Dmitri's Dacha

Started by karlhenning, April 09, 2007, 08:13:49 AM

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Mirror Image

Quote from: karlhenning on July 03, 2012, 05:09:03 AM
Well, it was rather serious business, actually, and (not to seem to brow-beat you) I'm not sure amusement is quite an apt response. It would not be until Stalin had died, that Dmitri Dmitriyevich would write another symphony. In that interval, he eschewed that genre for a reason.

Yes, I know it was serious business, but what I don't know about is the level of suffering Shostakovich had to endure. None of us know unless we were there with him or knew him. All we can do is read about his life and try to wrap our minds around what it was like for him.

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: jlaurson on July 03, 2012, 12:31:22 AM
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2012/05/gergievs-munich-shostakovich-symphonies_11.html

Re the Ninth: "Imagine collective expectations of a high-holy paean to Stalin, vanquisher of evil and preserver of the people. And then you get the symphonic equivalent of "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead."

Brilliant, Jens  :D

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

not edward

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 02, 2012, 09:27:58 PM
I find it amusing that the Soviet authorities reacted so negatively towards it. The whole work is a joke and cartoonish, but this, of course, doesn't make it any less fun to listen to. I need to revisit it. I've neglected it for too long, although it's a work I've always enjoyed.
I'm not sure it's all a joke, though. Much of the 9th may be light-hearted but my favourite performances tend to be ones that let the listener know that yes, we're having a good time, but nonetheless there's something nasty in the woodshed. (Kosler would be a prime example of this--IMO one of the great DSCH recordings.)

"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

Mirror Image

Quote from: edward on July 03, 2012, 08:42:44 AM
I'm not sure it's all a joke, though. Much of the 9th may be light-hearted but my favourite performances tend to be ones that let the listener know that yes, we're having a good time, but nonetheless there's something nasty in the woodshed. (Kosler would be a prime example of this--IMO one of the great DSCH recordings.)

The Presto movement of the 9th is a perfect example of this flamboyant light-heartedness but with some grim touches. :)

nesf

Noob question:

Recommended listening order for Shostakovich's String Quartets?
My favourite words in classical: "Molto vivace"

Yes, I'm shallow.

Conor71

#825


Quote from: nesf on Today at 03:44:02 AM
Noob question:

Recommended listening order for Shostakovich's String Quartets?

I listened to them in sequence (1, 2, 3 etc..) - theres a nice progression in style and mood from somewhat playful/traditional in the early works to more serious/experimental in the later quartets. If you want to start with highlights for me that would be 8th and I also like the 15th too :)
Edit: Have you heard the Piano Trios yet? - I think you would find them appealing as well and both are very worthwhile!


nesf

Quote from: Conor71 on July 03, 2012, 11:58:02 AM
Edit: Have you heard the Piano Trios yet? - I think you would find them appealing as well and both are very worthwhile!


Just no. 2. :)
My favourite words in classical: "Molto vivace"

Yes, I'm shallow.

Conor71



Quote from: nesf on Today at 04:09:55 AM
Just no. 2. :)

I have this set which i think very highly of - it has both Piano Trios, the Quintet, Cello Sonata and a couple of String Quartets as well and is only 5 quid off the Amazon marketplace if you are interested.
I would recommend a full set of the String Quartets in future though - they are wonderful works and work exploring in full!  8)

[asin]B002ZBTWMO[/asin]


nesf

I have the Emerson Quartet set of the string quartets already. :)
My favourite words in classical: "Molto vivace"

Yes, I'm shallow.

North Star

Quote from: nesf on July 03, 2012, 12:51:29 PM
I have the Emerson Quartet set of the string quartets already. :)
Listen to that in order, then. No bad pieces there, and nothing composed just to please Stalin.

Piano trio no. 2 is a masterpiece, and the violin & viola sonatas, too.
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

jlaurson

Quote from: nesf on July 03, 2012, 11:44:02 AM
Noob question:

Recommended listening order for Shostakovich's String Quartets?

From the top. (Or bottom, depending on how you look at it.) In any case: might as well start with No.1 and work your way through them chronologically... they're masterpieces all and No.1 starts off particularly strong.

Mirror Image

Hey Jens,

You mentioned in a post to me that you really enjoyed this recording:



The only thing holding me back from this recording is the expensive price tag.

jlaurson

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 04, 2012, 12:04:16 PM
Hey Jens,

You mentioned in a post to me that you really enjoyed this recording:



The only thing holding me back from this recording is the expensive price tag.

I did, I did... but I'll go over it again and compare to another one (Gergiev / Matsuev) that stood out of recent DSCH-PC recordings (incl. Gulda / Gramola and yet two more that don't come to mind) to see if one has a clear edge over the other.

Mirror Image

Quote from: jlaurson on July 04, 2012, 02:22:14 PM
I did, I did... but I'll go over it again and compare to another one (Gergiev / Matsuev) that stood out of recent DSCH-PC recordings (incl. Gulda / Gramola and yet two more that don't come to mind) to see if one has a clear edge over the other.

No need to do that Jens. I see that the Matsuev/Gergiev isn't very highly recommended. Of recent Shostakovich PC recordings, I like this one the best:



But my favorite recording of these two PCs comes from Hamelin/Litton on Hyperion.

As for the VC No. 1, I would seriously like to have a pristine recording of the Repin/P. Jarvi YouTube video I posted a page or so back. That was an intense performance. Jarvi exerted himself rather well in that performance (I'm not a big fan of his conducting).

jlaurson

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 04, 2012, 03:01:28 PM
No need to do that Jens. I see that the Matsuev/Gergiev isn't very highly recommended. O

Hmm... for what it's worth, I think it's one of the few Matsuev-and-or-Gergiev recordings that I think are quite outstanding. Also best coupling since Hamelin / Litton.

Mirror Image

#835
Quote from: jlaurson on July 04, 2012, 03:39:16 PM
Hmm... for what it's worth, I think it's one of the few Matsuev-and-or-Gergiev recordings that I think are quite outstanding. Also best coupling since Hamelin / Litton.

I'll check it out, Jens. Thanks for your help.

PaulR

any one familiar with Gianandrea Noseda with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the cellist Enrico Dindo's recording of the cello concertos on Chandos?  I'm thinking about getting that CD. 

Mirror Image

Quote from: PaulR on July 10, 2012, 09:30:29 AM
any one familiar with Gianandrea Noseda with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and the cellist Enrico Dindo's recording of the cello concertos on Chandos?  I'm thinking about getting that CD.

Haven't heard this Noseda recording but I haven't heard much feedback about it either. Anyway, I'm curious which performances do you own of Shostakovich's VCs?

PaulR

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 10, 2012, 09:51:50 AM
Haven't heard this Noseda recording but I haven't heard much feedback about it either. Anyway, I'm curious which performances do you own of Shostakovich's VCs?
Venegrov/Rostropovich/LSO (Both), Oistrakh/NYPO/Mitropolous for #1, Oistrakh/Kondrashin/MPSO for #2, Hope/Maxim Shostakovich/BBC Symphony Orchestra, Khachatryan/Masur/ONF

Mirror Image

Quote from: PaulR on July 10, 2012, 10:05:23 AM
Venegrov/Rostropovich/LSO (Both), Oistrakh/NYPO/Mitropolous for #1, Oistrakh/Kondrashin/MPSO for #2, Hope/Maxim Shostakovich/BBC Symphony Orchestra, Khachatryan/Masur/ONF

Everybody talks about how great Oistrakh's performance was and honestly I don't think much of it. I'm beginning to dislike Vengerov's approach altogether to the violin. I haven't heard Hope/M. Shostakovich yet, but I didn't like Hope's recording of Berg/Britten concerti. His tone just isn't there. Khachatryan is one of my favorites. Outstanding performance IMHO. Josefowicz/Oramo was awful. I'm beginning to dislike Mullova/Previn. Steinbacher/Nelsons, aside from the Khachatryan/Masur, is another top choice of mine. I also just listened to Batiashvili/Salonen and was incredibly impressed with it. I'll be listening to this one a lot as well.