A New Insight into the Tenth Symphony of Dmitry Shostakovich

Abstract Forty years after the premiéere of the Tenth Symphony, it is hard to believe that there could be something which might change our approach to a work which has been so thoroughly analysed and which has had such an unusually fine performance history. New evidence enables us to gain a new insight into this symphony, however, and the present article is based on eight letters written by Shostakovich in I 953, which have until now have been unknown to the musical world. The letters were addressed to Elmira Nazirova, who studied in Shostakovich’s class in 1947. In the interview with Elmira Nazirova which follows this article, she explains that her correspondence with Shostakovich began after they met during his visit to Baku, although she does not remember precisely when this was. According to Sofya Khentova, Shostakovich was in Baku from I to I 2 March 1952. During his visit Shostakovich performed at a recital his Six Preludes and Fugues from Op. 87. Elmira Nazirova remembers attending this concert.