The best Shostavovich 10

[Guido]

The First Karajan is my personal choice. The second is also very fine, but somehow I prefer the less slick, less smoothed out earlier version. The playing in both is of course superlative.

[The new erato]

My copy of the Mravinsky/Lenningrad (a love recording from the 70's, issued by Erato) just arrived today.

Yes, I love that disc as well.......

[Drasko]

I'd like to put my grubby paws on this one
http://www.russiandvd.com/store/product.asp?sku=39949&genreid=
(unfortunately only disc one can be previewed i.e. streamed complete)

As for favorites, nothing very original: Ancerl and Mravinsky (Erato)

[Daverz]

I'd like to put my grubby paws on this one
http://www.russiandvd.com/store/product.asp?sku=39949&genreid=
(unfortunately only disc one can be previewed i.e. streamed complete)

I'd shop around.  I got it from BRO, who still have it for $10.  While you're at it, you might want to pick up Dmitri and his friend Vainberg playing the piano duo arrangement.  I wish Sony/BMG would do a modern remastering of the Mitropoulos studio recording, but they seem to have forgotten him.

I don't think I have any bad recordings of this work, still my favorite Shostakovich symphony.  Ormandy, Ancerl, Mitropoulos (Odyssey Lp), Ashkenazy, and Previn/LPO are all good, and I've already mentioned the Svetlanov.  Still have several in my collection that I need to get around to listening/relistening to.  Firing up Kitajenko from his set now.

[Drasko]

I'd shop around.  I got it from BRO, who still have it for $10.  I wish Sony/BMG would do a modern remastering of the Mitropoulos studio recording, but they seem to have forgotten him.

Wow, that's a bargain, I have to see if I can get that. How is the sound quality? Urania always brings up worst expectations but stream from russiandvd site didn't sound that bad.

Sony Greece with some Greek newspaper released recently 20 CD Dimitri Mitropoulos - Retrospective. Don't know all contents and whether it involved any remastering but I'm guessing it should include that studio Shostakovich 10. I'll check if I get hold of it.

[Daverz]

Wow, that's a bargain, I have to see if I can get that. How is the sound quality? Urania always brings up worst expectations but stream from russiandvd site didn't sound that bad.

Well, it's live broadcast sound (mono) with plenty of audience noise.  I'll try sampling it a bit later today.

UPDATE: the audience is pretty bronchial (a cold October in Athens or lost of people smoking harsh cigarettes?), and there are some chair squeaks.  It sounds heavily gain ridden, not much dynamic range.   Otherwise, it's quite listenable, and the NYP really sounds great.

Sony Greece with some Greek newspaper released recently 20 CD Dimitri Mitropoulos - Retrospective. Don't know all contents and whether it involved any remastering but I'm guessing it should include that studio Shostakovich 10. I'll check if I get hold of it.

I googled around and could only find info on the first 10 CDs (box 1 and 2), which do not have the Shostakovich 10.

[Renfield]

Sony Greece with some Greek newspaper released recently 20 CD Dimitri Mitropoulos - Retrospective. Don't know all contents and whether it involved any remastering but I'm guessing it should include that studio Shostakovich 10. I'll check if I get hold of it.

Interesting, and unexpected. Maybe Wanderer knows more?

I'd call my parents, but they're not liable to have noted something like this, however much they're aware of his general reputation, etc.

[greg]

I'd call my parents, but they're not liable to have noted something like this, however much they're aware of his general reputation, etc.

I don't know why, but reading this seemed surprising... (that your parents (thought not, specifically, you/your parents personally) listen to classical music as well, not to mention even know who the name of a conductor). If they're musicians, though, that wouldn't be as shocking...

(My favorite Shosty 10 is Rozhdestvensky, i think, though i haven't heard many recordings).

[Renfield]

I don't know why, but reading this seemed surprising... (that your parents (thought not, specifically, you/your parents personally) listen to classical music as well, not to mention even know who the name of a conductor). If they're musicians, though, that wouldn't be as shocking...

(My favorite Shosty 10 is Rozhdestvensky, i think, though i haven't heard many recordings).

Actually, they do not. They are acquainted with classical music, and my mother certainly enjoys the more serious fare (late Bruckner, Mahler, Beethoven, Bach) when I put on a CD I've brought for her to hear, but neither are particular fans of classical music; my mother prefers paintings, and my father prefers a good non-fiction book.

But their general education, and my constant erstwhile ranting, are enough for them to have heard of Mitropoulos!

(Indeed, my grandfather was a friend of Xenakis, though far from a musician himself. Greece is a small country.)


P.S.: I haven't heard Rozhdestvensky in this piece! I feel I should rectify this.

[greg]

Actually, they do not. They are acquainted with classical music, and my mother certainly enjoys the more serious fare (late Bruckner, Mahler, Beethoven, Bach) when I put on a CD I've brought for her to hear, but neither are particular fans of classical music; my mother prefers paintings, and my father prefers a good non-fiction book.

But their general education, and my constant erstwhile ranting, are enough for them to have heard of Mitropoulos!

Ah, I see. 
Sounds like you do the same thing as I do every now and then- I might make my mom listen to some music every now and then- the only honestly impressed reactions I've gotten were Mahler 7 ("inspirational") and the Adagio of his 9th ("extremely beautiful"). I don't even try with my dad- it's pointless. And with anything "weird" sounding, even more so...

(Indeed, my grandfather was a friend of Xenakis, though far from a musician himself. Greece is a small country.)

Still, though, what are the odds? Not to mention I'd imagine Xenakis lived in France probably more than in Greece...

P.S.: I haven't heard Rozhdestvensky in this piece! I feel I should rectify this.

You know, I think my recording might be his... but not 100% sure. I had burned the CDs years of the complete symphony cycle years ago, and I thought it was his cycle, but I could be wrong.
I also have Levi's, which kinda sucks... and am very pleased with Dudamel's video on youtube- that's about all of the recordings of this symphony I'm familiar with.

[Renfield]

Still, though, what are the odds? Not to mention I'd imagine Xenakis lived in France probably more than in Greece...

The reason they knew each other was the reason he left Greece - they were both fought with the (political) Left in the civil war. Only my grandfather was lucky enough to be a dentist, so he was one of those not sentenced to death.


As for my mother (his daughter, incidentally), she has loved every bit of Bruckner I've played for her, and every bit of Mahler, though she claims she can't really stomach him on anything other than a very happy day. She's also fond of Beethoven.

But I think what most strongly made her stop trying to convince me that 'there's more music than classical' (which is ironic, as I do listen to a lot more music than classical, even if it's mostly as unconventional) was my dragging her to a Proms performance of the St John Passion by Gardiner and co. She still hasn't gotten over her awe of both Bach, and John Eliot Gardiner!


Going back on topic, I heard the Proms Dudamel performance on the (e-)radio when he gave that concert. Much like his recording of the Tchaikovsky 5, it's very impressive in its own way; even if (obviously) not at the Mravinsky level.

[Guido]

Maybe now is a good time to post this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZbJOE9zNjw

[RJR]

I like Karel Ančerl.

Right on. I thought that Ancerl's performance perfectly expressed the paranoia that Shostakovich wanted to convey. It certainly scared the hell out of me.

I was fortunate enough to have arrived in Toronto at the time that Karel Ancerl became principal conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Martinu's Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani was performed at one of the concerts that I attended.

[karlhenning]

The Ančerl is very nice.  I need to queue it up again soon . . . .

[david johnson]

Karajan 1967

[Brian]

I'll cross-post here a write-up I left elsewhere. This November I indulged in Shostakovich's Tenth and listened to about a dozen different recordings...

Haven't got many cycles, just Barshai in fact, but I've heard quite a few Tenths in the past 6 weeks and would rank them in this order:

(No 10)
=outstanding [these top three can change places depending on my mood]=
1. Petrenko/Liverpool (sometimes the first movement strikes me as fast, but most of the time it doesn't. Outstanding in every way, plus sound quality is the best on the market)
2. Jansons/Philadelphia (a lot like Petrenko, but a couple details short of perfection: muddled final bars, less fierce third-movement climax)
3. Sanderling/Berlin SO (sound is dated, sure, but the playing superb and first movement intensely slow; very different from Petrenko and Jansons)
=very, very good=
4. Karajan 80s (knocked out of the top 3 because of balance issues in the final bars; otherwise terrific)
5. Barshai (good, but doesn't "get" me like the others)
=flawed in some way=
6. Skrowaczewski/Halle (as Velimir said, orchestra is slightly underpowered. Middle of the road)
7. Haitink/LPO (just don't get the praise for this. Patchy conducting with "live performance" issues in the playing quality)
8. M. Shostakovich, LSO (low-energy; probably the Supraphon is better?)
=unacceptable=
9. Kitajenko (though his third movement is in the top 3, the finale is very plain, bordering on dull)
10. Wigglesworth (good playing but the sound is far too low-level)

I recently auditioned the scherzo from Ancerl's legendary performance and, despite my love for Ancerl and high expectations, found it a major letdown. It's so fast it loses a lot of intensity. Petrenko and Karajan are best there.

The ends of the first movements of 5, 6, and 10 are all different angles on that same insight.

From what's been discussed in this thread, I very clearly need to hear the Mravinsky and the first Karajan recording.

[Herman]

In my view Kurt Sanderling is one of the great underrated conductors. I seem to recall there is a remastered DSCH set in Japan, if sound is an issue.

Sound, in a different meaning of the word, is a big issue in the Karajan recordings  -  everything he does sounds like DG Karajan, not like DSCH

[Herman]

Looks like those Japanese remasterings only come in seperate issues:

http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/2582454

[The new erato]

I'll cross-post here a write-up I left elsewhere. This November I indulged in Shostakovich's Tenth and listened to about a dozen different recordings...

And a few indifferent ones as well it seems.....