Shostakovich’s Symphony 5 – Largo (1937)
The premiere of this symphony in 1937 pleased the authorities and public to the extent that there was a 30 minute ovation, apparently.
A main theme in the symphony is Shostakovich’s own song Vozrozhdenije in the last movement. It’s a setting of a Pushkin poem about rebirth – Pushkin can be said to be as important to Russian literature as Shakespeare is to English.
Compared to the rest of the symphony (and it’s better heard in context) the Largo is almost plaintive, and certainly chamber music in style compared to the bombast of the opening movement. Notice how the strings are divided throughout.
A fuller account of the symphony’s form can be found in a very detailed Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._5_(Shostakovich)#Form
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