Kondrashin's Shostakovich

**Beef Oven!** · 22-10-14, 22:44

Originally posted by Petrushka View Post

This is the set I have:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovich...n+Shostakovich

I bought mine for much, much less than this ridiculous price but what you are getting is a miracle of remastering. True, it's not state of the art digital but the sound has been improved out of all recognition from earlier pressings, not dissimilar in its way to the reissued, remastered Bernstein Mahler set. The historical context of the Kondrashin discs is self-recommending in my view. But try and get it cheaper if you can. Don't be tempted by any other issues of this set because they do indeed sound very poor.

Yes, I've come across that set, but at that price. I'm having a holiday from CD buying anyway, although silly bargains on the Amazon market place won't be out of bounds. keeping my eyes open for single Kondrashin releases.

**richardfinegold** · 23-10-14, 02:17

Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View Post

??? ... when you say "complete", visnick ...

My thoughts as well. Did LB do the whole cycle?

**richardfinegold** · 23-10-14, 02:31

Originally posted by Beef Oven! View Post

Yes, I've come across that set, but at that price. I'm having a holiday from CD buying anyway, although silly bargains on the Amazon market place won't be out of bounds. keeping my eyes open for single Kondrashin releases.

I just ordered the Praga SACD that IGI recommended for $13 on Amazon US. I was also on holiday from buying CD. I think this one lasted 72 hours.

**Beef Oven!** · 23-10-14, 08:28

Originally posted by richardfinegold View Post

I just ordered the Praga SACD that IGI recommended for $13 on Amazon US. I was also on holiday from buying CD. I think this one lasted 72 hours.

A long weekend break, rather than a vacation!

I'm still on holiday, but that Praga CD is £9.99 incl delivery, in the UK. V. tempting

**Bryn** · 23-10-14, 08:36

Originally posted by Beef Oven! View Post

A long weekend break, rather than a vacation!

I'm still on holiday, but that Praga CD is £9.99 incl delivery, in the UK. V. tempting

Different claimed recording dates (by a year) notwithstanding, the Prokofiev extracts on that disc are very clearly from the same recording as that of the 'complete' Bowdlerised version issued by Melodiya.

**visualnickmos** · 23-10-14, 09:41

Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View Post

I didn't think he had, visnick. I hope I'm wrong, but for CBS I thought he had only recorded Symphonies 1, 5, 6, 7, 9 & 14 (all but the 14th re-recorded for DG) and the Second Piano Concerto.

I stand corrected! (again!

)

**richardfinegold** · 23-10-14, 10:30

Originally posted by visualnickmos View Post

I stand corrected! (again!

)

I wonder why there are so many complete cycles. Does anyone actually listen to 2 and 3? I also have a low tolerance for 12. It must be a drag for a Conuctor and the Orchestra to have to program and record these pieces for the sake of "completeness".

**Bryn** · 23-10-14, 14:51

Originally posted by richardfinegold View Post

I wonder why there are so many complete cycles. Does anyone actually listen to 2 and 3? I also have a low tolerance for 12. It must be ad rag for a Conuctor and the Orchestra to have to program and record these pieces for the sake of "completeness".

"Good bad music" sums up the 12th well. The 2nd and 3rd were interesting if ultimately unsuccessful experimental works. I do, very occasionally, listen to them. I first heard them via Morton Gould's adventurous LP with the RPO. I'd be curious to hear those recordings again, but I no longer have the LP.

**Stanfordian** · 23-10-14, 15:38

Originally posted by richardfinegold View Post

I wonder why there are so many complete cycles. Does anyone actually listen to 2 and 3? I also have a low tolerance for 12. It must be ad rag for a Conuctor and the Orchestra to have to program and record these pieces for the sake of "completeness".

Hiya RFG,

The 2nd and 3rd symphonies are from a young composer finding his way after leaving music college. There is an most interesting article in the November edition of the BBC Music Magazine by Vasily Petrenko who writes a short description on each of the 15 symphonies. Petrenko calls 2 & 3 both "experimental and abstract in the way the visual art of the 1920s was." I would suggest they can be appreciated more in a live performance.

**umslopogaas** · 23-10-14, 15:51

Bryn #23, I've just sent you a private message about the Gould recording, I may be able to help.

**richardfinegold** · 24-10-14, 01:17

Originally posted by Stanfordian View Post

Hiya RFG,

The 2nd and 3rd symphonies are from a young composer finding his way after leaving music college. There is an most interesting article in the November edition of the BBC Music Magazine by Vasily Petrenko who writes a short description on each of the 15 symphonies. Petrenko calls 2 & 3 both "experimental and abstract in the way the visual art of the 1920s was." I would suggest they can be appreciated more in a live performance.

That is an interesting comment , Stan. Of course, Petrenko, having recently completed a cycle himself, has every reason to try to stimulate interest in them.
Maybe in deference to you and Bryn I'll give them another listen.

**Roehre** · 24-10-14, 08:29

Originally posted by richardfinegold View Post

I wonder why there are so many complete cycles. Does anyone actually listen to 2 and 3? I also have a low tolerance for 12. It must be a drag for a Conuctor and the Orchestra to have to program and record these pieces for the sake of "completeness".

Haitink never played 1 or 12 in public and 2 and 3 only once in preparation of his cycle with the Concertgebouworkest.
I hardly listen to 2,3 or 12 myself, but excluding 1: that escapes me

**Tapiola** · 21-02-18, 10:29

I thought I would resurrect this old thread, and indeed, my own contributions to this forum (at least temporarily), to report that I have recently taken possession of a recording of the world premiere performance of the 13th, 18 December 1962.

This performance is available on a twofer (I shall discuss the coupling anon...) from the Moscow Conservatory's own label and was originally released - without fanfare - in 2015 and reissued last year. I am amazed that this release is not better known. I myself was stunned to discover its availability, though it does not seem to be available from any of the "usual" sources.

It is, of course, Gromadsky, Kondrashin and the same forces as the 20 December 2nd performance.

When it arrived, I was disheartened to discover that i-Tunes and Windows Media Player both "recognised" the disc as being the Russian Disc release of the 20 December 2nd performance. HOWEVER, close A/B comparisons reveal that - although the performances of 18 and 20 December are remarkably similar - they are NOT the same rendition (e.g. a smudged note in the trumpet in bar 2 of the premiere is "clean" in the Russian Disc 2nd performance, and the whirling piccolo figurations at the 1st movement's climax are slightly early in their entry in the premiere as opposed to the Russian Disc 2nd performance).

It goes without saying that this is a wildly exciting performance of the work. My one regret is that the spontaneous applause reported after the 1st movement of the premiere has been edited out.

Now to the coupling on this twofer...

...only the WORLD PREMIERE of the 4th!

Available here

**HighlandDougie** · 21-02-18, 10:51

Originally posted by Tapiola View Post

I thought I would resurrect this old thread, and indeed, my own contributions to this forum (at least temporarily), to report that I have recently taken possession of a recording of the world premiere performance of the 13th, 18 December 1962.

This performance is available on a twofer (I shall discuss the coupling anon...) from the Moscow Conservatory's own label and was originally released - without fanfare - in 2015 and reissued last year. I am amazed that this release is not better known. I myself was stunned to discover its availability, though it does not seem to be available from any of the "usual" sources.

It is, of course, Gromadsky, Kondrashin and the same forces as the 20 December 2nd performance.

When it arrived, I was disheartened to discover that i-Tunes and Windows Media Player both "recognised" the disc as being the Russian Disc release of the 20 December 2nd performance. HOWEVER, close A/B comparisons reveal that - although the performances of 18 and 20 December are remarkably similar - they are NOT the same rendition (e.g. a smudged note in the trumpet in bar 2 of the premiere is "clean" in the Russian Disc 2nd performance, and the whirling piccolo figurations at the 1st movement's climax are slightly early in their entry in the premiere as opposed to the Russian Disc 2nd performance).

It goes without saying that this is a wildly exciting performance of the work. My one regret is that the spontaneous applause reported after the 1st movement of the premiere has been edited out.

Now to the coupling on this twofer...

...only the WORLD PREMIERE of the 4th!

Available here

Much appreciated post! Duly ordered (along with some other CDs - the temptation to browse through other Russian rarities was too strong to resist).

**Tapiola** · 21-02-18, 11:16

Good man, HD. My copy took 6 days from Moscow, tracked every step of the way. Great service!

As for the 4th - a thunderous performance (akin to Kondrashin's premiere studio recording with the Moscow PO).

It's like finding the Holy Grail!

Kondrashin's Shostakovich

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment