The Bank of Latvia has released the latest silver five euro collector’s coin. Entitled “Pasaku monēta I – Pieci kaķi” (Fairly Tale Coin I – Five Cats), it is inspired by the Latvian folk fable where five cats have difficulty bringing home cut wood, but eventually, only after they all start working together, bring home wood, start a fire, make porridge then go to sleep, well fed and content.

There have been various versions of the tale, including Vilma Delle’s (1892 – 1980), published in 1920, as well as a version by Alberts Kronenbergs (1887 – 1958), published in 1949.

The proof quality coin, with a face value of 5 euro was designed by artist Anita Paegle, modelled by Jānis Strupulis, was minted by UAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla and has a mintage of 10,000.

The coin is the first in a planned series to celebrate the most meaningful and beloved Latvian folk tales.

For further information, please visit the Bank of Latvia website.

Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons, who became the Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2014 (his contract has been extended until 2022), has released his first recording with the orchestra entitled Shostakovich – Under Stalin’s Shadow – Symphony No. 10 on the Deutsche Grammophon label (DG 479 5059, 2015).

Nelsons, who has also conducted the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, will also be the Gewandhauskapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig in 2017.

The CD contains live recordings of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s Passacaglia (from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk) and Symphony No. 10 in E minor. The record is subtitled Under Stalin’s Shadow, as Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) was often in conflict with the Soviet dictator. Shostakovich fell out of favor with the dictator after Stalin himself attended a performance of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and openly expressed his displeasure. Shortly afterwards, the infamous Muddle not Music article denouncing the opera appeared in the Pravda newspaper (which, if not written by Stalin himself, was written with his active input) and the opera was banned and Shostakovich himself became persona non grata in the Soviet regime.

Symphony No. 10 was Shostakovich’s first symphony after the death of Stalin in 1953, and the harsh second movement has been interpreted as the composer’s own impression of Stalin, and the symphony overall has many themes of personal identity.

This release is meant to begin a series of Shostakovich releases by Nelsons and the BSO for Deutsche Grammophon – subsequent releases will feature symphonies No. 5, 8, and 9 (2016), as well as Symphonies No. 6 and 7 (2017).

For further information, please visit Andris Nelsons’ website and the Boston Symphony Orchestra website and the Deutsche Grammophon Andris Nelsons page.