Poll
Question:
Which four could you absolutely, positively not go on, without?
Option 1: № 1 in F Minor, Opus 10
votes: 4
Option 2: № 2 in B Major 'To October', Opus 14
votes: 3
Option 3: № 3 in E-flat Major 'First of May', Opus 20
votes: 2
Option 4: № 4 in C Minor, Opus 43
votes: 12
Option 5: № 5 in D Minor, Opus 47
votes: 24
Option 6: № 6 in B Minor, Opus 54
votes: 6
Option 7: № 7 in C Major 'Leningrad', Opus 60
votes: 10
Option 8: № 8 in C Minor, Opus 65
votes: 17
Option 9: № 9 in E-flat Major, Opus 70
votes: 2
Option 10: № 10 in E Minor, Opus 93
votes: 20
Option 11: № 11 in G Minor '1905', Opus 103
votes: 10
Option 12: № 12 in D Minor '1917', Opus 112
votes: 4
Option 13: № 13 in B-flat Minor 'Babi Yar', Opus 113
votes: 10
Option 14: № 14 for soprano, bass, strings & percussion, Opus 135
votes: 11
Option 15: № 15 in A Major, Opus 141
votes: 10
For some of us, this is no easier than The Hard Beethoven Decisions nearby :-)
:'( I feel so bad, having to omit 7 and 8, but there you go.
(Favorites: 4, 6, 10, 11.)
--Bruce
4, 8, 14, 15
Quote from: karlhenning on May 16, 2007, 05:20:08 AM
For some of us, this is no easier than The Hard Beethoven Decisions nearby :-)
No, it isn't. Actually, for me, it's harder. My four plus today's preferred performances of each:
15 - Sanderling/Cleveland
4 - Previn/Chicago
14 - Jansons/SOBR
8 - Haitink/Concertgebouw
Sarge
5, 7, 10
Quote from: erato on May 16, 2007, 05:49:24 AM
4, 8, 14, 15
Really, Erato, I
wasn't peeking over your shoulder as you wrote down your answers :D
Sarge
As preamble, the symphonies which it (especially) pained me to omit (chronological order): Nos. 5, 6, 7, 9 & 15
My votes: Nos. 4, 10, 8 & 14
Quote from: david johnson on May 16, 2007, 05:50:20 AM
5, 7, 10
One more, David. Come on , dude, go for it!
Sarge
5-8-10-15
I can still recall a hot summer day in 1966 or maybe 1967, and I had just found a new DGG record at the library of the Shostakovich Tenth Symphony conducted by Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic. I have read opinions that this one beats his later version.
This is my #1 favorite, followed by the last 3.
Although little old #1 does have its appeal!
5, 10, 11, 13 although I could go on without any of them as long as SQ's are there >:D
Quote from: orbital on May 16, 2007, 06:06:57 AM
5, 10, 11, 13 although I could go on without any of them as long as SQ's are there >:D
All right, buster, ten minutes Time Out! $:)
5-8-10-15
Quote from: orbital on May 16, 2007, 06:06:57 AM
5, 8, 11, 13 although I could go on without any of them as long as SQ's are there >:D
My thoughts exactly. Perhaps a thread like this for quartets instead of symphonies?
Quote from: Cato on May 16, 2007, 06:06:03 AM
I can still recall a hot summer day in 1966 or maybe 1967, and I had just found a new DGG record at the library of the Shostakovich Tenth Symphony conducted by Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic. I have read opinions that this one beats his later version.
As good as the later one is (and it's great) I like the earlier one better, by a small margin. It feels slightly edgier and out of control...and very exciting. It's also earlier in the Karajan/Berlin partnership and their musicmaking overall seems fresher.
--Bruce
Quote from: from the new world on May 16, 2007, 06:12:39 AM
My thoughts exactly. Perhaps a thread like this for quartets instead of symphonies?
Can Barshai's chamber orchestra arrangement of the
String Quartet #8 count as a
Symphony #16?
I would vote for that!
11 in G Minor '1905', Op.103
05 in D Minor, Op.47
08 in C Minor, Op.65
07 in C Major 'Leningrad', Op.60
11th on a personal level, being the most descriptive piece of music I have ever heard. The hazy almost silence, the calm, the anxiety, the attack, the aftermath...outstanding.
I voted 11, 5, 13, 10, in that order.
Quote from: orbital on May 16, 2007, 06:06:57 AM
5, 10, 11, 13 although I could go on without any of them as long as SQ's are there >:D
Wow, great minds do think alike. ;D
Quote from: AnthonyAthletic on May 16, 2007, 07:00:36 AM
11th on a personal level, being the most descriptive piece of music I have ever heard. The hazy almost silence, the calm, the anxiety, the attack, the aftermath...outstanding.
Maksim Dmitriyevich's account is closing the sale on this one for me,
Tony!
1,2,3,12
Quote from: karlhenning on May 16, 2007, 07:04:03 AM
Maksim Dmitriyevich's account is closing the sale on this one for me, Tony!
Tony, Karl and others, I'm so happy to see
11 getting some love. Listening on the radio in the mid-1980s, I was sold by a performance by (of all people)
Leonard Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra! (I still have an aircheck of it somewhere...) I have no idea how that performance would stack up against ones I've heard since, but the St. Louis audience clearly loved it.
--Bruce
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 16, 2007, 05:57:30 AM
One more, David. Come on , dude, go for it!
Sarge
ok, ok...#4.
5, 8, 15
Don't have a 4th - could live without the others.
You can live without "O Delvig! Delvig!" ? ? ?
8)
The eight and fifteenth followed by the forth and fifth.
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 16, 2007, 05:51:19 AM
Really, Erato, I wasn't peeking over your shoulder as you wrote down your answers :D
Sarge
Yes, really. Was going to comment on your immaculate sense of style!
Quote from: D Minor on May 16, 2007, 07:08:15 AM
1,2,3,12
You serious?
Nr 1 is excellent, but the rest is commonly regarded as Communist agit-prop and among Shosty's weaker works. Would like to hear what yu like about them?
Quote from: david johnson on May 16, 2007, 07:51:28 AM
ok, ok...#4.
Excellent choice, David! I knew you could do it :)
Sarge
4, 14 and 15 are absolutely magnificent works.
The rest rank a step below in my estimation.
Quote from: erato on May 16, 2007, 08:27:20 AM
Yes, really. Was going to comment on your immaculate sense of style!
Yes, my tailor frequently makes that comment too.
Sarge
Interesting that two votes have been cast each for the Second and Third (and yet, only one for the Ninth! — where's the outrage!? :-)
erato, I think those two early symphonies really have suffered in the general estimation. As to the texts of the closing choruses, certainly Communist agit-prop describes them neatly. But the music itself (including the choral writing) is colorful, creative, vigorous; in short, it well repays the listening.
Are they 'weaker' works among the 15? By scale they are certainly minor works, but even so they are displays of a prodigal musical intelligence.
Quote from: karlhenning on May 16, 2007, 08:43:02 AM
Interesting that two votes have been cast each for the Second and Third (and yet, only one for the Ninth! — where's the outrage!? :-)
If you'd let us have five choices I would have included the Ninth. So yes, to me it seems odd it's gotten so few votes. Come to think of it, the Ninth gets played more in my house than any other Shostakovich symphony.
Sarge
10, 7, 14 and 15... tho' 4 and 9 get the same amount of play as at least three of those... The 10th seems to always be near the top of my iTunes playlist... it's too bad that I can't find a good cover scan of Janson's 10th on the web tho' as the image on the album cover browser is not very pretty and I'm too lazy to dig the CD out of its hiding place to scan it myself. ;)
10 is one of my favourite 3 symphonies.
I'm so glad I could hear it live conducted by Rostropovich last january.
I'm holding my votes until I've heard my Kondrashin, though I suspect it will be 5, 10, 11 and.... :-\
Quote from: erato on May 16, 2007, 08:31:30 AM
You serious?
Nr 1 is excellent, but the rest is commonly regarded as Communist agit-prop and among Shosty's weaker works. Would like to hear what yu like about them?
Thank you for noticing . . . . . . Those are, actually, my least favorite! >:D >:D >:D
Quote from: D Minor on May 16, 2007, 10:22:52 AM
Thank you for noticing . . . . . . Those are, actually, my least favorite! >:D >:D >:D
The
First, one of your least favorite? :'(
I don't think I know four well enough to vote. ;D I know 5 and 9 pretty well.
Quote from: dtwilbanks on May 16, 2007, 10:55:23 AM
I don't think I know four well enough to vote. ;D I know 5 and 9 pretty well.
This is the boat that I am currently in, but I'm looking to transfer. ;D
Quote from: George on May 16, 2007, 10:56:54 AM
This is the boat that I am currently in, but I'm looking to transfer. ;D
Oh, and I have that one you suggested a while back, George. Was it the 11th with Mravinsky?
I'm not sure when I'll get back to DSCH.
Quote from: dtwilbanks on May 16, 2007, 10:58:01 AM
Oh, and I have that one you suggested a while back, George. Was it the 11th with Mravinsky?
I'm not sure when I'll get back to DSCH.
'Twas the 11th.
The bone chiller. :D
Quote from: D Minor on May 16, 2007, 10:22:52 AM
Thank you for noticing . . . . . . Those are, actually, my least favorite! >:D >:D >:D
And I loooooooooooove the 12th. Serioulsy--that finale raaawks.
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 16, 2007, 08:51:00 AM
Come to think of it, the Ninth gets played more in my house than any other Shostakovich symphony.
Ergo, the 9th is your favorite . . . . . .
Quote from: Danny on May 16, 2007, 12:19:57 PM
And I loooooooooooove the 12th. Serioulsy--that finale raaawks.
Cool. The 12th (in d minor) deserves a listen tonight . . . . . . toward rethinking its ranking . . . . . .
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 16, 2007, 05:57:30 AM
One more, David. Come on , dude, go for it!
Sarge
David is constipated at the moment . . . . . .
Quote from: karlhenning on May 16, 2007, 05:51:40 AM
As preamble, the symphonies which it (especially) pained me to omit (chronological order): Nos. 5, 6, 7, 9 & 15
My votes: Nos. 4, 10, 8 & 14
That was my initial thought, but then I went and voted for 4,8,10,11.
Quote from: karlhenning on May 16, 2007, 08:02:33 AM
You can live without "O Delvig! Delvig!" ? ? ?
8)
And the surrounding movements pack a punch, too!
For me:
4, 14, 10, 11.
Quote from: D Minor on May 16, 2007, 03:53:07 PM
Ergo, the 9th is your favorite . . . . . .
That would seem to be the logical conclusion, yes. Except it isn't my favorite. I guess I'm illogical.
Sarge
After much mulling over I went with 5, 6, 10 & 14....I kept waffling with 6 vs 13. I eventually went with the happy ending one. :)
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 17, 2007, 02:33:13 AM
That would seem to be the logical conclusion, yes. Except it isn't my favorite. I guess I'm illogical.
Sarge
I fully understand. I have plenty of CD's of all genres that I consciously don't listen to all the time, just so that they remain fresh for me.
Quote from: George on May 17, 2007, 03:09:07 AM
I fully understand. I have plenty of CD's of all genres that I consciously don't listen to all the time, just so that they remain fresh for me.
I guess that makes sense . . . . . . but for me, it's a
subconscious activity . . . . . . . .
1, 2, 13, 14
man, such a tough choice...... i haven't heard the 12th yet
if only i could take one movement out and attach it to another symphony and make custom symphonies, that'd be cool 8)
Blasphemy! ;D
There are some interesting comments about 4th symphony in a couple of the review mags this month (Fanfare and ARG).
In reviewing Bychkov's new recording of the 4th each mag's respective reviewers offer something like a reappraisal of the work, turning on its head the seemingly prevailing notion of the work as comparatively 'inferior'.
About time! ;D
I admit to being a great fan of this particular symphony. In fact, early to middle DS (before the crackdown) has always held a fascination for me. Very "Berg-like" in some places (The Nose, for example) and experimental.
Quote from: donwyn on May 17, 2007, 08:57:06 AM
. . . the seemingly prevailing notion of the [Fourth Symphony] as comparatively 'inferior'.
Argh!
Quote from: donwyn on May 17, 2007, 09:34:52 AM
Can we ever forgive them? ;D
I'll pity them instead.
I like "The Nose" a lot myself and think it strange we don't get more recordings of it.
Quote from: greg on May 17, 2007, 05:46:47 AM
and make custom symphonies, that'd be cool
You can . . . . . . It's called "composing" . . . . . . . Customize to your heart's content . . . . . . .
Quote from: D Minor on May 17, 2007, 11:07:50 AM
You can . . . . . . It's called "composing" . . . . . . . Customize to your heart's content . . . . . . .
it's a new art-form "Customposing".
My first masterpiece was a little something I entitled "Into the Light", a symphony by Mahler consisting of the 3 movements :
I. 1st from the 2nd
II. 3rd from the 6th
III. finale from the 2nd
and it worked so perfectly- the keys are Eb maj, C min, Eb maj.
my next project might be something that mixes fragments of song cycles by Schubert and Schoenberg >:D
The Book of the Hanging Mill-Girl
Quote from: karlhenning on May 17, 2007, 12:13:34 PM
The Book of the Hanging Mill-Girl
Hey, if PDQ Bach were reading this......
i wouldn't be surprised to find out what his next album will be called
1. 10
2. 5
3. 13
4. 15
Quote from: erato on May 17, 2007, 10:37:09 AM
I like "The Nose" a lot myself and think it strange we don't get more recordings of it.
Indeed,
The Nose is a very fine work!
And as far as I know there are only two complete recordings (on CD) in existence: Rozhdestvensky on Melodiya and Jordan on Cascavelle.
Only two...
Jordan's is actually quite recent (2004) yet the gap between it and Rozhd is something like 30 years!! (mid 70's)
Unfortunately, recent though it is, the Jordan is already doing the disappearing act. Getting harder and harder to track down. It's bad enough that Rozhd's is long gone but for Jordan's to disappear so soon...there's little chance for future generations to get acquainted with this work.
Maybe some enterprising opera house will pull up its knickers and feature it...perhaps the Met.....................
(http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yvkbRChKL._SS500_.jpg) (http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/319J1ZYCQQL._SS500_.jpg)
My five favorites:
14th
8th
2nd
First
15th
But I never heard the 3, 11 and 12
man, those are some creepy covers........
Quote from: greg on May 18, 2007, 05:44:05 AM
man, those are some creepy covers........
creepy . . . . . . yes . . . . . .
After completing the Barshai box set I must say that 8, 5, 4 and 10 are my favourite symphonies in that order (13 is close to the top as well).