Shostakovich's Eleventh Symphony

On the surface, Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11 pays tribute to the failed peasant uprising which occurred 12 years before the Bolshevik Revolution. It seemed a perfect topic - it was an event that the Kremlin would also honour, and it allowed Shostakovich to memorialize an oppressed people.

But that's the surface. As ever with Shostakovich, the meanings which lay just below are equally important, and even more fascinating. As the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra prepares to present this under-represented work from Shostakovich's symphonic output, ESO Chief Conductor Alex Prior talks about what the piece means to him.

Click here for the video.