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Dmitry Shostakovich, like his home country of Russia, was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. From the very beginning of his career, he pushed the boundaries, but under Stalin’s stifling regime, experimental artists were enemies of the state, and Shostakovich was at the top of the wanted list. The composer was forced to censor his work and betray his own morals to survive - or was he?

Some say Shostakovich was Stalin’s faithful lackey; others read dissident messages in his music. This week, Donald Macleod traces five turning points in the composer's career, from his explosive debut to his dramatic exile, as he attempts to decode the mystery that surrounds Shostakovich.

In today’s programme, we hear the story of Shostakovich’s First Symphony. Admitted to the Conservatoire while still just a child and battling ill health, his debut made a splash for all the right reasons – and the wrong ones too…

Piano Concerto No. 2 In F Major, Op. 102: II. Andante
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vasily Petrenko
Boris Giltburg, piano

Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10: I. Allegretto & II. Allegro
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vasily Petrenko

Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10: III. Allegretto & IV. Allegro
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vasily Petrenko

Symphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 “To October”: II. Crotchet & III. Chorus
Prague Symphony Orchestra and Prague Philharmonic Choir, conducted by Maxim Shostakovich

Produced by Alice McKee in Cardiff.