# Shostakovich + Berliner Philharmoniker?



## apbsen (Jun 14, 2013)

Which Shostakovich symphonies have been performed by Berliner Philharmoniker and released on CD?

I only know of:

-1: Jansons.
-5 & 11: Bychkov.
-10: von Karajan.

The 5th conducted by Yutaka Sado is only available on Blu-Ray.

Rattle has conducted the 4th with the Berliner Philharmoniker. Unfortunately it's not on CD.

Are there any other Shostakovich/Berliner Philharmoniker performances on CD?

(*Bonus question: *Why are there so few Shostakovich recordings by the BPO, I wonder?)


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

I have the following:

1# Jansons / EMI (1994); Rattle / EMI (2004 Live)

5# Bychkov / Philips (1986, LP, never seen it as CD) [I also own/have heard Live boothlegs with Previn and Solti]

7# Celibidache / Fono Enterprise (1946 Live)

8# Bychkov / Philips (1990) [I also own/have heard Live boothlegs with Berglund, Gergiev and Kurt Sanderling]

9# Celibidache / Tahra (1947 Live) [I also own/have heard Live boothlegs with Solti]

10# Karajan / DGG (1966 & 1981)

11# Bychkov / Philips (1987)

14# Rattle / EMI (2005 Live)

15# Sanderling / BPO Live (1999 Live)



> (Bonus question: Why are there so few Shostakovich recordings by the BPO, I wonder?)


To be honest, very few conductors make the Berliners sound idiomatic in Shostakovich, both Karajan and Rattle make a mess of it (IMHO), only Bychkov and Sanderling seem to be able domesticate the orchestra enough to make the music speak as it should! (and FWIW, it has nothing to do with the quality of the orchestra, but rather how stuck it is in the traditions of its own sound!)

/ptr


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## apbsen (Jun 14, 2013)

Thank you so much for your reply, ptr. Your sharing of knowledge (not least Shostakovich-related) is very much appreciated! 

I seem to have missed a number of releases by the Berliners. 

Even though they may not - as you suggest - be first-choice picks


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## randomnese (Nov 30, 2013)

Berlin has done 5 quite a few times live, I'm not sure if any recordings include 5. 

1 and 6 are done by Sanderling, but Berlin tends to shy away from Shostakovich. Also, most Shostakovich is considered too long/profound/irrelevant to modern audiences to be played in a concert setting. Only the real bangers (5,7,9,10,11) are considered programmable.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Yes. I have the BPO Karajan 10th. Strange bedfellows, no?


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

hpowders said:


> Yes. I have the BPO Karajan 10th. Strange bedfellows, no?


YES, Karajan makes lumpy grey mash from something that should be a tart'n'sweet rainbow fruit salad!

/ptr


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

ptr said:


> YES, Karajan makes lumpy grey mash from something that should be a tart'n'sweet rainbow fruit salad!
> 
> /ptr


Still, the composer himself only regretted that HVK didn't record the rest of them.


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

Blancrocher said:


> Still, the composer himself only regretted that HVK didn't record the rest of them.


If You ask me, a purely commercial statement, Shostakovich was ridden by his emotions and fears trying to please whom ever was asking at the moment, he said more or less the same of Bernstein... I'm positive that You can't draw any conclusions from what a composer living in a totalitarian state like USSR says publicly other then "it looks good on paper! 

/ptr


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

ptr said:


> YES, Karajan makes lumpy grey mash from something that should be a tart'n'sweet rainbow fruit salad!
> 
> /ptr


I've played it many times and tried to like the performance, but I don't.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Shostakovich also predicted the Titanic would float.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Blancrocher said:


> Still, the composer himself only regretted that HVK didn't record the rest of them.


The late sixties Karajan/BPO Shostakovich Tenth is an unvivaled masterpiece (with a slightly-tepid Scherzo movement, unfortunately).


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## sharik (Jan 23, 2013)

Kurt Sanderling's -

View attachment 53692


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

sharik said:


> Kurt Sanderling's -
> 
> View attachment 53692


Not with The Berliner Philharmoniker, but with the then East-Berlin "Sinfonie-Orchester"!

/ptr


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

ptr said:


> YES, Karajan makes lumpy grey mash from something that should be a tart'n'sweet rainbow fruit salad!
> 
> /ptr


I really like the Karajan 10, and most critics acclaim it highly.


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## sharik (Jan 23, 2013)

ptr said:


> Not with The Berliner Philharmoniker, but with the then East-Berlin "Sinfonie-Orchester"!


indeed, that completely slipped my mind...


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Another lover of Karajan 10 here. I know it sound's "un-Russian" but I feel it opens up new things in it, new perspectives.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Xaltotun said:


> Another lover of Karajan 10 here. I know it sound's "un-Russian" but I feel it opens up new things in it, new perspectives.


Karajan is very good in this, Shipway too. But lately I prefer Petrenko overall.


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