× Disc 8 brings together a collection of souvenirs—musical remembrances of things past, faraway, and dear—all essential characteristics of the Russian musical spirit. Samuel Barber’s Souvenirs are delectable reminiscences of early twentieth-century New York City. Shostakovich’s Spanish Songs take listeners half a world away but cast an equally heartfelt gaze upon the object of their nostalgia. This collection comes to a thrilling close with Tchaikovsky’s exhilarating Souvenir de Florence, written after the composer spent three months in the birthplace of the Renaissance.