Symphony No. 15 in A major

Work background

Researched classical background

Shostakovich's last symphony returns to an entirely instrumental four-movement design. Recognizable quotations, including material from Rossini's William Tell overture and Wagner, appear alongside the composer's own themes. Exposed percussion, solo cello and passages of thin orchestral texture carry unusual weight. The meanings of the quotations remain open rather than forming an agreed narrative key.