The First Violin Concerto was given as op. 99 on account of its late appearance. This was not the wish of Shostakovich, who had composed it as op. 77. When asked: What is the history of your relationship with Shostakovich's music? Why did you decide to record these particular works? Ivan Pochekin answered: “Shostakovich’s music very accurately conveys what was happening in the lives of people in my country until very recently. I feel it deeply and want to convey it to the audience, as if tracing the link between past and present, preserving authenticity. Together with Valentin Uryupin, we as individuals were formed in the very musical system where Dmitri Shostakovich worked several decades before. My father attended several premieres of Shostakovich's works, including the Violin Concerto No.2. There is a recorded telephone conversation between David Oistrakh and Dmitri Shostakovich in the public domain, where the composer points out the most important details of the interpretation and even hums the Concerto No.2 finale. For me, this is still live history.”
