Essential Shostakovich Discs

[cloughie]

Forgot to mention the Mravinsky 8 - superb by any measure.

[Petrushka]

Pet, were you at the RFH, when the orchestra and Haitink did No.4, c/w Brendel playing LvB's PC No.4, probably in the same year?

Afraid not, BBM. The LPO recording was made in 1979 so I'd guess that the concert took place that year. Happily, Haitink gave the identical programme at the Proms with the Chicago SO 30 years later and I did go to that one.

[Petrushka]

Forgot to mention the Mravinsky 8 - superb by any measure.

Indeed it is - but which recording? I have the one recorded live in 1982 with the Leningrad PO on the Philips label. If I remember rightly there was some controversy over the pitch of this recording.

There is also the BBC Legends CD recorded in the RFH in 1960 before an impossibly noisy audience that completely wrecks it. Another Mravinsky recording of the 8th dates from 1947. There may be others too.

[BBMmk2]

Afraid not, BBM. The LPO recording was made in 1979 so I'd guess that the concert took place that year. Happily, Haitink gave the identical programme at the Proms with the Chicago SO 30 years later and I did go to that one.

Ah yes, IIR, you said one of the best Proms you had been too! Hmmm, that Prom seems to escape my memory.

[Petrushka]

Ah yes, IIR, you said one of the best Proms you had been too! Hmmm, that Prom seems to escape my memory.

I've been to many great Proms but I don't recall including that 2008 Chicago SO concert amongst them. My memory played false with the first half, though: it was actually the Mozart Piano Concerto No 24.

[verismissimo]

I think phat has been overtaken by sick in urban lexicon.

Or peng?

[cloughie]

Indeed it is - but which recording? I have the one recorded live in 1982 with the Leningrad PO on the Philips label. If I remember rightly there was some controversy over the pitch of this recording.

There is also the BBC Legends CD recorded in the RFH in 1960 before an impossibly noisy audience that completely wrecks it. Another Mravinsky recording of the 8th dates from 1947. There may be others too.

Mine is the BBC Legends with Mozart 33 - I have no problems with it!

[visualnickmos]

Indeed it is - but which recording? I have the one recorded live in 1982 with the Leningrad PO on the Philips label. If I remember rightly there was some controversy over the pitch of this recording.
There is also the BBC Legends CD recorded in the RFH in 1960 before an impossibly noisy audience that completely wrecks it. Another Mravinsky recording of the 8th dates from 1947. There may be others too.

This same recording has been re-released by Alto and/or Regis, and has been pitch-corrected. Should be some still kicking around...

[Petrushka]

Mine is the BBC Legends with Mozart 33 - I have no problems with it!

Yes, that's the one all right. I found the audience noise throughout the Shostakovich to be so unbearable it completely ruined the performance. A few coughs here and there don't usually bother me but this was a bigger barrage than anything portrayed in the Shostakovich. Haven't played it since a first listen many years ago.

[jayne lee wilson]

Surprised if not amazed at how little mention there is here of Kondrashin and Rozhdestvensky...I always found it hard to listen beyond them. The superb 2006 Melodiya KK-Symphonies remaster is still available on Qobuz, plus a healthy selection of separate KK and Rozh' Symphonies...

Just came across this - not cheap but looks an excellent selection, a good way in if you hadn't heard much of this before..... don't know the 11th here, but can vouch for the rest wholeheartedly (except No.12 which I dislike and never listen to). Even the Maxim-DSCH Moscow 15th is here, which I've never heard since borrowing the vinyl! What a shame it isn't available separately. (I think the Rozh' DSCH Symphonies probably still sound better on the Olympia CDs though...)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovic...KXQDN0V4DHZEN5


-Symphony 1 Rozhdestvensky 1984 recording
-Symphony 2 kondrashin Moscow Phil 1972 recording
-Symphony No. 3, Kondrashin, Moscow Phil, 1972 recording
-Symphony 4 kondrashin (conductor), Moscow 1966 recording
-Symphony 5 svetlanov Soviet National Sym 1977, recording
-Symphony 6 mravinsky Leningrad 1/1972 27, recording
-"Leningrad" Sym. 7 svetlanov Soviet National Sym 1968
-Symphony 8 mravinsky Leningrad Philharmonic 2/1961-25, recording
-Symphony 9 Rozhdestvensky Soviet Ministry of culture, 1983
-Symphony 10 Temirkanov, Leningrad Phil 1/1973 26 recording
-Symphony No. 11, Ivanov Soviet National 1965 recording
-Symphony No. 12 Kondrashin ), Moscow Phil 1972 rec
-Symphony No. 13 kondrashin ), Moscow Phil, Alexandrov 1967 recording
-Symphony No. 14, Barshai, Moscow Chamber Vishnevskaya, Marc, Lesher Chen (bus) 10/1969 6, recording.
-Symphony No. 15, Maxim Shostakovich Moscow Radio 1972 recording FINALLY!!

[Bryn]

Surprised if not amazed at how little mention there is here of Kondrashin and Rozhdestvensky...I always found it hard to listen beyond them. The superb 2006 Melodiya KK-Symphonies remaster is still available on Qobuz, plus a healthy selection of separate KK and Rozh' Symphonies...

Just came across this - not cheap but looks an excellent selection, a good way in if you hadn't heard much of this before..... don't know the 11th here, but can vouch for the rest wholeheartedly (except No.12 which I dislike and never listen to). Even the Maxim-DSCH Moscow 15th is here, which I've never heard since borrowing the vinyl! What a shame it isn't available separately. (I think the Rozh' DSCH Symphonies probably still sound better on the Olympia CDs though...)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovic...KXQDN0V4DHZEN5


-Symphony 1 Rozhdestvensky 1984 recording
-Symphony 2 kondrashin Moscow Phil 1972 recording
-Symphony No. 3, Kondrashin, Moscow Phil, 1972 recording
-Symphony 4 kondrashin (conductor), Moscow 1966 recording
-Symphony 5 svetlanov Soviet National Sym 1977, recording
-Symphony 6 mravinsky Leningrad 1/1972 27, recording
-"Leningrad" Sym. 7 svetlanov Soviet National Sym 1968
-Symphony 8 mravinsky Leningrad Philharmonic 2/1961-25, recording
-Symphony 9 Rozhdestvensky Soviet Ministry of culture, 1983
-Symphony 10 Temirkanov, Leningrad Phil 1/1973 26 recording
-Symphony No. 11, Ivanov Soviet National 1965 recording
-Symphony No. 12 Kondrashin ), Moscow Phil 1972 rec
-Symphony No. 13 kondrashin ), Moscow Phil, Alexandrov 1967 recording
-Symphony No. 14, Barshai, Moscow Chamber Vishnevskaya, Marc, Lesher Chen (bus) 10/1969 6, recording.
-Symphony No. 15, Maxim Shostakovich Moscow Radio 1972 recording FINALLY!!

Thanks for that. Duly ordered from Browns Books via your link. Looks like it was just the one copy they had. It has the advantage of being shown as to be dispatched from the UK and still only cost a few pence more than those from over The Pond.

By the way, Presto Classical also have the set on offer at the moment for around the same price I paid.

[jayne lee wilson]

Qobuz offer the new set more cheaply, but without documentation - or even much indication of who's playing what - and you can't download the 15th (or anything) separately, which happily that Presto link allows you to do. So that's me sorted for 15 at last. Note how swift are the timings, 42' 19.....I think only KK was ever faster (40'30). I'm afraid I never took to Kurt Sanderling's lugubrious approach to this work (either Berlin Symphony or Philharmonic live), though a great admirer of much else that he did.

[Bryn]

Thanks jlw, I have attempted to cancel my Browns Books order but it may be too late. I will hold back from the QOBUZ route until I get the hoped for confirmation of the cancellation. By the way, I may not be able to download any of the symphonies separately, but with my sub. I can at least listen to them streamed in 320kbps mp3 format.

[Yep. Too late. Just had an email from amazon.co.uk informing me the Browns Books have dispatched the order and it should be arriving on Thursday next, or shortly thereafter.]

[cloughie]

Many Russian recordings have become rather expensive - I quite fancy the Kondrashin set but at £243 ....
I remember an excellent EMI Melodiya ASD 2420 - Svetlanov conducting Sym 10.

[richardfinegold]

Another Russian Conductor who hasn't gotten mentioned much here is Barshai. I have his Brilliant Symphony set as a download on my phone. They have all been pretty satisfying without any single one obscuring alternative versions. I don't much care for Barshai's arrangements of the Quartets but some people really like them.