Münchner Philharmoniker & Janine Jansen

Under Stalin, Dmitri Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto didn’t stand a chance. The Russian composer began putting the first notes to paper as early as 1947, but had to abandon any hope of a performance after he – like Prokofiev – was accused of formalism. They were forced to admit their ‘mistakes’ and promise to write only music for the people.