Scottish Ensemble - Shostakovich - Bradford Telegraph and Argus

This ensemble of young musicians represents the cream of talent for the future and they try to make the composer's work enjoyable for us. One is aware that Shostakovich was writing and initiating his music under Stalinistic pressures and at times seems tortured.

The destruction of Dresden had a profound influence on him, which is noticed by the violin drone in the fourth movement. The artists immerse themselves in his music, which is not for the light-hearted, but the more you play this disc, the more you hear what the composer had to say.