Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11, 'The Year 1905' in G minor. Commissioned by the Soviet authorities in order to commemorate the events on the so-called Bloody Sunday, in January 1905. This massacre of peaceful demonstrators by the tsar’s Imperial Guard inflamed popular feeling, thus contributing to the 1905 Revolution and laying the foundations for the Revolution of 1917. In the symphony these historical aspects come to light through the movement titles (The Palace Square etc) and in Shostakovich’s use of several revolutionary songs throughout it.
It has nevertheless been suggested that the emotional impetus for the composer may actually have been the use of Soviet tanks to put down another, more recent popular uprising, that which took place in Budapest in 1956.
Classics Today: "It doesn't ask for much more than great playing and sound, and an interpretation that keeps the music flowing and lets the climaxes achieve the necessary intensity. Mark Wigglesworth certainly delivers in this respect"; Music Web International: "If you want a deeply satisfying performance of this symphony - and an unrivalled recording - then Wigglesworth’s is the one for you".
