This movement was a real game-changer for me when I first heard it in college. The idea that concert music could be this intense and downright head-bangin' was revelatory!
Shostakovich still sounds immediate and vital. Just listen to the freight-train rhythms and anguished wails of these strings!
If you want to learn more about him on his birthday today, I actually wrote the script for this video by Inside The Score! Exploring the 2nd movement of Shostakovich's 11th symphony. Check it out!