This six-CD set features Shostakovich"s greatest symphonies, Nos. 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 15, along with extra bonus orchestral pieces The Gadfly Suite and Violin Concerto No. 2. This box set combines recordings previously issued individually on Alto into one bargain package, all of these recordings have been reviewed very favorably. Samples of reviews: "Barshai"s credentials with the composer could hardly be better demonstrated." [Maxim Shostakovich"s recording of No. 5] "is in the front rank of recent performances and its finely balanced recording is among the most successful of all... The sheer enormity of the coda is awesome."