Dmitri's Dacha

[Karl Henning]

The Blok Romances for soprano and piano trio are obligatory Shostakovich! Top-shelf music plus a Silver Age Russian poet.

[kishnevi]

I don't think DF-D would have committed that offense upon the Capt. Lebyadkin Verses if he had actually read the Dostoyevsky.

I've read most of the rest of Fyodor, but never really liked him, and finally gave up after a couple of chapters into The Possessed (or the Demons, or whatever the correct translation of the title is....I've seen several different renditions).  The Idiot is the only one I actually liked,and I had to read it all the way through before I realized I liked it.   It was The Gamblers on which DSCH made the beginnings of an opera, wasn't it?

But in regards to the Lebyadkin poems,  the little I've read suggests that a harsh, blustery approach might well have been in character for the Captain, so perhaps that's what DFD was trying to do.

Among my purchases yesterday in the used LP/CD store was Slatkin's account of DSCH 4, which I though was good, but not good enough to replace any of my current favorites (Gergiev, Janssons)

[eyeresist]

No, no, I like the Rostropovich better! 
As for this box, since you already have 40% of it--I'd suggest looking for the first two CDs as individual items, and alternate versions of the songs with piano--although the 7 Romances on Poems of A. Blok (which has a vocalist and chamber ensemble) has a good performance on that CD.   It's the DFD that's the main stumbling block.

Whoops, I misread 

Thanks for the buying advice.

[Karl Henning]

This is four years old already, but I found it a most high-value read yesterday, when I chanced upon it.

[eyeresist]

This is four years old already, but I found it a most high-value read yesterday, when I chanced upon it.

Thanks for this link, Karl! I have downloaded, and will read it when I find the time (it's 167pp.). I did "skip to the end" to see the author's verdict on Volkov - nice and sensible

[Karl Henning]

Glad that you find it of interest, too!

[TheGSMoeller]

Wonder if any of the Shostaposse here have heard this disc. I've heard Calefax Reed Quintet's Rameau disc and just recently discovered their Goldberg Variations, along with this DSCH disc of preludes and fugues (one of my favorites from DSCH) looks interesting but haven't found any samples or write ups.
Also, might be my favorite DSCH photo/cover art.

[jlaurson]

Wonder if any of the Shostaposse here have heard this disc. I've heard Calefax Reed Quintet's Rameau disc and just recently discovered their Goldberg Variations, along with this DSCH disc of preludes and fugues (one of my favorites from DSCH) looks interesting but haven't found any samples or write ups.
Also, might be my favorite DSCH photo/cover art.

Very cool. No... have not heard that. But I'll think I'll shoot a mail off to MDG right now. 

[The new erato]

Just ordered this:

[asin]B0059B0BZ4[/asin]

These performances have never been issued before on CD. The performance of Shostakovich s Symphony No.10 was given on the very night that Soviet tanks invaded Czechoslovakia in a concentrated effort to halt The Prague Spring , the liberal political reforms initiated by Alexander Dubcek. The atmosphere in the Royal Albert Hall, as can be heard from the shouts of protest, was electric and very tense. It is likely that the USSR State Symphony Orchestra had not heard the news, but after the first few bars, the disruption was finally drowned out by other members of the audience and from various accounts, Svetlanov, as can be heard here, then went on to give the performance of his life. Svetlanov's widow, on hearing the test pressings of this CD, said that the performance brought tears to her eyes and the emotion of that evening came across very strongly.

According to IRR one of the most blistering accounts of no 10 ever.

[PaulR]

Wonder if any of the Shostaposse here have heard this disc. I've heard Calefax Reed Quintet's Rameau disc and just recently discovered their Goldberg Variations, along with this DSCH disc of preludes and fugues (one of my favorites from DSCH) looks interesting but haven't found any samples or write ups.
Also, might be my favorite DSCH photo/cover art.

They have samples of it on iTunes, not sure what to think about it.  Judging only by the samples that they give, I think it is a mixed bag.  Some work well with the wind quintet, one example of this would be #3.  But some others (such as #2), do not work well with the scoring.  But these are my own opinions only based off of short samples.

I may investigate further in the future. 

[TheGSMoeller]

They have samples of it on iTunes, not sure what to think about it.  Judging only by the samples that they give, I think it is a mixed bag.  Some work well with the wind quintet, one example of this would be #3.  But some others (such as #2), do not work well with the scoring.  But these are my own opinions only based off of short samples.

I may investigate further in the future.

Man, I've been so bad about locating samples lately. Thanks Paul.
And thank you for your comments. I will add my own once I listen. I have an infatuation with wind ensembles or pieces for winds so I'm anxious for hearing it

[Karl Henning]

Greg, do you perchance know the two Scarlatti transcriptions Shostakovich did for wind ensemble?  (I should have guessed that they would be right up your street.)

[TheGSMoeller]

Greg, do you perchance know the two Scarlatti transcriptions Shostakovich did for wind ensemble?  (I should have guessed that they would be right up your street.)

Have not, Karl. But I'm intrigued, will start looking for them. Are you familiar with them?  Thanks!

[PaulR]

Man, I've been so bad about locating samples lately. Thanks Paul.
And thank you for your comments. I will add my own once I listen. I have an infatuation with wind ensembles or pieces for winds so I'm anxious for hearing it

It is no problem.  I'm not great at locating samples, I basically only have 3 sources for samples--arkiv, amazon, and iTunes. 

My assessment of it is not really fair to the performance, as iTunes gives about 1M-1:30 sample size.  It is impossible to get a full, good impression using just samples.  Would be great if these magically turn up on NML......

[Karl Henning]

Have not, Karl. But I'm intrigued, will start looking for them. Are you familiar with them?  Thanks!

They are a pre-"Muddle" jeu d'esprit, Op.17: K.9 (L.413) ("Pastorale") & K.20 (L.375) ("Capriccio").

The "Pastorale" has some nice understated timpani thumps.

[mahler10th]

Couple of months ago or so I ventured forth to Amazon and bought a set of Shostakovich symphonies on recommendation.  Not knowing too much and not having much Stravinsky, I was quickly happy with my set, Haitink with the RCO.  Yesterday, whilst gawklily browsing tunes on Youtube, there was plenty to sample of from Barshai's Shostakovich set.  In fact, the whole set is there to listen to.  So I dutifully sampled, and sampled some more.  I soon sampled myself daft with the Barshai Shostakovich, discovering it to be something better (for me) than the one I already bought, AND it was considerably less expensive.
Haaarrrumph!    
I sense much more depth of understanding in what I have heard of the Barshai set, things seem much bigger and graver without being played as such.  The sound (albeit from online source and listened to through headphones from my laptop) also seems to be better.   The silly tunes Shostakovich opened some of his symphonies with are somehow more transparent.  I am uber impressed by what I have heard (Barshai) although unfortunately this will mean Haitinks little red set can sit well away for a while as I investigate and pound the table with Rudolph and the West German Radio Symphony Orchestra...

[jwinter]

I am definitely still on the early learning curve on Shostakovich's symphonies, whichis why I seldom mention them in these parts, but I agree that I have, generally, found the Barshai to be more involving than Haitink.  I have 3 sets -- Kondrashin, Barshai, and Haitink, and both of the Russians get more play that Haitink. 

That said, I'm keeping the Haitink, because if my experience with him in other repetoire holds, he has a tendency to bring out subtleties that others sometimes miss.  The Russian conductors are more exciting and immediately interesting; I suspect that I may come to like Haitink better once I am more fully acquainted with the symphonies.

[kishnevi]

Couple of months ago or so I ventured forth to Amazon and bought a set of Shostakovich symphonies on recommendation.  Not knowing too much and not having much Stravinsky, I was quickly happy with my set, Haitink with the RCO.  Yesterday, whilst gawklily browsing tunes on Youtube, there was plenty to sample of from Barshai's Shostakovich set.  In fact, the whole set is there to listen to.  So I dutifully sampled, and sampled some more.  I soon sampled myself daft with the Barshai Shostakovich, discovering it to be something better (for me) than the one I already bought, AND it was considerably less expensive.
Haaarrrumph!    
I sense much more depth of understanding in what I have heard of the Barshai set, things seem much bigger and graver without being played as such.  The sound (albeit from online source and listened to through headphones from my laptop) also seems to be better.   The silly tunes Shostakovich opened some of his symphonies with are somehow more transparent.  I am uber impressed by what I have heard (Barshai) although unfortunately this will mean Haitinks little red set can sit well away for a while as I investigate and pound the table with Rudolph and the West German Radio Symphony Orchestra...

Do be aware that the Barshai is included as part of Brilliant's 100 CD Symphonies box--so if you have any interest at all in some of the other sets included there--it's sort of a super set of Brilliant sets, including their Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, etc--it may be worth getting that way.  (I got if as a bargain, for less than what I would have paid for the Haydn and Shostakovich cycles I was principally interested in.)

[Opus106]

Do be aware that the Barshai is included as part of Brilliant's 100 CD Symphonies box--so if you have any interest at all in some of the other sets included there--it's sort of a super set of Brilliant sets, including their Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, etc--it may be worth getting that way.  (I got if as a bargain, for less than what I would have paid for the Haydn and Shostakovich cycles I was principally interested in.)

I wish they would re-release their Shostakovich Edition again.

[Karl Henning]

Man, this was buried back at the bottom of page 5. People, you are letting the side down! ; )

The birthday boy plays his own Prelude & Fugue in C, Op.87 № 1

http://www.youtube.com/v/Uuj5uzgmB5A