As the long awaited new recording of Shostakovich Cantatas is released this week on the Warner label, the Wall Street Journal interviews Paavo about his decision to perform and record works written by the composer under Soviet regime pressure.
Coinciding with the CD’s release, Paavo is in Germany this week to conduct three concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic (14, 15 and 16 May) featuring works by Shostakovich and his contemporary, Prokofiev.