The first movement is a long, dramatic movement. The middle part of this movement is a march, with a repeated rhythm on the snare drum, starting very softly, with the tune first heard in the strings who are playing "pizzicato" (plucking the string instead of playing with the bow). Each time the tune is played it becomes louder. People used to think that this theme was about the invading German Nazi army, but now some people think it might instead be about the way the Soviet government changed the city of Leningrad, or about both of these things. The second movement is called a scherzo. It is a more light-hearted movement after the tension of the first movement. The third movement is slow and full of strong emotions. The composer said that it was supposed to show the city of Leningrad at sunset. The last movement is faster again, and brings back parts of the music from earlier in the piece, but it is not clear whether the ending is serious or not.