Overview Shostakovich described his Fifth Symphony as a hopeful response to human suffering: “I wanted to convey how, through a series of tragic conflicts of great turmoil, optimism asserts itself as a worldview.” The singular American composer John Adams composed The Rock You Stand On in 2024 as a gift for his dear friend, conductor Marin Alsop. She repays the compliment by faithfully recreating his bold colors, slippery textures, and snazzy syncopation. The Serbian-French violinist Nemanja Radulović performs Barber’s Violin Concerto, a rapturous mix of tunefulness and agility.