Masterworks III pairs two of classical music’s revolutionaries, Ludwig van Beethoven and Dmitri Shostakovich, in a program that reaches across several musical generations. It begins with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major, as the Westerville Symphony continues its Beethoven cycle, which powerfully demonstrates the composer’s mastery of the Classical form, paying homage to Haydn and Mozart while illuminating an originality all its own.

In his Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Shostakovich moved away from his some of his earlier avant garde leanings and follows the classical symphonic form, often evoking the spirit of Beethoven, creating what many believe is his most accessible symphonic work.