Overview

Talent and inspiration can make their presence equally strongly felt in youth and in maturity. Although written when the composer was just 18 years old, Shostakovich’s First symphony may well be the most mature ‘first symphony’ ever written by a young composer. At the other end of the spectrum, 48-year-old Brahms wrote his colossal Second piano concerto at the peak of his maturity, proving that the decades that had elapsed had not dulled in the least his compositional freshness and vigour. The solo part is performed by the legendary Elisabeth Leonskaja, whose name has long been associated with riveting performances at the keyboard.