Shostakovich-Stokowski ’United Nations March’

For the finale of a patriotic war-time musical entitled “Thousands Cheer,“ MGM re-used a vocal number that Shostakovich had originally written for a 1932 Soviet film called “Counterplan.“ In the 1943 Hollywood movie it was given a new title “United Nations on the March“ and sung by Kathryn Grayson and a large chorus. Leopold Stokowski, a staunch champion of Shostakovich, immediately arranged it as a purely orchestral “March“ for general concert use. In 1954, during the United Nations Day celebrations in New York, Stokowski’s version was played by the Symphony of the Air conducted by Hugh Ross. That same performance is heard here, with the Schola Cantorum joining in lustily at the end, singing Harold J. Rome’s lyrics.