Our summer BAL 34 Shostakovich Symphony No 1

[Barbirollians]

An old classic for me to start the HMV philharmonia Kurtz

[Barbirollians]

Also Ormandy , Petrenko and Jarvi

[Bryn]

Ormandy, and more recently, Wigglesworh (though I question the BIS decision to issue the same recording twice in such short succession - first with 2 and 3, and recently with 15).

[BBMmk2]

Will EAQ be doing a complete lis(z)t of available recordings? Please! :)

[verismissimo]

What a way to announce yourself to the world. This symphony, already filled with Shostakovich's musical fingerprints, was premiered by the Leningrad Phil in 1925 and was already performed in the USA in 1928 by the Philadelphians under Stokowski.

Influences on the 19 year old composer are said to include Stravinsky, Krenek and Berg.

I listened early this morning to a 1989 recording by Rozhdestvensky with the USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra that I picked up in Moscow that year. Good performance and recording, but poor Melodiya vinyl surfaces.

Will listen later to my LP copy of Kurtz with the Philharmonia from 1958 mentioned at the top of the thread by Barbie.

[Barbirollians]

I am surprised to see so little apparent interest in this work .

[visualnickmos]

...Influences on the 19 year old composer are said to include Stravinsky, Krenek and Berg.

I listened early this morning to a 1989 recording by Rozhdestvensky with the USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra that I picked up in Moscow that year. Good performance and recording, but poor Melodiya vinyl surfaces.

Influenced by Stravinsky; that I find a little surprising, as I had thought that DS was not particularly enamoured of the man or his music....

You may find the CD (Olympic) is better; in fact the complete Rozhdestvensky cycle is pretty good, if a little unrelenting, but then that's probably a good thing bearing in mind the life of DS, and what he endured.

[visualnickmos]

Also Ormandy , Petrenko and Jarvi

Here it is for anyone who may be interested; I can recommend it (for what that's worth....)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovich-Symphony-No-1-Orchestral-Pieces/dp/B000024QV5/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1405692105&sr=1-1&keywords=shostakovich+symphony+1

[Bryn]

Influenced by Stravinsky; that I find a little surprising, as I had thought that DS was not particularly enamoured of the man or his music....

You may find the CD (Olympic) is better; in fact the complete Rozhdestvensky cycle is pretty good, if a little unrelenting, but then that's probably a good thing bearing in mind the life of DS, and what he endured.

It should be remembered that according to one highly exalted member here, the symphony was actually that of Максимилиан Осеевич Штейнберг. What a genius that man was to compose it in a style and musical quality so different to the rest of his oeuvre.

[visualnickmos]

I am surprised to see so little apparent interest in this work .

Indeed; especially as it is a very important work in that it 'launched' Shostakovich...
The rest is history.

[pastoralguy]

I am surprised to see so little apparent interest in this work .

We're at work!

[gurnemanz]

I am surprised to see so little apparent interest in this work .

Stung into action ... I listened to this symphony for the first time for a while via the Herbert Kegel Box which I acquired recently. I thought it was a marvellous performance - from 1963 with the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra. I heard some great performances of his with this orchestra in the the 1970s when in Leipzig wooing my wife (another story) .. a complete concert Parsifal and Mahler 8 amongst others.

The box was great value at a mere £18 for 15CDs in April. A bit dearer now for a good selection of this neglected maestro's work. Amazon haven't even managed to spell his name right.

[BBMmk2]

I have Jansons, Barshai and another(cant think which one now!! :( )

[Barbirollians]

We're at work!

Hoped it would provoke a reaction . The Ormandy was coupled with Rostropovich's cello Concerto No1 when i bought it - not a bad introduction to the works of a composer !

[EdgeleyRob]

Chicago SO,Bernstein aint bad (c/w a shattering Leningrad).