Violin Concerto no. 1 in A minor, op. 77

David Oistrakh's cycle of violin concertos in the 1946/47 season turned Shostakovich's attention to the instrument, which he came to regard as capable of Shakespearean roles. He sketched the concerto at Komarovo between 21 and 25 July 1947, but the Politburo resolution of 10 February 1948, which named him first among the condemned composers, stretched the completion to March 1948 and then locked the score away. Oistrakh gave the premiere only on 29 October 1955 in Leningrad under Mravinsky. The four movements include a nocturne, a passacaglia and a written-out cadenza leading to the burlesque.