Shostakovich Symphony 10

[LaurieWatt]

I feel compelled to ask for your views about recordings this fabulous symphony having listened to the enthusiastic review this morning of Mariss Jansons' live recording with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

First, if there is already a thread for this symphony could some kind moderator link this up with that.

Second, I found those sections that were played this morning so tame and po faced beyond belief, that I immediately had to go and dig out on my LPO/Haitink live LPO label recording (of course, i would go to that one wouldn't I, but I could have gone to many other as well for the purpose) to recover some goose bumps which had fled at the beautifully played and well recorded and oh so tame RCO/Jansons account. The scherzo was like watching my old senior partner of years ago trying to dance at the annual firm bash and the RCO horns at the end of the last movement, well, it was just them playing the notes very well but the word frisson is not in their vocabulary on the strength of this account. Am I being very unfair?

[BBMmk2]

I begun a thread of Shosta's complete canon, LW.

I always think Jansons is a must. He has reorded this with the RCO? Hmmm, as I have Rudolf Barshai, HvK and Mariss Jansons on EMI.

[Beef Oven]

I begun a thread of Shosta's complete canon, LW.

I always think Jansons is a must. He has reorded this with the RCO? Hmmm, as I have Rudolf Barshai, HvK and Mariss Jansons on EMI.

I've never heard the Jansons' performance.

I have always struggled with this symphony. Been to a few duff performances that put me back each time.

First recording I owned was his son, Maxim, conducting the LSO on Collins. Although Maxim appears to have few volts running through his body, there is something deeper about this performance than first meets the ear (my memory tells me the tempi are slow too).

Two DG HvK's added and a different perspective adds to the enjoyment. Then I acquired a HvK on tour with the BPO in the USSR that really has some edge to it.

I think it will require a white-hot concert to sort it for me

[Petrushka]

I haven't heard the RCO/Jansons yet though I was present at their Prom performance a year or two ago and thought then that despite being excellently played it lacked that life or death grimness that all the best accounts give.

Karajan and the BPO in 1966, despite their reputation for smooth execution, have this in spades as do the two live Haitink accounts. For the real McCoy you just can't beat the authenticity of a Mravinsky, Rozhdestvensky or Kondrashin. I really, really wish that Melodiya would give Svetlanov's USSR SO account a CD issue. Tremendous stuff!

[Nick Armstrong]

I really, really wish that Melodiya would give Svrlanov's USSR SO account a CD issue. Tremendous stuff!

We've been here before! Totally agreed.... my second ever LP (after the Ormandy 15th) and that first movement played times without number.

Haven't heard the relevant segment of this morning's CD Review yet...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Karajan and the BPO in 1966, despite their reputation for smooth execution, have this in spades as do the two live Haitink accounts. For the real McCoy you just can't beat the authenticity of a Mravinsky, Rozhdestvensky or Kondrashin. I really, really wish that Melodiya would give Svetlanov's USSR SO account a CD issue. Tremendous stuff!

Exactly whay I was going to suggest, too, Pet; adding only the later Karajan recording, too - the Finale there is astonishing.

BeefO's post reminds me that the Live Karajan (a recording of the performance the composer attended and was very enthusiastic about) is still on my List! Most remiss of me.

[Petrushka]

We've been here before! Totally agreed.... my second ever LP (after the Ormandy 15th) and that first movement played times without number.

Haven't heard the relevant segment of this morning's CD Review yet...

Damn! You got there before I corrected my BBM-ism!

I bought that Svetlanov LP of the 10th in the same week that Shostakovich died in August 1975. Beef Oven needs to get Rozhdestvensky to be blown off his feet!

[amateur51]

I've never heard the Jansons' performance.

I have always struggled with this symphony. Been to a few duff performances that put me back each time.

First recording I owned was his son, Maxim, conducting the LSO on Collins. Although Maxim appears to have few volts running through his body, there is something deeper about this performance than first meets the ear (my memory tells me the tempi are slow too).

Two DG HvK's added and a different perspective adds to the enjoyment. Then I acquired a HvK on tour with the BPO in the USSR that really has some edge to it.

I think it will require a white-hot concert to sort it for me

Memory says this concert performance was white-hot, Beefy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/2000s/2009/september-01/13515

Once again youtube provides a wide variety ...

HvK/SKD live in 1976

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUSVNq6jSiM

Ančerl/Czech Phil 1955

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55KGVV2id0

Haitink/Vienna Phil 'live' 2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcKHM8SI2aI

Lots of people couldn't bring themselves to enjoy this ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKXQzs6Y5BY

[Beef Oven]

Memory says this concert performance was white-hot, Beefy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/2000s/2009/september-01/13515

Once again youtube provides a wide variety ...

HvK/SKD live in 1976

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUSVNq6jSiM

Ančerl/Czech Phil 1955

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55KGVV2id0

Haitink/Vienna Phil 'live' 2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcKHM8SI2aI

Lots of people couldn't bring themselves to enjoy this ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKXQzs6Y5BY

Phew! Quite a lot to be getting on with!

At some point this weekend, I'm going to listen to my HvK BPO on tour in USSR CD and if that ticks the box, I'll leave it there. If not, I'm going to go looking for one of them there authentic russkie conductors with one of those rasping brass orchestras instead

[richardfinegold]

I'm just not a big fan of this conductor. I was listening to his Firebird and Rite of Spring last night and found them both uninspiring.
Karajan, Mravinsky, Petrenko, and Ormandy all satisfy my needs in this work.

[Bryn]

Mravinsky (on a SAGA LP) was my first recording of the work. More recently the 1955 Ancerl and rather later Kondrashin recordings took over my affections. My favourite to date though is Wigglesworth/BBCNOW on BIS, the occasional orchestral fluffs and somewhat unfavourable balancing of the brass notwithstanding.

[Beef Oven]

I'm just not a big fan of this conductor. I was listening to his Firebird and Rite of Spring last night and found them both uninspiring.
Karajan, Mravinsky, Petrenko, and Ormandy all satisfy my needs in this work.

His Tchaikovsky is top-notch though.

[umslopogaas]

This is one of my favourite composers, and one of my favourite pieces by him. I have on LP: Mitropoulos (mono), Haitink, Kurtz (mono), Ormandy, Svetlanov, Ancerl (mono) and Karajan, and on CD Mravinsky and Rozhdestvensky. As is often the case, its the one that introduced me to the work - Ormandy - that I return to most often, but as I recall the Karajan is also very fine. I can remember nothing about the old mono versions by Kurtz, Mitropoulos and Ancerl: must give the Mitropoulos another spin, he has a reputation for being rather out of the ordinary.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I feel compelled to ask for your views about recordings this fabulous symphony having listened to the enthusiastic review this morning of Mariss Jansons' live recording with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

I've reviewed it for IRR which, all being well, should be in June's issue out towards the end of next week. Fabulous recording and a performance which is a good deal more incisive than his earlier Philadelphia one. Of modern recordings, though, nothing quite beats Petrenko/ RLPO.

[Petrushka]

I have 14 versions of this symphony on my shelves and any version with a scherzo that gets called 'tame' is, in my book, hobbled from the start. Is the new Jansons really so bad?

If they are reading this in the Melodiya offices in Moscow please re-issue the USSR SO Svetlanov and, while about it, the Maxim DSCH premiere recording of the 15th. It beggars belief that neither of these have ever been restored to circulation on CD.