I typically don’t embed Youtube clips, but for this one, I’ll make an exception. This is by far the best interpretation of the second movement of Shostakovich’s 10th symphony I have ever heard (I have about seven or eight on CD). I’m almost surprised at the end, the roof didn’t come off. I had read about the Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela before, but I had no idea they were this excellent. It’s almost a bit unfair to do this, but simply compare it with this other interpretation, which pales in comparison. Needless to say, one could argue about interpretation here, but given that Shostakovich used to play his own compositions at break-neck speed, and given that the movement is intended to be a portrait of Stalin (who had just died when the symphony was premiered), Dudamel’s interpretation appears to be what the composer might have wished to hear. Unbelievable.