Dmitri's Dacha

[Mirror Image]

Kondrashin and Haitink. I recently bought Kitajenko. Also, I rather like the Maxim Shostakovich set on Supraphon, Jansons on EMI and Rostropovich.

Yes to all of these picks! I also like Barshai and Rozhdestvensky (despite the less than stellar audio quality of his cycle).

[Roasted Swan]

I don't disagree with any of the mentioned preferences for complete cycles - only Petrenko leaves me oddly unmoved most of the time for reasons I really cannot explain.  My surprise is how rarely Caetani's cycle ever gets any kind of mention.  Distinctly individual and powerful interpretations I think, played remarkably well by his Italian orchestra - the SACD sound is pretty up front and exciting too.  Not the most polished by any means but a valid take on the whole set.....

[vandermolen]

I don't disagree with any of the mentioned preferences for complete cycles - only Petrenko leaves me oddly unmoved most of the time for reasons I really cannot explain.  My surprise is how rarely Caetani's cycle ever gets any kind of mention.  Distinctly individual and powerful interpretations I think, played remarkably well by his Italian orchestra - the SACD sound is pretty up front and exciting too.  Not the most polished by any means but a valid take on the whole set.....

I have one or two of those recordings and find them excellent.

[Mirror Image]

I don't disagree with any of the mentioned preferences for complete cycles - only Petrenko leaves me oddly unmoved most of the time for reasons I really cannot explain.  My surprise is how rarely Caetani's cycle ever gets any kind of mention.  Distinctly individual and powerful interpretations I think, played remarkably well by his Italian orchestra - the SACD sound is pretty up front and exciting too.  Not the most polished by any means but a valid take on the whole set.....

Yes, I agree. The Caetani is a fine cycle. I think I seem to recall where he was let go from a position because he was programming too much Shostakovich.

[Karl Henning]

I don't disagree with any of the mentioned preferences for complete cycles - only Petrenko leaves me oddly unmoved most of the time for reasons I really cannot explain.  My surprise is how rarely Caetani's cycle ever gets any kind of mention.  Distinctly individual and powerful interpretations I think, played remarkably well by his Italian orchestra - the SACD sound is pretty up front and exciting too.  Not the most polished by any means but a valid take on the whole set.....

I've not heard the entire cycle, but the ones I've heard, I like very much!

[DavidW]

Kondrashin and Haitink. I recently bought Kitajenko. Also, I rather like the Maxim Shostakovich set on Supraphon, Jansons on EMI and Rostropovich.

I agree that Kondrashin and Haitink are the missing great ones in Dave's collection.  I also like those sets that you mentioned but I don't think that they are up there with Kondrashin and Haitink.

[DavidW]

Also not to be missed are the individual recordings Mravinsky made including one of my favorite 8ths!



And of course Ormandy's 4th is stunning and was my introduction to that symphony.



Finally Bernstein's 7th wow! desert island material

[Roasted Swan]

Also not to be missed are the individual recordings Mravinsky made including one of my favorite 8ths!



And of course Ormandy's 4th is stunning and was my introduction to that symphony.



Finally Bernstein's 7th wow! desert island material

+1, +1, +1 !! (so many great recordings!!)

[staxomega]

You have my top three, there. How odd. In order, Kitajenko, Petrenko, Sanderling. I'm not saying others aren't more fêted, but these are the three to which I listen most.

Any suggestions for symphonies to sample form the Michael Sanderling set? Or how would people characterize them? Thanks.

[foxandpeng]

Any suggestions for symphonies to sample form the Michael Sanderling set? Or how would people characterize them? Thanks.

I'm not sure I'm able to comment helpfully on what sets them apart from other interpretations, or what particularly stands out, but 5 and 7 are as good as any in the series.

[staxomega]

I'm not sure I'm able to comment helpfully on what sets them apart from other interpretations, or what particularly stands out, but 5 and 7 are as good as any in the series.

Thanks, I had this on my long list of things to sample and then it went out of print in the blink of an eye. Any reason you have them behind Kitajenko or Petrenko? I like both of these, so I'm just curious.

My heavy listening has consisted of the St. Petersburg Qt cycle of the string quartets thanks to amw's recommendation. These performances have blown me away, among my top 10 purchases in the last five years. They have a blown up quality to them that bridge the gap with the chamber symphonies and have all the angularity, angst, and sharp biting qualities of the first incomplete Borodin cycle. I will have to make a more detailed writeup in the Shostakovich String Quartets thread.

[foxandpeng]

Thanks, I had this on my long list of things to sample and then it went out of print in the blink of an eye. Any reason you have them behind Kitajenko or Petrenko? I like both of these, so I'm just curious.

My heavy listening has consisted of the St. Petersburg Qt cycle of the string quartets thanks to amw's recommendation. These performances have blown me away, among my top 10 purchases in the last five years. They have a blown up quality to them that bridge the gap with the chamber symphonies and have all the angularity, angst, and sharp biting qualities of the first incomplete Borodin cycle. I will have to make a more detailed writeup in the Shostakovich String Quartets thread.

I don't think I have any greater rationale other than reading positive reviews, then deciding to focus on those in a huge array of choices. Because I don't read music and can't follow a musical score, I don't know which interpretation sits closest to the composer's original intention. I can decide which reading I enjoy most, but there are so many skilled conductors/orchestras/recording engineers/acoustic architects that I find it hard to make anything other than deeply subjective picks. There are so many recordings to choose from that I often can't really tell which I prefer - particularly when relative timings are pretty similar. It often feels a bit 'finger in the wind'. Not just with DSCH, either.

These three I have heard lots 🙂. I don't think I am very sophisticated, tbh 🤔 😁

[DavidW]

St. Petersburg was my introduction.  I think I bought them off of BRO back in the day.  Excellent, driven performances!

[Karl Henning]

St. Petersburg was my introduction.  I think I bought them off of BRO back in the day.  Excellent, driven performances!

Led by Temirkanov? Great account of the Leningrad!

[DavidW]

Led by Temirkanov? Great account of the Leningrad!

No we're talking string quartets.

[Karl Henning]

No we're talking string quartets.

Ah!

[Roasted Swan]

I'm working my way through this box;



At its heart are a series of blazing live performances of DSCH symhponies.  I can't help but think that THIS is the orchestral sound Shostakovich had in his inner ear when he was writing his music.  Its not polished, its frequently crude in gesture and execution but goodness me its a compelling listen.  I can't remember the last time I listened to the Fleischmann/Shostakovich Rothschild's Violin - I only know the Rotterdamm version with Rohzdestvensky - that is good but this is infinitely more convincing because of the sound of the orchestra.  Symphony 4 gets a remarkable performance.  The only duffer are the "British and American Folksongs" with comically chewed up English and possibly the worst ever baritone/bass on record who kind of declaims his way through "Johnny comes marching home" with no actual notes discernable.

https://open.spotify.com/track/43ciJ7jnXlunbWHX9GSGq9

[Jo498]

Are these live performances similar to Rozhdesvensky's studio recordings from the 1980s (Eurodisc/BMG/Melodiya)? The latter might not be easily findable but there were both on single discs and on a series of twofers.

[MusicTurner]

No, I think they are much less polished, also sonically. That Brilliant box obviously has some interesting, other repertoire too.

Ideally, I'd like to have the complete studio symphonies set, first and foremost, but I only have some of the (impressive) individual releases, and the Brilliant box.

[Roasted Swan]

Are these live performances similar to Rozhdesvensky's studio recordings from the 1980s (Eurodisc/BMG/Melodiya)? The latter might not be easily findable but there were both on single discs and on a series of twofers.

I can't disagree with Music Turner's comment re polish and recording quality.  But actually that's probably why I enjoy them as total experiences more than the old Olympia cycle (that's the edition I know).  The studio versions are very impressive but would not be my No.1 studio cycle