Masterworks Diamond 3 at Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

When Shostakovich himself said of his Ninth Symphony, “Musicians will love to play it, and critics will delight in blasting it,” he should have also said, “audiences will love listening to it.” His Ninth is the most Classical of his symphonies, making it a good match for the music of two of the greatest Classically-Romantic composers, Brahms and Mendelssohn; especially the “heart’s jewel” that is Mendelssohn’s famous Violin Concerto.