Boston Symphony Orchestra with Andris Nelsons, James Burton, and more

Founded in Boston (1881), top U.S. orchestra famed for Germanic sound and landmark RCA/Deutsche Grammophon recordings; premiered Stravinsky/Bartók; Tanglewood; with John Williams on Spielberg films.

Born in Riga, Andris Nelsons is the Grammy-winning conductor leading Boston Symphony and Leipzig Gewandhaus; famed for Shostakovich, Bruckner & Beethoven cycles with DG.

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, was an English composer, conductor, and pianist who became a central figure of 20th-century British classical music. A prolific artist from an early age, he studied at the Royal College of Music and privately with Frank Bridge, gaining international renown with his 1937 Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge. He is celebrated for his extensive body of work spanning opera, choral, orchestral, and chamber music, most notably his landmark 1945 opera Peter Grimes, the War Requiem, and The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. Along with his lifelong personal and professional partner, tenor Peter Pears, he co-founded the English Opera Group and the prominent Aldeburgh Festival in 1948, and in 1976 became the first composer to be awarded a life peerage.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), a Russian composer from St. Petersburg, is celebrated for his 15 symphonies and chamber music. His classical style features sharp contrasts, grotesque elements, and deep emotional intensity. Renowned works include Symphony No. 5 and the "Leningrad" Symphony. He navigated a complex relationship with the Soviet regime, establishing a powerful legacy as a 20th-century master.