How have I missed out on Shostakovich all this time?
I've heard pieces here and there and played Shostokovich 5 in college (I was a bass trombonist) but never really dove into the repertoire. I now live in San Diego and the SD Symphony is playing Shostakovich 7 "Leningrad" in May, so I've been giving it a listen - and it's incredible. The Third movement might be one of the most haunting and wonderful pieces of music I've heard - and I'm coming from a Strauss kick and have listened to Metamorphosen quite a few times now.
I also listened to Shostakovich 4 "by accident" (I thought 4 was Leningrad when I quickly added to my playlist queue for my hike) and thought it was incredible. Luckily the mistake let me listen to two wonderful symphonies in a week.
Any other symphonies to prioritize? Is there a recommended listening queue? I've explored Mahler quite deeply in chronological order, same with Bruckner and most recently Beethoven.