# Individual Shostakovich symphony recordings



## nospoonboy

There was a recent post of complete Shostakovich cycles...but what about individual symphony performances that stand out above the rest?

I am thinking here of the Berglund 4th or the Stokowski 5th or the Jarvi 7th?

So which recordings would you say would be "required" listening or additions to any complete cycle set(s)?


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## Heck148

for Shostakovich symphonies I collect by individual recordings, no complete sets:

#1 - Bernstein/CSO
#4 - Previn/CSO
Kondrashin/MoscowPO

#5 - Bernstein/NYPO '59
Previn/CSO

#6 - Reiner/PittsSO
#7 - Bernstein/CSO
#8 - Solti/CSO
Mravinsky/LenPO 9/60

#9 - Kurtz/NYP 4/47 [remarkably good sound!!]
Solti/Carnegie Hall Project

#10 - Stokowski/CSO
Mitropoulos/NYPO

#11 - Stokowski/HoustonSO
Mravinsky/LenPO
#15 - Solti/CSO


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## david johnson

#7 Bernstein/CSO
#4 Ormandy/Philly
#5 Mitropoulos/NYPO


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## Enthusiast

A few stand outs for me (leaving aside any by Kondrashin that are in his set):

Ormandy in#1 (I prefer it greatly to Bernstein) or Ancerl
Caetani or the live (German) Kondrashin #4 (he's good in 5 and a few of the others, too)
Ancerl in #5
Svetlanov in #10 (but Karajan - especially if you can find the live one recorded in Moscow - must be heard ... and then there is Ancerl)
Currentzis in #14 - even if you think you don't like the work try this one.


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## CnC Bartok

It seems I am likely to repeat others' thoughts here, but maybe that just means endorsement!?

No.1 - Ormandy is proper fun
No.5 - Ancerl/Czech PO, and I'm sorry, but I like Haitink here
No.6 - An underrated masterpiece. Berglund in Bournemouth stands out for me
No.7 - Not a great symphony in my eyes, but Ancerl makes a damned good case for it
No.10 - Mravinsky /Leningrad PO (Erato label still?)
No.11 - This one's Berglund's gem (Bournemouth SO)
No.12 - A piece of propagandist tripe, but Mravinsky makes it sound something like a masterpiece! (Erato?)
No.13 - Kondrashin/Bavarian RSO & Ch/John Shirley Quirk. Live on Philips, a harrowingly moving experience
No.15 - I am sure impossible to get hold of, but Shostakovich Jnr did this with the London PO, and it was on the now-defunct Collins label. Makes it sound weirder and quirkier than some others. Haitink makes it sound more dead serious, which is of course a perfectly valid way of looking at things.


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## elgar's ghost

Despite Dieter Fischer-Dieskau's theatrical over-emphasis in his parts, Haitink's recording of the 14th is noteworthy as his version has the texts sung in Spanish, French and German in keeping with whoever originally wrote them - an option the composer sanctioned - rather than the original which were sung in Russian, but it's Kondrashin's recording of the usual version with the Moscow PO which is the one for me.


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## Allegro Con Brio

This is not an area that I have delved extensively into, so I'll just add a couple that I really enjoy: Maxim Shostakovich in the 5th and Vasily Petrenko in the 10th. I remember being blown away by the blazing heat of the Petrenko, especially in the terrifyingly intense first movement. That recording also has fond memories for me as the scherzo of the 10th was the first time I actually laughed out loud at a piece of music. It's just so over the top, regardless of any "depictions" he may have had it in mind, that I find it darned near impossible not to chuckle at. Unforgiving, acidic sarcasm at its finest. Oh, and that Bernstein/CSO 7th. I find it next to impossible to sit through this entire symphony at once, but if I ever decide to try it out again, this is what I will turn to. I have heard excerpts of it, and the Chicago brass is unmatched.


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## perdido34

#1: Bernstein/Chicago
#4: Rozhdestvensky BBC SO (on video)
#5: Rostropovich NSO (their earlier recording)
#11: Wigglesworth
#13: Kondrashin (with Eizen); Wigglesworth
#14: Rostropovich (with a Russian orchestra)
#15: Sanderling/Cleveland

I don't like the other symphonies, and thus the only recordings I have are in a complete set (Barshai)


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## Enthusiast

I see that an edit I did on my post above changed the meaning in an unintended way as well as making the correction I desired. My post should read:

_A few stand outs for me (leaving aside any by Kondrashin that are in his set - those are nearly all good):

Ormandy in#1 (I prefer it greatly to Bernstein) or Ancerl
Caetani (he's good in 5 and a few of the others, too) or the live (German) Kondrashin #4 
Ancerl in #5
Svetlanov in #10 (but Karajan - especially if you can find the live one recorded in Moscow - must be heard ... and then there is Ancerl)
Currentzis in #14 - even if you think you don't like the work try this one._


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## Olias

I'll add another vote for Bernstein/CSO for the 1st and 7th Symphonies. That really is a candidate for the proverbial desert island CD.


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## Bill Cooke

#1 - Ormandy/Phil, Bernstein/CSO
#4 - Kondrashin/MPO, Ormandy, Phil
#5 - Bernstein/NYP, Previn/LSO
#6 - Kondrashin/MPO
#8 - Haitink/Concertgebouw
#9 - Bernstein/NYP
#10 - Karajan/Berlin '67, Petrenko/RLPO
#11 - Stokowski/Houston, Bychkov/Berlin


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## Taplow

Bill Cooke said:


> #5 - Bernstein/NYP, Previn/LSO


The Previn is almost a desert island disc for me.


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## Knorf

An amazing Tenth that is woefully lacking the notice it deserves is the Frank Shipway recording with the Royal Philharmonic, on their in-house label. 

It's staggering, interpretively competitive with the best, in superb sound, and ferociously well-played. 

It's not just ferocious, it's also lyrical, mournful, brooding, humorous, jubilant, and scornful as appropriate. Shipway gets the layers, the paradoxes.

How I wish more Shostakovich from Frank Shipway existed!


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## Reichstag aus LICHT

CnC Bartok said:


> No.13 - Kondrashin/Bavarian RSO & Ch/John Shirley Quirk. Live on Philips, a harrowingly moving experience.


Good call. Quirk's resonant baritone really makes this one special, and the chorus is on great form. Kondrashin, it goes without saying, is superb in this repertoire.


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## Brahmsianhorn

1 – Markevitch
2 & 3 – Gould
4 – Kondrashin ’63
5-7 – Stokowski ’39-‘42
8 – Mravinsky ’82
9 – Rozhdestvensky
10 – Mravinsky ’54
11-12 – Mravinsky ’59-‘61
13 – Kondrashin ‘62
14 – Barshai ‘69
15 – Maxim Shostakovich


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## techniquest

For a different take:

No.5 - Petrenko / RLivPO
No.7 - Berglund / Bournemouth SO
No.11 - Caetani / Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi
No.13 - Polyansky / Russian State SO (though get the Barshai)


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## Allegro Con Brio

Bumping this because I'm starting to really get into Shostakovich's symphonies for the first time. Starting today with the 1st, I'm going to listen through and pay particular attention to the ones I've been neglecting or which I'm not familiar with at all. I'm just curious to see if anyone had any more recommendations for particularly notable individual symphony recordings. Or maybe even attempt a one-conductor-per-work cycle like the recent thread on Mahler symphonies??? OK, that's probably well near impossible. But anyway, what are some recordings I should have my eye on? The Bernstein/NY 1st was a great one IMO; this quirky symphony needs humor, brashness and impoliteness which is exactly what Lenny often excelled at.


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## Heck148

Bernstein does have a way with Shostakovich Sym #1...his NYPO is good, but his CSO is even better, coupled with superlative #7 (DG)


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## perdido34

Bernstein's Chicago recording of #7 is outstanding in every way.
Lazarev's #11
#5: Rostropovich's first of two recordings with the National Symphony
#9: Haitink
#13: Wigglesworth
#14: Rostropovich
#15: Haitink or Ormandy


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## Knorf

perdido34 said:


> Bernstein's Chicago recording of #7 is outstanding in every way.


Time to be a contrarian. I cannot and do not recommend this recording. Bernstein takes an already ludicrously overblown symphony and overblows it even further. This is less interesting than it sounds. I know, this is a lionized recording by many, and to be fair the orchestra does sound absolutely amazing. But the interpretation is a grotesquely bloated distortion, and frankly terrible. This might seem harsh, but I regard it as "musical" in approximately the same way Trump is "presidential."

If you must have Bernstein, the NYPO Seventh is preferable. But frankly I don't recommend Bernstein for Shostakovich much at all, but for two exceptions. The exceptions do _not_ include the 1959 NYPO Fifth, even though I "grew up" with and imprinted on it. No, the top exception ironically is that CSO First, which is "filler" for that absurd Seventh. It might be the best Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 I know. The other is the NYPO Ninth.

For a complete set, the recommendation for me is super conventional, but for damn good reason: Kondrashin, Moscow Philharmonic. These recordings are not audiophile at all, but the performances are superb in every way. Barshai is a decent alternative cycle.

Additional alternate individual recommendations:

No. 4, Bychkov, WDR or Ormandy, Philadelphia 
No. 5, Mackerras, Royal Phil (There are bazillions of good Shosty 5 recordings, here's a great one just off the beaten path), or Skrowaczewski, Hallé
No. 6, Previn, LSO (hard to believe, I know, but this is a really good recording.)
No. 7, Berglund, Bournemouth
No. 8, Haitink, Concertgebuow or Mravinsky, Leningrad
No. 9, Haitink, London Phil. 
No. 10, Shipway, Royal Phil.
No. 11, Bychkov, WDR
No. 13, Muti, CSO
No. 15, Haitink, London Phil.

(ETA: I've heard none of Nelson's ongoing and much-lauded Boston cycle, but it is on my list.)


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## Allegro Con Brio

Are Nos. 2 and 3 musically interesting at all? I've always shied away from them because I'm nauseated just looking at the text of the choral parts, and I know they're definitely worth hearing, but people always seem to shy away from them...


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## Knorf

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Are Nos. 2 and 3 musically interesting at all?


Sort of?

I can't get much out of the 12th, either. For the Fourteenth, which is intense, I don't know of any better than Kondrashin or Barshai.

By the way, probably Bernstein's CSO Seventh isn't as bad as I made it sound. But it ain't good. Some might disagree, but any Shostakovich fan is encouraged to look elsewhere first.


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## Heck148

Knorf said:


> By the way, probably Bernstein's CSO Seventh isn't as bad as I made it sound....


 I love it, I think it's a great recording.....I don't think Lenny distorts it or inflates it overly much, tho I see your point...there is plenty of drama and bombast within the work...it's there to be had - he does commit one act of self-indulgence, to which he admitted freely - the scherzo [mvt II] is way slower than DS' tempo marking - but Bernstein was noted for this on previous occasions - Sym #5/IV....I remember an interview with Ray Still [CSO ObI] in an IDRS Journal - recalling the event - he complained to Bernstein about the ultra-slow tempo, which would affect the long oboe solo - <<Lenny, you're going to kill me!!>>  LB: <<No, it'll be fine, Ray, you'll love it!!>>  Still said afterwards it came out very well, he thought it was one of his best recorded solos!! He also said that in the Sym #1 recording, he was not playing principal - the big oboe solo in mvt II is played by Mike Henoch, the associate....

For Symphony #9, I'll go with the NYPO as well - but for me - it's the Efrem Kurtz/NYPO recording from 1947....in amazingly good sound!! great solo work from the orchestra....a real classic - Kurtz takes the 2nd mvt much slower than indicated, but makes it work - it takes on a very haunting, almost mysterious quality, esp the 2nd theme....this one, of course, originally appeared on 78...


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## sstucky

Ancerl and the Czech PO in the 10th.


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## Knorf

Heck148 said:


> I love it, I think it's a great recording....I remember an interview with Ray Still [CSO ObI] in an IDRS Journal - recalling the event - he complained to Bernstein about the ultra-slow tempo, which would affect the long oboe solo - <<Lenny, you're going to kill me!!>>  LB: <<No, it'll be fine, Ray, you'll love it!!>>  Still said afterwards it came out very well, he thought it was one of his best recorded solos!!


I remember that interview.

I won't dispute that the CSO sounds fabulous, in terms of only the dimension of orchestral execution. They did their best to make an argument for this absurd interpretation. I still cannot personally recommend it.



> He also said that in the Sym #1 recording, he was not playing principal - the big oboe solo in mvt II is played by Mike Henoch, the associate....


And he did an amazing job! It's gorgeous. He was and is in no way lesser an artist than Ray.

There are many CSO recordings where assistants or even subs are playing, including solos or big repertoire. It makes me wish more recordings listed personnel. For example, the Abbado/CSO Tchaikovsky cycle I understand is Rex Martin on tuba, not Arnold Jacobs, and this is true for many other recordings as well. And of course this sort of thing happens not just with the CSO. And I already think the conductors get _way_ too much credit!


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## Simplicissimus

I’m no kind of expert on Shostakovich and pretty much rely on my set by Michael Sanderling and the Dresdner Philarmonie with its great sound. But there are four individual recordings that I prefer outside of this set. For the 4th and 5th, it’s Ormandy/Philadelphia. The 5th is my favorite Shostakovich symphony and I’ve heard several recordings of it, and to me Ormandy absolutely nails it. For the 6th, I like Stokowski with the CSO. I can’t really imagine Stoki doing any of the other Shostakovich symphonies, but his take on the 6th works for me. My most recent favorite is Muti with the CSO live doing “Babi Yar” (13). I really love this recording.


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## Heck148

Simplicissimus said:


> ...For the 6th, I like Stokowski with the CSO. I can't really imagine Stoki doing any of the other Shostakovich symphonies, but his take on the 6th works for me. My most recent favorite is Muti with the CSO live doing "Babi Yar" (13). I really love this recording.


Stoki was a very fine conductor of Shostakovich - an excellent #5, the aforementioned #6, very fine #11 with Houston....his live #10 with Chicago ['66] is the best, top of the heap, white hot....great performance...
That recent release of Muti/CSO Shost #13 is really excellent....Muti handles it very well.


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## Enthusiast

This is an excellent (and more) Shostakovich 5.


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## elgar's ghost

Allegro Con Brio said:


> Are Nos. 2 and 3 musically interesting at all? I've always shied away from them because I'm nauseated just looking at the text of the choral parts, and I know they're definitely worth hearing, but people always seem to shy away from them...


I thought the instrumental part of no.2 contained some interesting material but all the promise was undone by the lame ending. No.3 is more conventional but the ending is just as bathetic. The only positive was that Shostakovich gained some experience in choral writing.


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## Enthusiast

This is a good 6 (the 1 is good, too).


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## KenOC

Listening to Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6, Andris Nelsons and the Boston SO. Nelsons is always excellent in DSCH's music, and he doesn't let us down here.


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## Neo Romanza

I've been rather underwhelmed by a lot of Nelsons performances and his Shostakovich is no different. I guess I'm just 'old school' in that I like more of the rawness from Kondrashin and Rozhdestvensky for example. As for a more Western approach to Shostakovich, Haitink must be counted as one of the greats. His performance of _Symphony No. 11, "The Year 1905"_ still gives me chills. His _Symphony No. 8_ is also a landmark performance, IMHO.


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## Allegro Con Brio

I heard a live Rozhdostvensky 4th, available on Volume I of the huge BBC Legends collection. Fantastic stuff, brilliantly played all around. What a symphony that is - Mahlerian in scope, with a huge emotional and sonic palette. I like it better than his more popular “long warhorses,” the 7th and 8th.


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## Neo Romanza

Allegro Con Brio said:


> I heard a live Rozhdostvensky 4th, available on Volume I of the huge BBC Legends collection. Fantastic stuff, brilliantly played all around. What a symphony that is - Mahlerian in scope, with a huge emotional and sonic palette. I like it better than his more popular "long warhorses," the 7th and 8th.


I agree with you that the 4th is a tremendous symphony and it was quite astute of Shostakovich to hide the work in a desk drawer and take it out of the drawer _after_ Stalin died. This symphony would have ended his life --- I truly believe this. The 2nd and 3rd were propaganda symphonies and just feel like some empty rhetoric, but the 4th is a testament to its time and to his own emotional state at that time. I will say that I don't agree with your opinion that the 8th was a popular symphony. It certainly wasn't popular during Shostakovich's own time. In fact, the Soviet musical establishment hated it and found it dreary. The 7th ("Leningrad') was certainly a popular symphony, but I absolutely adore this work, especially nowadays. The 7th used to a slog to get through, but I have found the less time I had spent away from it, the more it grew on me each time I revisited it. The _Adagio_ movement in the 7th is a masterpiece within itself. It never fails to tear my heart out. The only symphonies I either don't like or just haven't got into are the 2nd, 3rd, 12th and 14th.


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## Enthusiast

^ The 14th is my favourite! The Currentzis recording might change your mind about it.


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## NLAdriaan

Enthusiast said:


> ^ The 14th is my favourite! The Currentzis recording might change your mind about it.


And this Gergiev recording of Shostakovich #14 too:


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## CnC Bartok

Neo Romanza said:


> I've been rather underwhelmed by a lot of Nelsons performances and his Shostakovich is no different. I guess I'm just 'old school' in that I like more of the rawness from Kondrashin and Rozhdestvensky for example. As for a more Western approach to Shostakovich, Haitink must be counted as one of the greats. His performance of _Symphony No. 11, "The Year 1905"_ still gives me chills. His _Symphony No. 8_ is also a landmark performance, IMHO.


I certainly believe that Haitink deserves much more credit for his Shostakovich than he gets. I'd add his Fifth and 15th as particularly good to your list. If you want another horribly (a good thing) chilly in No.11, do try and hear Paavo Berglund.

Incidentally, from your later post, it seems you have issues with exactly the same four Symphonies as I do. There must be something to that....


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## NLAdriaan

Neo Romanza said:


> I've been rather underwhelmed by a lot of Nelsons performances and his Shostakovich is no different. I guess I'm just 'old school' in that I like more of the rawness from Kondrashin and Rozhdestvensky for example. As for a more Western approach to Shostakovich, Haitink must be counted as one of the greats. His performance of _Symphony No. 11, "The Year 1905"_ still gives me chills. His _Symphony No. 8_ is also a landmark performance, IMHO.


I agree on the differences between the Russian school for Shostakovich and the clean Western school of which Haitink was the pioneer. I heard Nelsons conducting the RCO in Shostakovich 8, not too long ago, and I got to learn this symphony through a tape recording I made from Haitink's concert at the time of the recording. From what I heard, I would place Nelsons somewhat in between both interpretation methods. He has a clear view on this music.

Do you know the (digital!) recording Mravinsky made for Philips in 1982 (wrongly pitched and re-issued at a slower pitch for Regis in 2006 and now available at Alto)? You will surely appreciate it, he premiered the piece and he, on what would be one of is last recordings, still has an incredible grip on this music.


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## Allegro Con Brio

Neo Romanza said:


> I agree with you that the 4th is a tremendous symphony and it was quite astute of Shostakovich to hide the work in a desk drawer and take it out of the drawer _after_ Stalin died. This symphony would have ended his life --- I truly believe this. The 2nd and 3rd were propaganda symphonies and just feel like some empty rhetoric, but the 4th is a testament to its time and to his own emotional state at that time. I will say that I don't agree with your opinion that the 8th was a popular symphony. It certainly wasn't popular during Shostakovich's own time. In fact, the Soviet musical establishment hated it and found it dreary. The 7th ("Leningrad') was certainly a popular symphony, but I absolutely adore this work, especially nowadays. The 7th used to a slog to get through, but I have found the less time I had spent away from it, the more it grew on me each time I revisited it. The _Adagio_ movement in the 7th is a masterpiece within itself. It never fails to tear my heart out. The only symphonies I either don't like or just haven't got into are the 2nd, 3rd, 12th and 14th.


Well, I'm working my way through the symphony cycle in order so I'm sure I'll have some different impressions when I revisit the 7th and 8th this time around. I do like the 7th's Adagio, but find the outer movements a bit too bombastic. And the 8th just hasn't clicked yet; I haven't been able to make sense of its sprawling structure. I think I need to hear the classic Mravinsky and Kondrashin recordings, which I'm not terribly familiar with.


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## Heck148

DS #4 is a fascinating work...very colorful, vividly orchestrated, it is the culmination of his early (pre-Stalin) period...."Lady Macbeth", from the same period, got him into trouble with "the Great Leader and Teacher" - Josef S. 
#4 is structurally pretty loose, disjointed, and rather episodic, esp in the sprawling first movement....Shostakovich would tighten up this structure in future works, 5, ,6, 7, 8, 10...? Still tho, #4 is most interesting and great fun to hear....I heard Nelsons/BSO perform it live..it was very good...I don't think it displaces my top placeholders- Previn/CSO, Kondrashin/MoscowPO - but it was still a very fine performance....same with the live #7....I'm sorry I missed the Nelson/BSO #s 6 & 11.....


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## perdido34

Allegro Con Brio said:


> I heard a live Rozhdostvensky 4th, available on Volume I of the huge BBC Legends collection. Fantastic stuff, brilliantly played all around. What a symphony that is - Mahlerian in scope, with a huge emotional and sonic palette. I like it better than his more popular "long warhorses," the 7th and 8th.


A video of this performance is available on DVD, and it is fantastic despite the limited sound quality.


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## Enthusiast

NLAdriaan said:


> And this Gergiev recording of Shostakovich #14 too:


Sorry, I missed this post. Gergiev's 14 is indeed excellent. I have it as a download and would get the CD but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere? I can't even find reference to it having ever been issued as a single symphony. But, yes, it is a very good one.


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## Enthusiast

Heck148 said:


> DS #4 is a fascinating work...very colorful, vividly orchestrated, it is the culmination of his early (pre-Stalin) period...."Lady Macbeth", from the same period, got him into trouble with "the Great Leader and Teacher" - Josef S.
> #4 is structurally pretty loose, disjointed, and rather episodic, esp in the sprawling first movement....Shostakovich would tighten up this structure in future works, 5, ,6, 7, 8, 10...? Still tho, #4 is most interesting and great fun to hear....I heard Nelsons/BSO perform it live..it was very good...I don't think it displaces my top placeholders- Previn/CSO, Kondrashin/MoscowPO - but it was still a very fine performance....same with the live #7....I'm sorry I missed the Nelson/BSO #s 6 & 11.....


The live Kondrashin with the Dresden Staatskapelle is especially good and the Raiskin is also a good one. And then there is the Caetani which includes a substantial fragment of the missing 4th movement and is also a good one.


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## Allegro Con Brio

Mravinsky’s live 1960 8th, also on BBC Legends Vol. I (the first ever recording of the symphony) sold me on the work. This may now be my favorite of the symphonies after the 5th. Unrelentingly dark and violent, but pure awesomeness. There’s something about the old Soviet orchestras in Shostakovich, with the woodwind/horn vibrato and the raspy brass with no subtlety whatsoever that really hooks me.


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## vincula

I'm actually quiet happy with the Barshai box from Brilliant Classics. Got a few more though. I'm especially fond of this no.7 from Herbert Kegel:









Regards,

Vincula


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## CnC Bartok

^^^^ The Barshai box must rank as among the bargains of the century! No cycle is perfect, and indeed Shostakovich's Symphonies are themselves very variable in quality, but this one gets it right more often than nearly all the other cycles I am familiar with.


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## Eclectic Al

Neo Romanza said:


> I've been rather underwhelmed by a lot of Nelsons performances and his Shostakovich is no different. I guess I'm just 'old school' in that I like more of the rawness from Kondrashin and Rozhdestvensky for example. As for a more Western approach to Shostakovich, Haitink must be counted as one of the greats. His performance of _Symphony No. 11, "The Year 1905"_ still gives me chills. His _Symphony No. 8_ is also a landmark performance, IMHO.


Don't disagree in general, but for me Kondrashin is excellent in No 11. I had this on LP, and when CDs came out I acquired Haitink. That didn't really do it for me, though, and I waited for Kondrashin to appear on CD. This performance makes me believe that this is a great symphony.


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## Enthusiast

I was once more insistent on visceral Russian performances of Shostakovich symphonies than I am now. I feel the best of the works do respond well to good western performances ... but perhaps these have been a rarity. I have Kondrashin and Mravinsky in the 11th and think they are great (the Mravinsky has less than good sound, though) but I still think Haitink's 11th is a great one (perhaps, for me, the best available).


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## Knorf

Haitink did great with Shostakovich. I still feel his Fifteenth is unmatched by anyone, even Kondrashin, as good as his is! And I also think Haitink's Eighth, Eleventh, and Thirteenth are top shelf. 

Interestingly, a lot of great Shostakovich recordings are with British orchestras (the Shipway Tenth, for instance, plus several of the Haitink cycle.) I'm not sure what that means.


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## Allegro Con Brio

I put off my journey through the Shosty symphonies for a few days (11 and 12...sorry, ugh) but now I need a good recording recommendation for the 13th. Barshai seems to be a consensus, but believe it or not I have not actually heard this work before, so what’s the best one to get to know the symphony?


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## Knorf

My favorite 13th right now is definitely the recent Muti/CSO on their own CSO Resound label. It's an incredible performance! 

After that, Kondrashin and Haitink leap to mind. Barshai's 13th is only okay in my opinion.


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## Enthusiast

Among the recordings of the 10th this one with the Berlin Phil under Karajan may be the most, er, Russian.


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## Knorf

Enthusiast said:


> Among the recordings of the 10th this one with the Berlin Phil under Karajan may be the most, er, Russian.


I think it might be essential that I hear this.


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## Kiki

The Moscow Karajan, despite the bad sound, has an edgy quality that feels dangerous. Very interesting.

Talking about the Muti/Chicago 13th. I was really impressed. It's a slow burn that is at times frightening. I didn't expect that. It was really impressive.


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## Enthusiast

Knorf said:


> I think it might be essential that I hear this.


Not so easy to find these days. It is striking but has also been hyped somewhat. I don't think it would be worth crazy money - not when you can get one of Karajan's studio recordings so easily and while there are quite a few visceral Russian recordings to go for (I grew up with Svetlanov in this work) ... but, yes, if you can get to hear it you should.


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## Knorf

It's true the Tenth has done well. Aside from the studio Karajan recordings of it, there's Kondrashin as well, Skrowaczewski, the ferocious and gorgeously recorded Shipway, Mravinsky...


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## KenOC

Here's a tenth that kind of surprised me, from a Proms concert a few years ago.


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## Simplicissimus

Knorf said:


> My favorite 13th right now is definitely the recent Muti/CSO on their own CSO Resound label. It's an incredible performance!
> 
> After that, Kondrashin and Haitink leap to mind. Barshai's 13th is only okay in my opinion.


Yes, since finding the Muti/CSO recording a couple of weeks ago in relation to a thread about good recordings by Muti, it's completely won me over. I'm streaming it at 24-bit/96 kHz and it sounds magnificent. It's clearly the best performance of "Babi Yar" I've ever heard, and I know several because it's my second-favorite Shostakovich symphony.


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## Knorf

Alright, enough of us have praised the Muti Shostakovich Thirteenth now that it's past due for someone to come in, bash it, and insinuate we're all idiots for thinking it's any good and not stating as our preference the Pispott Q. Jakhasz recording with the Eseldorf Staatskapelle from a Morse Code digital broadcast in 1967.


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## Allegro Con Brio

I started on the Muti No. 13 this morning and want to finish it later. A little too much emotional gravitas for one sitting! 

Re: No. 10 I agree that Karajan did it very well. His gift for maintaining a steady, singing line is well-suited to the symphony though his second movement is not as off-the-wall as some. Did he record any other Shostakovich? There’s at least three recordings of him doing No. 10, but I’m surprised that he didn’t seem to care that much about the other symphonies to record them. I also really like the white-hot V. Petrenko and Ancerl/Czech Phil (that’s a super unique reading) in the work, though it’s not really my favorite of the symphonies (I like 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 15 better).


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## Heck148

Knorf said:


> My favorite 13th right now is definitely the recent Muti/CSO on their own CSO Resound label. It's an incredible performance!


Indeed, I second the motion... terrific recording!!


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## Heck148

For DS#10 - Stokowski/Chicago- live, 3/66 (CSO archival set - CSO - First 100 Years)...unbelievable!! For me, head and shoulders above the rest, and I've heard some really good ones - Mravinsky x 3, Mitropoulos, Solti, Karajan, Ormandy....


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## perdido34

Simplicissimus said:


> Yes, since finding the Muti/CSO recording a couple of weeks ago in relation to a thread about good recordings by Muti, it's completely won me over. I'm streaming it at 24-bit/96 kHz and it sounds magnificent. It's clearly the best performance of "Babi Yar" I've ever heard, and I know several because it's my second-favorite Shostakovich symphony.


I prefer Wigglesworth's performance to Muti's, and it has outstanding sound (especially in multichannel). The _worst _performance I know is Rostropovich's, because the underpowered collegiate chorus is just not sufficient to convey the intensity of the music.


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## Enthusiast

Heck148 said:


> For DS#10 - Stokowski/Chicago- live, 3/66 (CSO archival set - CSO - First 100 Years)...unbelievable!! For me, head and shoulders above the rest, and I've heard some really good ones - Mravinsky x 3, Mitropoulos, Solti, Karajan, Ormandy....


I am not sure I would go that far but, yes, that certainly is a good one. Stokowski had a real gift for Shostakovich.


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## CnC Bartok

Knorf said:


> Alright, enough of us have praised the Muti Shostakovich Thirteenth now that it's past due for someone to come in, bash it, and insinuate we're all idiots for thinking it's any good and not stating as our preference the Pispott Q. Jakhasz recording with the Eseldorf Staatskapelle from a Morse Code digital broadcast in 1967.


Muti's Shostakovich 13 is really really terrible, possibly the worst recording out there.

Admittedly, I haven't actually heard it........:devil:

And don't you dare knock that Eseldorf orchestra, they were recently officially acknowledged as the fifth best orchestra in Liechtenstein. No mean feat.


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## CnC Bartok

Being serious for a moment, I'm adding Kondrashin's 1966 Moscow recording of No.4 to my list ( see post #5). Awesome performance!


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## Heck148

Enthusiast said:


> I am not sure I would go that far but, yes, that certainly is a good one. Stokowski had a real gift for Shostakovich.


Yes, indeed, he really gets a firestorm going with his CSO #10....I can't imagine what that sounded like live, in the hall!!


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## Heck148

CnC Bartok said:


> Being serious for a moment, I'm adding Kondrashin's 1966 Moscow recording of No.4 to my list ( see post #5). Awesome performance!


I have Kondrashin/MoscowPO on Shost #4, from '62...it is dynamite, one of my favorites..


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## Malx

A Kondrashin performance of Symphony No 4 I enjoy is the German premier of the Symphony (February 23rd 1963) on a Profil disc with the Staatskapelle Dresden.

Quote from BBC Magazines review:

"…trombone and trumpet solos, throwing careful intonation to the winds, achieve even more rasping emphasis than their Moscow counterparts in the 1962 recording. Unique, though, are the staggering dynamic range, focus and atmosphere of the Dresden Staatskapelle's string playing. Kondrashin, like Mravinsky, was famous for his intensive pianissimos and the gradations of his crescendos and this is perhaps the finest testament to them, especially in the twilight zones of the imploding first movement, the shadow-world of the finale's off-kilter ballet divertissement and the tragic snuffing-out of the relentless C minor coda."

All I know is it's pretty impressive and after a few minutes you forget the sound quality of the early 60's live recording.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT

Knorf said:


> My favorite 13th right now is definitely the recent Muti/CSO on their own CSO Resound label. It's an incredible performance!


I greatly enjoyed that recording, too. Muti takes it at a more deliberate pace than most, which turns out to be very effective over the span of the symphony.

A real sleeper of a DSCH 13 is that of David Shallon, with John Shirley-Quirk and the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, which is still around as a download, I believe, and well worth hearing.









Less easily obtainable, but well worth seeking out, is a fine recording by Eugene Ormandy with his Philadelphia forces and Tom Krause. Apparently it was the first recording of the 13th made in the West, and very good it is too:









There's an excellent "Ormandy Conducts Shostakovich" box-set from Sony, but unfortunately the 13th isn't included. I had to get mine imported from Japan, but it was worth it.


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## Kiki

Talking about Kondrashin's MoscowPO 4th. The BMG/Melodiya listed 1962 as the recording year while Melodiya's own listed 1966, but the playing time excluding silences is virtually the same. They also sound very similar. The recorded sound orientation is different though, one sounds dull, the other bright. I do wonder if they are the same recording. 

On the other hand, the Profil (listed 1963) is definitely different (and with the Dresden Staatskapelle). And a great 4th as well.

Is there any other Kondrashin recordings of the 4th? It's a nightmare for collectors like that of Mravinsky's (though he left us no 4th.)

Vasily Petrenko's 4th is pretty persuasive too.


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## Coach G

I'm a HUGE Shostakovich fan. I can't say for sure because there's lots of recordings of Shostakovich's wonderful symphonies that I haven't heard, but I think that by-and-large the complete set with Rudolf Barshai with the WDR Orchestra is very good all all counts, including the price. Leonard Bernsten is also very good as he did a handful of Shostakovich symphonies once for Columbia recordings with the NYPO and again for DG with various orchestras. Ormandy has already been mentioned for his very vibrant recording of the 13th, and his recording of the 15th is also very good. Stokowski's recording of the 11th was a favorite of mine for years as I first purchased it on vinyl and then again on CD, but Russian conductors such as Mravinsky and Barshai do a better job at capturing the Russian flavor of the 11th and other Shostakovich symphonies. Rostropovich's first hand at the 5th (1983 rec) that he did with the National Philharmonic is also excellent. Not mentioned yet is Benjamin Britten's recording of the 14th with Galina Vishnevskaya, Mark Rezhetin, and the English Chamber Orchestra which is one of the finest recordings of that work, bar none.


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## perdido34

One thing I find lacking in the Barshai set is bass--the recording is a little bass-shy.


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