Paavo Järvi - Shostakovich: Cantatas (2015)

Following international acclaim, including Estonia's first Grammy Award for their Grieg, Sibelius, Tuur and Part recordings on Erato, the Estonian-born conductor Paavo Jarvi and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra turn to rarely-performed choral works by Dmitri Shostakovich: Song of the Forests Op. 81, The Sun Shines on our Motherland Op. 90, and The Execution of Stepan Razin Op. 119. The new release confirms Jarvi's reputation as a conductor with a deep understanding for the music of Shostakovich, as well as a particular affinity for choral music, which has a strong tradition in his homeland. These cantatas have a particular significance in Estonia - a former Soviet Socialist Republic under Stalinist rule - where, according to Jarvi, the orchestra's performance of the works was "scandalous."