A heroic overture and sublime concerto set the stage for an intense symphony. Weber uses several quotes from his opera in a thrilling curtain raiser, while Mozart’s concerto delights with gorgeous melodies. Shostakovich’s symphony reflects on his precarious life in Stalin’s Soviet Union with music that is viscerally powerful. Both men are portrayed in the symphony: the former in a motif that cryptically spelled out initials of his name and the latter in the savage second movement. Ultimately, there is victory as Shostakovich outlived the dictator and dances in a triumphant finale.