On-going retrospective of Paavo Berglund discography: the physical boxset containing all his EMI/Finlandia performances will be out very soon (January 19th)! A true specialist of Russian music, the conductor recorded some of the most beloved symphonies of Shostakovich during his tenure in Bournemouth. The fifth and seventh symphonies are among the most impressive works ever written by the composer (the latter in particular, with its evocations of the war’s atrocities), Berglund giving these masterpieces a fiery rendition. Don’t miss the explosive final movement of the fifth!