Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 14 - Franck, Mikko

Baritone Matthias Goerne, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and Mikko Franck begin their recording of Shostakovich's trilogy of works for baritone and orchestra with Symphony No. 14. This will be followed by Symphony No. 13 (Babi Yar) and a series of works set to poems by Michelangelo Buonarroti. Soprano Asmik Grigorian joins Matthias Goerne in this monumental but extremely delicate symphony, which sets poems by García Lorca, Apollinaire, Küchelbecker, and Rilke to music. With their extensive experience and characteristic passion, they successfully express all its dimensions: "The interpretative difficulty of this symphony lies in the need to seek out subtle clues that are not immediately apparent; their diversity gives rise to an enormous expressive power which, like a jigsaw puzzle, ultimately makes sense," writes Benjamin François. Shostakovich's fundamental argument is that the inhuman acts of the executioners, Stalin and his henchmen, may well cause physical death, but they cannot prevent the spiritual existence of works of art from continuing.