Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5 (Complete Symphonies, Vol. 1) Frankfurt Radio Symphony & Alain Altinoglu

• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975): Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43:
• 1 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43: I. Allegretto poco moderato 15:40
• 2 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43: II. Presto 11:45
• 3 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43: III. Moderato con moto 08:48
• 4 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43: IV. Largo 06:26
• 5 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43: V. Allegro 22:06
• Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47:
• 6 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: I. Moderato 15:24
• 7 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: II. Allegretto 05:18
• 8 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: III. Largo 13:07
• 9 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: IV. Allegro non troppo 10:58
• Total Runtime 01:49:32

Info for Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5 (Complete Symphonies, Vol. 1)

Alain Altinoglu and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra have begun to record the complete symphonies of Shostakovich, starting with his Fourth and Fifth symphonies. Shostakovich dared to express human suffering, passion, fear and catastrophe in his music, but always asking the same nagging question: what is man? In this sense, these two symphonies open with a question — an idea of martyrdom that was to become one of the central ideas of his later symphonies and, of course, of his Lady Macbeth of Mzensk. Both symphonies are dated between 1935-1937 when Shostakovich was in his thirties; this was one of the darkest and most difficult phases of his life, marked as it was by the repercussions of some of his writings and the arrest of many people close to him, including members of his family.

Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Alain Altinoglu, conductor

Alain Altinoglu
has been Music Director of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) since 2021 and has since extended his contract until the summer of 2028. He is internationally very successful with his interpretations of the romantic and impressionist repertoire as well as with the contemporary music and classical modernism.

Alain Altinoglu regularly conducts such distinguished orchestras as Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Münchner Philharmoniker, Russian National Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra London, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, as well as all the major Parisian orchestras. He has also taken over the artistic direction of the Festival International de Colmar, the largest classical music festival in Alsace, in 2023.

Altinoglu also belongs to the league of internationally highly renowned opera conductors. Since 2016 he has been Music Director of the Brussels »Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie«. He has already conducted premieres at many of the world's leading opera houses. In addition to the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden London, the Teatro Colón Buenos Aires, the Vienna State Opera, the Zurich Opera House, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Bavarian State Opera Munich as well as the three Parisian opera houses, he regularly gives guest performances at the festivals in Bayreuth, Salzburg, Orange and Aix-en-Provence.

As a pianist, Alain Altinoglu has a strong affinity for the lied repertoire and performs regularly with mezzo-soprano Nora Gubisch. He also makes occasional forays into jazz and improvisation. Numerous CD releases bear witness to his diverse, successful artistic work.

Born in Paris in 1975, the Frenchman with Armenian roots studied at the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse, where he teaches since then and leads the conducting class since 2014.

Booklet for Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5 (Complete Symphonies, Vol. 1)