Featured: Top of Home Page/Music/PopMatters Picks/Reviews Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra: Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6 By John Garratt / 12 September 2014 Three of Shostakovich's symphonies sound as scary as they probably did during their premiere, thanks to a unique orchestra and a unique conductor.