Anyone present at Barbican Hall last November knows what a moving performance of this symphony Rostropovich and the LSO delivered. The Russian cellist-turned-maestro may not be the most gifted or technically accomplished conductor, but when he interprets the music of his friend and mentor Shostakovich, he is compelling. The C minor Symphony was written in the wake of the Red Army’s annihilation of the Germans at Stalingrad, yet it is far from triumphal. Indeed, this was Shostakovich’s most pessimistic symphony to date. Rostropovich and the LSO dig deep into its turbulent emotional world: they are expansive and brooding in the long adagio introduction to the first movement, the initial violin theme played in an almost stunned pianissimo. The cumulative power of the music is wonderfully sustained through the sardonic humour of the fast movements, the largo and the final slow allegretto. This is a great account of a great symphony, vividly recording an unforgettable occasion — and at LSO Live’s superbudget price, it’s an irresistible bargain, too. Five stars