This cycle of Shostakovich’s Symphonies has constantly offered interesting and thought-provoking interpretations alongside striking performances. Wigglesworth started his traversal with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, recording Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, 7, 10 and 14 with that orchestra, and in 2005 continued the project with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. The First and the Fifteen Symphonies are the alpha and omega of a symphonic production that spans almost 50 years of Shostakovich’s life. Perhaps more than any other body of musical works, these symphonies reflect a unique snapshot of 20th century political events – the Communist revolution, World War II, Stalinist oppression – and their creator's reactions to them.