Shostakovich, Dimitri: The Missing Symphony

CD, V/Vm Test Records 2003

This album is a curious beast. At the same time it's the best piece of classical music I've heard in ages. As some might know, Dimitri Shostakovich created 15 symphonies during his career. Well, this is the 16th. The process of creation was simple: all fifteen symphonies were stretched or compressed to the average length and then layered on top of each other. The result is not the noise one might expect. Instead it makes surprising amount of sense. The result is very intensive and exciting - there's not a dull moment. Fans of classical music will be shocked, but I'd say this one's well worth checking out. *****