Leningrad – Symphony n° 7

On the 9th August 1942, Dmitri Shostakovich’s 7th symphony, the Leningrad symphony, was performed in the city of the same name that we now know as Saint Petersburg. At the time, Leningrad had been under siege by the German army for over a year. The score was sent by airplane in order to get past the blockades and reach the besieged city. On the day of the concert, the German army launched an offensive and began heavily bombing the city. The Soviet army stationed in Leningrad gave the order for all their antiaircraft guns to remain silent for the duration of the concert. (…) It was said that the music could be heard as far away as the German army trenches.” Verena Nees – World Socialist Web Site.