Shostakovich 4,5 & 6 Oslo PO/Makela

[ucanseetheend]

Just completed listening to this trio of DSCH and really impressed with Makela's interpretation. Good tempo, excellent strings and brass, and Decca sound. Particularly liked his 6th. Not one of Shostakovich's regularly recorded works, loved the mood in the opening largo and the presto was fantastic. Look forward to more from conductor and orchestra.

https://www.deccaclassics.com/en/artists/klaus-makela/news/klaus-maekelae-conducts-shostakovich-with-the-oslo-philharmonic-273293

[Pulcinella]

Streaming here right now, as the whole set has appeared on Deezer, not just tasters as there were last week (I mentioned this in New releases).
I read somewhere recently* that he considers the sixth to be his favourite of the symphonies (haven't got there yet!).

(Hope you won't mind a hostly layout edit in your post, ucan, to make the link a bit more obvious.)

* It was on the Presto site last Friday (wording changed in what I misremembered, from 'the finest' to 'his favourite'):

Following their multi-award-nominated set of the complete Sibelius symphonies and a widely acclaimed recent concerto recording with Janine Jansen, the Norwegian orchestra and their Chief Conductor turn to a composer whose music has been central to their relationship since before his official appointment. In a four-star review yesterday, The Guardian's Andrew Clements singled out the 'beautifully controlled and paced' account of the Sixth (Mäkelä's favourite Shostakovich symphony) as the highlight.

[richardfinegold]

Listened to 5/6 last night. Both were impressive as was the playing. I only wanted a little more heft in the final brass chords but then I’m used to hearing the Chicago Symphony in this piece.
I preferred 6 to the recent Petrenko/BPO. It was particularly encouraging to hear KM control the rhetoric of both works. There were no arbitrary speed up and slow downs. Every thing had a purpose , a sense of destination.
Speaking of the CSO this recording has done a lot to lift my spirits about the future here with KM . For the first time I see what the fuss is about

[Nick Armstrong]

Just completed listening to this trio of DSCH and really impressed with Makela's interpretation. Good tempo, excellent strings and brass, and Decca sound. Particularly liked his 6th. Not one of Shostakovich's regularly recorded works, loved the mood in the opening largo and the presto was fantastic. Look forward to more from conductor and orchestra.

Was just about to post about this release, glad I searched first - thank you for starting the thread.

I haven’t listened yet; No 6 is one I’ve always loved, No 4 has remained a closed book for 5 decades (as posted in the recent Prom thread)…

Can’t wait for time to give a proper listen. V interesting to read your & others’ comments meantime.

[ostuni]

I listened to all of 4 today. At first, I was a bit unsure that it wasn’t gritty enough (I listened to all of N Jarvi last week, and dipped into Kondrashin earlier this morning) - but on hearing the whole performance, was really won over by two main aspects: the overall pacing of the performance, and the really superb orchestral playing. Fabulous, beautiful sounding woodwinds, powerful string sound, thrilling brass.

[richardfinegold]

I listened to all of 4 today. At first, I was a bit unsure that it wasn’t gritty enough (I listened to all of N Jarvi last week, and dipped into Kondrashin earlier this morning) - but on hearing the whole performance, was really won over by two main aspects: the overall pacing of the performance, and the really superb orchestral playing. Fabulous, beautiful sounding woodwinds, powerful string sound, thrilling brass.

I’ve listened to 4 twice. The first listening I thought KM wasn’t as sure footed as in 5/6, and that feeling dissipated a bit with a rehearing but I do think that some of the music’s ambiguity eludes him

[akiralx]

I listened to 5 last night on headphones, and was very impressed with the performance - very direct with excellent sound (perhaps the bass drum was not ideally focused in the closing bars). I will listen to 6 today. I'm not familiar with 4 to be honest.

[ostuni]

And I listened to 6 yesterday: again, superbly played, with a thrillingly swift finale (a fair bit quicker than others noted in my score: Rodzh, Wigglesworth, Kondrashin, K Sanderling, Mrav, Barshai, Boult).

[HighlandDougie]

On the basis that it’s a 2-for-the-price-of-1 issue, I bought the CDs last week. I’ve supplemented listening to them with streaming the 24/96 6th via Qobuz. I think that they get better as one progresses from 4 to 6. The 1965 live Mravinsky/Leningrad PO Melodiya recording (Hall of the Moscow Conservatory) has long been my benchmark for the 6th, not least for the swift finale (followed by some enthusiastic Russian applause). As Ostuni points out, Makela is “thrillingly swift”, which, combined with excellent orchestral playing and great recording quality (the CDs sound just fine), as well as very good performances of the 4th and 5th, make this an issue well worth anyone’s time. I prefer my 4th with a bit more of a bite to it but that’s just a matter of personal taste. The 6th, though, is as good as it gets.

[akiralx]

On the basis that it’s a 2-for-the-price-of-1 issue, I bought the CDs last week. I’ve supplemented listening to them with streaming the 24/96 6th via Qobuz. I think that they get better as one progresses from 4 to 6. The 1965 live Mravinsky/Leningrad PO Melodiya recording (Hall of the Moscow Conservatory) has long been my benchmark for the 6th, not least for the swift finale (followed by some enthusiastic Russian applause). As Ostuni points out, Makela is “thrillingly swift”, which, combined with excellent orchestral playing and great recording quality (the CDs sound just fine), as well as very good performances of the 4th and 5th, make this an issue well worth anyone’s time. I prefer my 4th with a bit more of a bite to it but that’s just a matter of personal taste. The 6th, though, is as good as it gets.

I agree the Sixth is very well done, with spectacular playing and recording - the only minor quibble I had was when the horns steal in near the end of the first movement, which didn't seem quite as emotional as it does on other recordings, e.g. Berlin SO under Kurt Sanderling. Here their entry seems slightly too loud.

[Pulcinella]

The first recording of S6 I had was this one, bought in fact for the Stravinsky coupling.
I remember being very impressed back then, and it's still probably my favourite.
The first movement took up the whole of side 1.

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Rolf Kleinert.

https://www.discogs.com/release/4767395-Schostakowitsch-Stravinsky-Berliner-Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester-Rolf-Kleinert-London-Symphony-Orches

I remain a little unconvinced by the first movement in this new recording, but overall it's a fine set.

[Pulcinella]

My second-hand score of S6 has just arrived (thought it was due Tuesday, through normal post!).
Good condition, as advertised; stamped WITHDRAWN FROM STOCK from University of West London/Thames Valley University Library.
Presumably Music got the chop there.

[ucanseetheend]

The Gramophone website still not reviewed the Makela Oslo recordings.Really strange ,other sites have done so.

[Pulcinella]

A pretty short review in October's BBC MM by David Nice gives 5 stars for both Performance and Recording.

I endured the Dave Hurwitz rant, and actually thought that he made a few pertinent comments along the way.
It's clear from the comments under the clip that he has put some people off purchasing the set, but some are kinder, suggesting that the engineering is as much to blame for some of the recessed/inaudible sounds, though David Nice would seem to disagree.

[ucanseetheend]

Tell me (in your opinion)his pertinent points please