The Definitive Shostakovich VC No. 1

[Steve]

This VC was my first encounter with Shosty's music, and I haven't looked back since. 4 Complete Sympony Cycles, Chamber Music, Concerti....

Yet, this remains, for me, my definitive Shostakovich piece. I have a couple recordings, yet this one, in rich mono tops the list for me.



Any others?

I'd be pretty interested in some Russian interpretations... 

[12tone.]

This has been my only version of the Shostakovich VC 1 and I've liked it.  Not only that but it was my first classical cd...or at least one of the firsts   I really enjoy Vengerov's playing in this and I also have his Prokofiev VC 1 on the same lable.  I would recommend this!

[Steve]

This has been my only version of the Shostakovich VC 1 and I've liked it.  Not only that but it was my first classical cd...or at least one of the firsts   I really enjoy Vengerov's playing in this and I also have his Prokofiev VC 1 on the same lable.  I would recommend this!

Thanks for the tip. 

[12tone.]

You're welcome.  I'm Steve too 

[beclemund]

Gramophone suggests that Lydia Mordkovitch's Chandos recording is the apex.... it is very good. I really enjoy Leila Josefowicz's recording, released last year (with seemingly dozens of other performances released recently from Hope, Chang, Khachatryan, Palmer, etc...).

But how can you consider any other than Oistrakh as the reference... after all, Shostakovich dedicated the violin concerti to him. Certainly, he can play them "definitively" as they were composed for him.

[samtrb]

i have listened to Lydia Mordkovitch recording of Bruch concerto and it is really nice. i fell in love with her tone and vitality. I wonder why her name is not frequent in this forum. i would like to ask about her Shostakovich

[samtrb]

Gramophone suggests that Lydia Mordkovitch's Chandos recording is the apex.... it is very good.

lol that was right at the same time i was writing my reply !

[SimonGodders]

Oistrakh/Mravinsky 1956, Kachatryan (I don't have the official release yet, but a fantastic live one from the proms - it's phenomenal), Repin/Gergiev (again, don't have the official release, but a fantastic version live from Rotterdam)

Check the broadcasts thread, failing that, hassle Manuel!

[Steve]

Oistrakh/Mravinsky 1956, Kachatryan (I don't have the official release yet, but a fantastic live one from the proms - it's phenomenal), Repin/Gergiev (again, don't have the official release, but a fantastic version live from Rotterdam)

Check the broadcasts thread, failing that, hassle Manuel!

Will do! 

i have listened to Lydia Mordkovitch recording of Bruch concerto and it is really nice. i fell in love with her tone and vitality. I wonder why her name is not frequent in this forum. i would like to ask about her Shostakovich

I must say that I'm not familiar with her, either... Will give this a try too, then.

[hornteacher]

I know this will shock everyone, but I do NOT claim Hilary Hahn's Shostakovitch recording to be the definitive one. 



It's technically incredible but IMHO a little unsure when it comes to interpretation.  Granted this is one of her earlier recordings and I think she would benefit from recording it again at some point.

However, the pairing on this CD is the Mendelssohn VC which I do uphold as one of the finest accounts of this concerto ever.  No one will ever convince me otherwise.  This Mendelssohn recording is what made me fall for this chick, it's simply divine.  So buy this CD for the Mendelssohn (and for the Shostakovitch try Oistrakh).

[sidoze]

For me it's Julian Sitkovetsky, a live performance conducted by Gauk from 1956 I believe. It was reissued recently and I still haven't heard anything as intense.

Also like the Oleg Kagan on Live Classics

[Michel]

But who cares when you can just listen to the Cello Concerto instead?

[karlhenning]

. . . Kachatryan (I don't have the official release yet, but a fantastic live one from the proms - it's phenomenal) . . .

We've got the disc, and both concerti are given excellent accounts!

. . . Repin/Gergiev (again, don't have the official release, but a fantastic version live from Rotterdam)

We've heard Repin play this here in Boston (Masur conducting, who BTW also conducted the orchestra in the Kachatryan recording), and it was an outstanding performance.

Just want to add that, right affection for the Oistrakh documents aside, great music is always greater than any single performance, than any single performer.

[karlhenning]

I know this will shock everyone, but I do NOT claim Hilary Hahn's Shostakovitch recording to be the definitive one.

Well, it's a good job I was already sitting down when I read this 

[SimonGodders]

We've got the disc, and both concerti are given excellent accounts!

Yeah, it's another on my 'want's' list...

Just want to add that, right affection for the Oistrakh documents aside, great music is always greater than any single performance, than any single performer.

I'm really in the Shostakovich 'zone' at present and find the quality of interpretation to be uniformly very high. Thinking of the string quartets in particular, very competitive, hard to go wrong. More than coincidence methinks...

For me it's Julian Sitkovetsky, a live performance conducted by Gauk from 1956 I believe. It was reissued recently and I still haven't heard anything as intense.

Like the proverbial stuck record ( ), you've gone on about this performance for a while. Preliminary search hasn't brought much up, got a link?

[Drasko]

Like the proverbial stuck record ( ), you've gone on about this performance for a while. Preliminary search hasn't brought much up, got a link?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Yulian-Sitkovetsky-Vol-5/dp/B000GQL8QS

[SimonGodders]

Gramophone suggests that Lydia Mordkovitch's Chandos recording is the apex.... it is very good. I really enjoy Leila Josefowicz's recording, released last year (with seemingly dozens of other performances released recently from Hope, Chang, Khachatryan, Palmer, etc...).

But how can you consider any other than Oistrakh as the reference... after all, Shostakovich dedicated the violin concerti to him. Certainly, he can play them "definitively" as they were composed for him.

I have the Josefowicz, bought on the premise that I thought she looked pretty fit, how shallow am I? Not entirely convinced by her interpretation, but enjoy the performance of the violin sonata more so.

[SimonGodders]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Yulian-Sitkovetsky-Vol-5/dp/B000GQL8QS

Cheers! That was quick!

[MishaK]

I know this will shock everyone, but I do NOT claim Hilary Hahn's Shostakovitch recording to be the definitive one. 



It's technically incredible but IMHO a little unsure when it comes to interpretation.  Granted this is one of her earlier recordings and I think she would benefit from recording it again at some point.

However, the pairing on this CD is the Mendelssohn VC which I do uphold as one of the finest accounts of this concerto ever.  No one will ever convince me otherwise.  This Mendelssohn recording is what made me fall for this chick, it's simply divine.  So buy this CD for the Mendelssohn (and for the Shostakovitch try Oistrakh).

I like this very much, too. It's certainly an unusual interpretation, but I think valid in its own right. The last movement is magnificent. It may not be traditional in the Oistrakh-Vnegerov sense, but a very very fine performance. I have heard her do this live and she brought the house down.

[bhodges]

I have heard her do this live and she brought the house down.

Me, too.  While I do hope she records it again in say, 20 years, I like her version a lot.  Others on my favorites list: Vengerov, Repin and Salerno-Sonnenberg, and of those, Repin might be the current front-runner.  (I think it's great that there are so many fine recordings of this piece.)

--Bruce