Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 likely kept the Russian composer from being sent to Siberia to languish in a labor camp or worse, be shot. As guest conductor Christian Reif explained to listeners in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra audience on Friday, questions remain about the meaning of Shostakovich’s Fifth, which remains an audience hit.
But there was no mistaking Reif’s interpretation of this great work, which he conducted on Friday in Music Hall. The tension was taut, as if ready to snap.…
