While Shostakovich wrote this piece as his graduation exercise from Maximilian Steinberg's composition class, some of the material may have dated from considerably earlier. The immediate parallel to the 19-year-old composer presenting his first symphony was Alexander Glazunov, himself a child prodigy who had his First Symphony performed at an even younger age. Glazunov may have recognised in Shostakovich an echo of his younger self. As director of the Petrograd Conservatory, Glazunov had followed Shostakovich's progress since his entrance at age 13. He also arranged for the premiere of Shostakovich's symphony, which took place 44 years after Glazunov's First Symphony had first been presented in the same hall.

This symphony was a tremendous success from its premiere. Nicolai Malko, who conducted the symphony's world premiere, said that its maturity was "impossible to deny". It displays an interesting and characteristic combination of liveliness and wit on the one hand, and drama and tragedy on the other. In some ways it is reminiscent of the works of Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev. The transparent and chamber-like orchestration of the First Symphony is in quite a contrast to the Mahlerian orchestrations found in many of his later symphonies, and the assurance with which the composer imagines, then realises large-scale structure, is as impressive as his vigour and freshness of gesture.

This work has 4 movements:

    1. Allegretto — Allegro non troppo
    2. Allegro — Meno mosso — Allegro — Meno mosso
    3. Lento — Largo — Lento (attacca)
    4. Allegro molto — Lento — Allegro molto — Meno mosso — Allegro molto — Molto meno mosso — Adagio