Shani has described Kurt Weill's Symphony No. 2, premiered by Bruno Walter in Amsterdam in 1933, as "one of my favourite pieces to conduct. It is tonal music, very melodic, very theatrical, and really not comparable to anything else". Shostakovich's powerful Symphony No. 5, with its enigmatic interplay of sincerity and irony, was chosen by Shani to conclude his inaugural concert as Music Director in Rotterdam. © Warner Classics