Following international acclaim, including Estonia's first Grammy Award, for their Grieg, Sibelius, Tüür and Pärt recordings on Erato, the Estonian-born conductor Paavo Järvi and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra turn to rarely performed choral works by Dmitri Shostakovich: Song of the Forests Op. 81, The Sun Shines on our Motherland Op. 90, and The Execution of Stepan Razin Op. 119.

The new release confirms Järvi's reputation as a conductor with a deep understanding for the music of Shostakovich, as well as a particular affinity for choral music, which has a strong tradition in his homeland. These cantatas have a particular significance in Estonia – a former Soviet Socialist Republic under Stalinist rule – where, according to Järvi, the orchestra's performance of the works was "scandalous."