The end

'Everything I have composed so far has been a preparation for this work,' Shostakovich wrote when he had completed his Fourteenth Symphony. Stripped down to its essence, it draws a disconcerting portrait of death. Equally dark is Sibelius' Fourth. No room for false optimism in these sublime symphonies; rather, catharsis: 'Afterwards,' Shostakovich said, 'you realize how beautiful life is.'