Shostakovich Symphonies, Cycles & Otherwise

[TheGSMoeller]

You've got a solid 8 there with Solti, a decent No. 5, and the best No. 10 available with Karajan. Im not very keen on Jarvi's cycle on Chandos, a lot of muscle with little heart. Bernstein has recorded two very good No. 5 with NYP, the only No. 4 I own is Rattle which I enjoy.

[Karl Henning]

That Järvi account of the Fourth is one of those rarities, a genuine, flat-out poor recording of a Shostakovich symphony.  It was recorded in much too reverberant a space, and much of the symphony gets lost in the muffle.  Far better are Maksim Dmitriyevich and a plucky Prague Symphony, Rattle and the CBSO, Previn and the CSO (though not a perfect account), and the Haitink on the CSO's Resound series, to name four off the top of my head.

I'm a contrarian viz. the HvK account of the Tenth: half the musical world at least is agog over it, and I hear no such matter.  My chief table-pounder for the exquisite Op.93 is Jansons and the Phila Orchestra.

[TheGSMoeller]

That Järvi account of the Fourth is one of those rarities, a genuine, flat-out poor recording of a Shostakovich symphony.  It was recorded in much too reverberant a space, and much of the symphony gets lost in the muffle.  Far better are Maksim Dmitriyevich and a plucky Prague Symphony, Rattle and the CBSO, Previn and the CSO (though not a perfect account), and the Haitink on the CSO's Resound series, to name four off the top of my head.

I'm a contrarian viz. the HvK account of the Tenth: half the musical world at least is agog over it, and I hear no such matter.  My chief table-pounder for the exquisite Op.93 is Jansons and the Phila Orchestra.

I can't argue with the Jansons 10th, it's a good one. In fact, I am a fan of his cycle.

And Karl nailed it with the reverb on Jarvi's account, seems to be a consistent trend with much of Jarvi's Chandos recordings.

[Beale]

And Karl nailed it with the reverb on Jarvi's account, seems to be a consistent trend with much of Jarvi's Chandos recordings.

I have Jarvi's seventh and I don't recall any problems with reverb. The tempi is a little fast but he managed to record it on one disc, whereas Bernstein took two discs.

[Karl Henning]

I have Jarvi's seventh and I don't recall any problems with reverb. The tempi is a little fast but he managed to record it on one disc, whereas Bernstein took two discs.

Well, that was unusual (even unique) on Bernstein's part:  he took an atypically broad approach to the Leningrad with the CSO (and, to his credit, he makes it work).  As a rule, though, the Leningrad practically always fits on a single disc.

[Karl Henning]

The reverb, too, was a property of the space where they recorded the Fourth (a pity, for the SNO are a fine band). Perhaps Järvi did not record the entire cycle in the same venue. (Did he record all fifteen, come to think on it?)

[Karl Henning]

Another notably good Leningrad (and more "mainstream" in approach than Lenny/CSO) is Ančerl/Cz Phil.  Haitink's account of the Leningrad I like very well, too.  The first recording of the piece which 'sold' me on the piece, though, is Temirkanov/St Petersburg Phil.

The Ančerl recording of the Tenth is also well worth seeking out.

[Karl Henning]

Oh! Just noted that the discursion viz. the Leningrad is "off-topic," viz. the OP. Sorry!

[TheGSMoeller]

The reverb, too, was a property of the space where they recorded the Fourth (a pity, for the SNO are a fine band). Perhaps Järvi did not record the entire cycle in the same venue. (Did he record all fifteen, come to think on it?)

15 was with Gothenberg on DG.
And the reverb issue is I referred to wasn't only with his DSCH cycle, I havent heard them all, but with his Prokofiev and Strauss sets, I feel a lot gets lost in these performances. It still contains excellent playing, but doesn't feel as detailed.

[not edward]

Well, that was unusual (even unique) on Bernstein's part:  he took an atypically broad approach to the Leningrad with the CSO (and, to his credit, he makes it work).  As a rule, though, the Leningrad practically always fits on a single disc.

I think that the preferred venue for Jarvi's RSNO Shostakovich cycle was the Caird Hall in Dundee (the hall I grew up going to concerts in, as it happens). However, the 4th was recorded in the distinctly inferior acoustic space of Glasgow City Halls.

My own preference in 4ths (though I have not heard as many as I would like) would be Rozhdestvensky. However, it is--like Lenny's 7th--most definitely not a mainstream interpretation and I would not recommend it as an only recording. Other recordings I'd throw into the mix here would be Mravinsky and Haitink in the 8th and Ancerl in the 10th.

In some ways Haitink might count as my favourite DSCH conductor; he plays the works in a manner that's largely "straight" on the surface, yet his understanding and command of both the large-scale structure and of the short-term phrasing is remarkable and constantly insightful.

[Sergeant Rock]

What are some of the top recordings of Shostakovich's 4th, 5th, 8th, 10th and 11th symphonies?

The Fifth: Lenny conducting the NY Phil live in Tokyo. It's been my favorite Fifth for more than 20 years: both First (Moderato) and Largo movements broadly paced, very intense, coupled with a swift, un-ironic Finale that's pure triumph.

[asin]B0000026PO[/asin]

And I second Edward's Rozhdestvensky/USSR recommendation for the Fourth. May be hard to find, though, at a decent price.


Sarge

[Fafner]

I'm a contrarian viz. the HvK account of the Tenth: half the musical world at least is agog over it, and I hear no such matter.  My chief table-pounder for the exquisite Op.93 is Jansons and the Phila Orchestra.

Apparently, on this matter, you part company with the composer as well.  According to Thomas Brandis, concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic,  "When we played Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony in Moscow it reduced the composer to tears. He told Karajan that he had never heard his music played with such insight in all his life."   

[Karl Henning]

Apparently, on this matter, you part company with the composer as well.  According to Thomas Brandis, concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic,  "When we played Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony in Moscow it reduced the composer to tears. He told Karajan that he had never heard his music played with such insight in all his life."   

Only apparently, as you are careful to say.  For (a) none of us has heard a recording of that Moscow performance, (b) it is not known how the composer might have reacted to the recording which we have available to us, and (c) the composer's gracious (and no doubt genuinely grateful) remarks are characteristic, but to take them as a kind of Gospel is (at the least) a disservice.

[bhodges]

Hello Rhymenoceros,

My choices echo many of those already mentioned.

For the 4th, I love Haitink's relatively recent recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The only others I recall are Haitink's earlier one with the LPO and Gergiev/Kirov - both are excellent, but the combination of the knockout playing of the CSO and Haitink's patience are hard to resist.

In the Fifth, there are many good choices, but I do like Bernstein/NYPO, available on an excellent DVD (with the Schumann 1st) called Bernstein in Japan.

That Solti Eighth is quite good; if you enjoy the conductor you'll probably like it. Haitink (again) is excellent; his recording with the Concertgebouw is terrific.

For No. 10, I also like von Karajan, but slightly prefer his older recording from 1967, only because the energy is so intense. His later one (cited above) is excellent and perhaps better played, but I just personally prefer the electricity of the earlier outing.

And for No. 11, Rostropovich did a very good job with the LSO (and I heard him in New York do it live), and a very fine one people sometimes overlook is with James De Preist and Helsinki - great sound on the latter, especially. But again, my favorite - actually one of my favorite recordings, period - is Haitink/Concertgebouw, with the orchestra's percussion section having a field day.

--Bruce

[Karl Henning]

Most interesting, Bruce . . . I am not sure that I have yet gotten around to auditioning the Haitink account of the Eleventh . . . .

[Fafner]

Only apparently, as you are careful to say.  For (a) none of us has heard a recording of that Moscow performance, (b) it is not known how the composer might have reacted to the recording which we have available to us, and (c) the composer's gracious (and no doubt genuinely grateful) remarks are characteristic, but to take them as a kind of Gospel is (at the least) a disservice.

I don't take it as Gospel, but neither do I discount it.  In any case, the recording Karajan made of the 10th shortly afterwards is probably a better representation of the Moscow performance than the later digital recording.



The director of your favorite, Mariss Jansons, was also in the audience that night, and described the performance as "unbelievable."  But, of course, Jansons was later to become Karajan's student.   

[Karl Henning]

I don't take it as Gospel, but neither do I discount it.  In any case, the recording Karajan made of the 10th shortly afterwards is probably a better representation of the Moscow performance than the later digital recording.

Well, if the horns actually sound fortissimo where they are marked fortissimo (which I am sure must have been the case in the hall during the performance) . . . yes, I can readily believe that this earlier recording is superior : )

[bhodges]

Most interesting, Bruce . . . I am not sure that I have yet gotten around to auditioning the Haitink account of the Eleventh . . . .

Perhaps oddly, I like Haitink's sense of restraint here - as in his Shostakovich in general - and his tempi seem a bit slower than others. (You might think "the more intense and driven," the better.) He doesn't push the ensemble or underline the climaxes, which makes the result even more powerful.

--Bruce

[Karl Henning]

Perhaps oddly, I like Haitink's sense of restraint here - as in his Shostakovich in general . . . .

If that be odd, it is an oddity I pretty much share : )

[Fafner]

Well, if the horns actually sound fortissimo where they are marked fortissimo (which I am sure must have been the case in the hall during the performance) . . . yes, I can readily believe that this earlier recording is superior : )

I'm a little confused.  In the digital recording I hear horns playing things I previously would not have believed physically possible.   How did you ascertain that they are not playing "fortissimo?"