BaL 11.10.14 - Shostakovich: Symphony no. 10 in E minor

[ucanseetheend]

Which Skrowaczewski recording was Johnson raving about and playing clips, The Halle or Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin recording? I see there a Frankfurt Radio Symphony performance on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2Rtd4tnFwU

[visualnickmos]

Which Skrowaczewski recording was Johnson raving about and playing clips, The Halle or Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin recording?

It was the Halle recording. As soon as I heard the first extract, it 'spoke' to me...

[ucanseetheend]

Just seen in Naxos music coupled with the 5th . Rip off at 20US$ for the set for a download http://www.classicsonline.com/catalo...spx?pid=877738

[Cockney Sparrow]

- You can listen before you buy on Naxos Music Library (search for thread of that name if not familiar) - use advanced search - LABEL - then Composer and you'll find it (but I didn't find it when entering the name of the conductor).

its also in the Google Music streaming service (which I may say has a lot of useful recordings to try out - I'm currently on a free trial month).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Go for it, Bbm: Just think of how all those wind/military band snare drummers will forever hold you in their debt! (Three of 'em in unison, I reckon!)

There could be copyright issues though. I know of someone who was initially granted permission to arrange the Vaughan Williams Tallis Fantasia for a wind ensemble, but was then denied permission to perform it by Ursula V.W. herself.

[BBMmk2]

Ah I was told by the head of faculty that I could do anything but may be different for education?

[kea]

I think the 4th is my "fave", too - if not, then definitely the 15th.

My favourite is almost certainly the 14th, a work I'd definitely appreciate a BaL on due to my extreme pickiness where it comes to singers. (Current version is Currentzis.) The 4th is one I want to get to know better though—I have it on CD, Ormandy & co., but all of my CDs are in a heavy box sitting under a number of other heavy boxes in a tight storage space in my parents' basement for the foreseeable future. So if anyone can recommend a high-quality recording, ideally as intense and crazy as possible, streamable...
<.<

Actually the 10th has never done all that much for me, apart from the adrenaline-rush scherzo. I'm not really sure why it's considered one of his best works. I didn't find the thematic material particularly memorable or interesting, and a lot of the 'topics' represent things he'd already done better (imo) in the 1st, 5th, 8th, etc. (e.g. the introduction to the finale, compared to say the adagio of the 6th symphony, sounds like a lot of rambly note spinning... the main theme of the same finale is reminiscent of the galops that dominate the 1st symphony but with less character... et cetera) Not sure why it has that effect on me, it doesn't seem to on anyone else, and I'm not sure what I'm missing.

[HighlandDougie]

if anyone can recommend a high-quality recording, ideally as intense and crazy as possible, streamable...
<.<

Not sure what availability of this recording is like on such as Spotify but

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovich-Symphony-Daniel-Raiskin-Staatsorchester/dp/B005M1M18Q/ref=sr_1_1_digr?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1413471735&sr=1-1

fulfils the 'intense' criterion. It's live, the orchestra(s) is/are playing on the edge of their seats, it has a few rough edges but it's a thrilling performance. Kondrashin, for me, is hors concours in this work - the original Melodiya, the Dresden (although it's mono) and the well recorded Concertgebouw. Another slightly wild performance is:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001FUL1M0/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp?ie=UTF8&qid=1413472109&sr=1-1-catcorr

Pulls no punches and has a powerful impact. Caetani (son of Igor Markevich) is a bit of an unknown quantity in the UK (his designation as Music Director of ENO bit the dust - if I have remembered my conductors correctly) but is well known in Australia (great set of Tchaikovsky symphonies with his then Melbourne orchestra). His DSCH symphonies deserve to be better known.

[Cockney Sparrow]

The Raiskin is in Spotify, Naxos Music Library and Googles "Play Music". I can only find the Caetani in Play Music.

[Bryn]

The Raiskin is in Spotify, Naxos Music Library and Googles "Play Music". I can only find the Caetani in Play Music.

Try Qobuz. I found the Caetani somewhat tame, compared to Raiskin. You do, however, get the bonus of a rejected sketch for a further movement.

I have been listening to the Raiskin again today. It is incredibly high-power stuff, but with all the light and shade the work demands. I don't know the Rattle, which got top recommendation the last time the work was the subject of Building a Library, but I have low cost used copy on order. I have a feeling Raiskin might top the poll were there to be another BaL on the work today, the Kondrashin recordings notwithstanding.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Ah I was told by the head of faculty that I could do anything but may be different for education?

I think the issue is whether or not the arrangement is performed.

[Petrushka]

My favourite is almost certainly the 14th, a work I'd definitely appreciate a BaL on due to my extreme pickiness where it comes to singers.

Ditto as regards the singers. As far as I'm concerned they should be Russian and by far my favourite recording of the 14th is what I believe to be its Moscow premiere on October 6 1969 (the first performance was in Leningrad on Sept 29 1969) with Galina Vishnevskaya, Mark Reshetin and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Barshai. This is available on a Russian Disc CD and is indispensable to any DSCH fan but is rather pricey.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphonies-9-14-Shostakovich/dp/B000025IKM/ref=sr_1_26?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1413496234&sr=1-26&keywords=shostakovich+14

I've also got the Melodiya LP with the same singers but conducted by Rostropovich. The CD (which I haven't got) is currently going for £54 on Amazon I really need this to be reissued as it's one of the truly great Shostakovich recordings.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-14-Shostakovich/dp/B00008FEN4/ref=sr_1_33?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1413497828&sr=1-33&keywords=shostakovich+symphony+14

[soileduk]

Depends on who "he" is, and how "need" is defined.


Personally, I'd wonder why he had neither of the Haitinks.

Nothing new and a bit ordinary.

Nor those by Kondrashin?

Rather unavailable at the moment/expensive with poor sound.

[amateur51]

I really need this to be reissued as it's one of the truly great Shostakovich recordings.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-14-...ch+symphony+14

Let's get this ebola sorted first & then we'll see what we can do

[Tapiola]

by far my favourite recording of the 14th is what I believe to be its Moscow premiere on October 6 1969 (the first performance was in Leningrad on Sept 29 1969) with Galina Vishnevskaya, Mark Reshetin and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Barshai. This is available on a Russian Disc CD and is indispensable to any DSCH fan but is rather pricey

Here it is Petrushka, at a snip! Wonderfully vicious percussion and containing the temporarily revised ending (percussion joining the string chords at the close) that Shostakovich was persuaded to make at Barshai's behest. The composer subsequently reverted to his original thoughts for the ending.

This is my second favourite account of the work. For me, the laurels go to the first studio recording, with the same conductor and orchestra but with the soloists Vladimirov (bass) and Miroshnikova (soprano). The latter, to me, outclasses Vishnevskaya in this work - the voice is stunning; her "Suicide" movement almost makes time stand still. This has never been issued on CD.

EDIT: Apparently the first studio Barshai was released, by Venezia label, but is now unavailable. Long overdue a reissue!