Shostakovich Symphonies, Cycles & Otherwise

Started by karlhenning, April 25, 2007, 12:02:09 PM

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Hector

Quote from: Michel on May 18, 2007, 12:59:28 AM
Just don't get Jansons.

Oh, that does it for me, the order goes in today! ;)

The trouble is, like everything else I suppose, every set has its strengths and weaknesses.

Whatever set one chooses in the end I, for one, would not want to be without Rattle's EMI 4th, Previn's RCA 5th and HMV 8th, Bernstein's DG 7th, Ancerl's DG 10th, Rostropovich's LSO 11th and Sanderling's 15th, an antidote to Kondrashin's, preferably with the BPO rather than the Berlin SO.

I find Jansons' more convincing than most in the "lesser" symphonies but no better and no worse than many in the "core" symphonies 5, 8 and 10.

Oh, so many choices, so little time.

I will, someday soon, get around to getting Kondrashin although Baba Yar is bowdlerised and he is a tad fast but his orchestra is better than one could hope to expect and the Meloydia recordings have been transformed, I am reliably informed.

karlhenning

Interesting, Hector.  I agree wholeheartedly on the excellence of Ančerl's account of the Tenth;  but the Jansons Tenth I find surpassingly good, too.

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: Hector on May 18, 2007, 05:48:44 AM
Rostropovich's LSO 11th and Sanderling's 15th...

Yes and yes, although I think Sanderling's Cleveland 15th is even finer, and deeper and blacker.

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"

BorisG

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 18, 2007, 09:36:41 AM
Yes and yes, although I think Sanderling's Cleveland 15th is even finer, and deeper and blacker.

Sarge

A gentle reminder, Sarge. It is just what you think is finer. Nothing more, nothing less. $:)

Anyone like the Ormandy?

George

Quote from: BorisG on May 18, 2007, 10:06:04 AM
A gentle reminder, Sarge. It is just what you think is finer. Nothing more, nothing less. $:)

Anyone like the Ormandy?

I have heard it twice and so far, I haven't been wowed.  :-\

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: BorisG on May 18, 2007, 10:06:04 AM
A gentle reminder, Sarge. It is just what you think is finer. Nothing more, nothing less. $:)

No need to remind me. Any time I say that something is better or worse, you can append IMO after the statement. It goes without saying. Nevertheless, listen to the Cleveland version and see if you don't agree.

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"

BachQ

Quote from: BorisG on May 18, 2007, 10:06:04 AM
A gentle reminder, Sarge. It is just what you think is finer. Nothing more, nothing less. $:)


Yeah, Sarge . . . . . . You'd better watch it! . . . . .  :D

Greta

The only Shostakovich symphony I really know well is his 5th, and to a lesser extent his 7th and 8th. Ormandy: I like his recording of the 5th, solid all-around. Of course, I'm imprinted on it, it was my first one.

I got the Bernstein/NYP 5th (late 50s) recently and holy h***, he takes the last movement fast. Too fast for my liking. The playing is wild though! But then the slow section in the middle is so delicate and lovely. And the end isn't that fast. Actually, the performance as a whole is great, even if brash, it's exciting.

Gosh, another symphony I really need to see the score for. Bernstein speeds up and speeds up continously through the first two minutes of this movement. By 2 min he practically has nowhere to go!

I'm still hoping to get a set soon. Where is a logical place to explore next in listening? I want to try the 10th after seeing a video of Gergiev conducting it, I can tell it's going to take some listenings to digest...

rubio

I just listened to Haitink's recording of the 8th Symphony borrowed from the library, and I must say I liked it a lot. The orchestral playing is just superb, and the "allegro non troppo" is nicely driven. I think it definately beats Barshai's recording just because of the sound and the playing of the Concertgebouw. I also think the performance hangs really well together. I need to revisit Mravinsky's 8th (BBC legends) to see which one I prefer. Well, for sure Haitink does not have the exciting/wild "allegro non troppo" like Mravinsky.

I have complete cycles by Barshai and Kondrashin + half-complete cycles by Mravinsky (Meldodiya) and Sanderling (Berlin Classics), so I don't think I need any more complete sets. Some individual discs can always be interesting though  :). Are there any more performances from the Haitink on the same level as his 8th? And does Jansons have any must-haves which I at least could sample from my library?

"One good thing about music, when it hits- you feel no pain" Bob Marley

BachQ

Quote from: rubio on May 19, 2007, 07:58:39 AM
so I don't think I need any more complete sets.

:D

I'm destined to buy them all . . . . . . And even then . . . . . .

rubio

Quote from: D Minor on May 19, 2007, 08:16:02 AM
:D

I'm destined to buy them all . . . . . . And even then . . . . . .

It could be that I buy the Haitink as well. I think I saw they had a good price for his set in Poland (where I'm going in June  :)).
"One good thing about music, when it hits- you feel no pain" Bob Marley

uffeviking

Quote from: Greta on May 18, 2007, 09:39:29 PM

I want to try the 10th after seeing a video of Gergiev conducting it,

Pray tell, where did you buy-rent-steal the DVD? I spent at least half an hour trying to find it at any place in the business of selling classical recordings and still have no clue!

Thank you very much!

karlhenning

Quote from: karlhenning on May 11, 2007, 04:43:14 AM
Just to sign in on the Boxes On Arrival sub-thread  8) . . . .

The Happy Ending:  the replacement box has judt landed, in excellent condition (all it took was a 'brace' of folded corrugated cardboard, which did not add materially to the shipping weight.

Oh, one happy camper am I!  :)

George

Quote from: karlhenning on May 21, 2007, 06:50:06 AM
The Happy Ending:  the replacement box has judt landed, in excellent condition (all it took was a 'brace' of folded corrugated cardboard, which did not add materially to the shipping weight.

Oh, one happy camper am I!  :)

Congrats, Karl!  :)

Personally, I don't find CD buying as something that brings happiness anymore. Unless I am already OK to begin with.  :-\

karlhenning

You may mistake me, George;  this pleasure is largely in the fact that their customer service did the square thing, and all has been made right.

Though the more enduring pleasure is in listening to the music, rather than the purchase, as such, too.

George

Quote from: karlhenning on May 21, 2007, 09:06:17 AM
You may mistake me, George;  this pleasure is largely in the fact that their customer service did the square thing, and all has been made right.

Though the more enduring pleasure is in listening to the music, rather than the purchase, as such, too.

Gotcha on the first point.  :)

On the second, again, I only experience pleasure through music when I am already feeling at least OK.

Steve

Quote from: rubio on May 19, 2007, 07:58:39 AM
I just listened to Haitink's recording of the 8th Symphony borrowed from the library, and I must say I liked it a lot. The orchestral playing is just superb, and the "allegro non troppo" is nicely driven. I think it definately beats Barshai's recording just because of the sound and the playing of the Concertgebouw. I also think the performance hangs really well together. I need to revisit Mravinsky's 8th (BBC legends) to see which one I prefer. Well, for sure Haitink does not have the exciting/wild "allegro non troppo" like Mravinsky.

I have complete cycles by Barshai and Kondrashin + half-complete cycles by Mravinsky (Meldodiya) and Sanderling (Berlin Classics), so I don't think I need any more complete sets. Some individual discs can always be interesting though  :). Are there any more performances from the Haitink on the same level as his 8th? And does Jansons have any must-haves which I at least could sample from my library?



I'm generally resoved not to listen to anymore Haitink in these symphonies, but the 8th, might end up being a notable exception. By chance, I caught the first movement of this symphony over at a friend's and I must say that while the style is markedly different then Barsai, this is the one sympnony of his, that might be listetnable for me. It seems more controlled then the others. Glad to see I'm not alone in my appreciation of this one recording.

rubio

Quote from: Steve on May 21, 2007, 11:59:32 AM
I'm generally resoved not to listen to anymore Haitink in these symphonies, but the 8th, might end up being a notable exception. By chance, I caught the first movement of this symphony over at a friend's and I must say that while the style is markedly different then Barsai, this is the one sympnony of his, that might be listetnable for me. It seems more controlled then the others. Glad to see I'm not alone in my appreciation of this one recording.

Maybe, I should only by this single disc if I find it.  :)
"One good thing about music, when it hits- you feel no pain" Bob Marley

BachQ


Sergeant Rock

Quote from: rubio on May 19, 2007, 07:58:39 AM
Are there any more performances from the Haitink on the same level as his 8th?

I think the 6th and 11th are just as good although the third movement of the 6th isn't as manic as some might like. Michael Oliver of Gramophone says, "there are few recorded performances of either symphony to match these, and none to surpass them in grandeur of sound."

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"