# Your favourite of Shostakovich's 2 least-regarded symphonies



## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

Shostakovich's 2nd and 3rd Symphonies are definitely the "runts" of that particular litter. Hardly ever performed in concert, despite containing some interesting experiments in orchestral colour.

Simple question: Of these 2, which do you prefer? Not compared to the rest of the cycle, just between these two. People who'll just say "none of them" need not apply.


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

I slightly prefer the third if I'm allowed to axe those horrible vocal moment's ! It is more the kin of No 4, and it is, as I've said frequently, my favourite DSCH Symphony!

/ptr


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

I will have to vote for the 3rd as well; it's more "cohesive" than the 2nd. Though I do enjoy the 2nd for its experimental nature. Both symphonies are interesting to me, and I don't disregard any of Shostakovich's symphonies, even if some of them are a bit in the background.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

I'm surprised you've gone for the 2nd over the 12th as one of DSCH's least regarded symphonies. However, out of the 2nd or 3rd, my preference is the 2nd (I love the 12th btw!) :lol:


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I quite like the music to both symphonies but the agitprop ending of the 2nd is far less satisfactory than that of the 3rd (and I'm none too keen on that either) - it sounds awkward and gives the work as a whole an irritating imbalance. I'm willing to cut the young DSCH some slack here - he was still inexperienced at the time of the 2nd and it was also, I think, only his second setting for chorus. By the time of the 3rd more of the pieces had fallen into place and the structure is more satisfying compared to that of the 2nd.

EDIT: And I've just gone and voted for the wrong one....


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

WOW I just broke the tie! 
Shostakovich's 2nd symphony is one of my favourite symphonies and my favourite symphony by Shostakovich. Blazingly brilliant, red and revolutionary...what's not to like?


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## leomarillier (Nov 12, 2011)

2 is pretty fun. It's like a weird vision of spectral music (the intro is pretty mind-blowing, knowing that it's only 1927), great meditative moments, not exempt of humor and Stravinskyan bite (the clarinet-bassoon-solo violin solo), and the entrance of the factory bell (the f sharp) is pretty thundering. But it's not without flaws, the end is quite redundant, and even if the harmonies and the orchestration is really brilliant and John-Williams-like, it's really difficult to get the right mood for joy and praise after such atonal hurricanes. The ending of 3 is really good though.


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