fascinating panoply that reveals an aspect of Shostakovich that sometimes gets lost when thinking of him merely as tormented and dark. Here we witness the truly unburdened humour and coy delight in quirkiness which we assume must be ironic in his concert works. Still, Shostakovich never took composing lightly, and whether he wrote music for cartoons or symphonic icons, the musical merits are always impeccable.

‘Shostakovich’s music as represented here is diverse.’ – MusicWeb International