# Just Discovered Shostakovich – and I’m 57



## Christine (Sep 29, 2020)

I never knew such spellbinding, beautiful music could exist. In fact, shortly before discovering Shostakovich, I'd sit mesmerized listening to the Filharmonia Narodowa's version of the Neptune movement of "Planets," thinking that I'd never find a more captivating piece of music.

But a voice inside told me not to bet on that.

I retired at 53 and one of my bucket lists was to listen on YouTube to all the symphonies of all the noted composers in history - and that surely, I'd find something that would really get my attention.

I began this project this year. And I found some: Symphony in F# by Korngold; Vincentiana by Rautavaara; Symphony No.5 by Silvestrov; portions of two Weinberg symphonies; one by Scriabin; several by Myaskovsky; a few by Schulhoff; and several others. I'll listen to those again at some point, but they don't knock me out of my chair.

None come close to Shostakovich. I'll admit, out of his 15 symphonies, only seven do it for me: 1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12. But seven out of 15 is a pretty good percentage.

Am I the only one who thinks that the last six minutes of #7 were composed by God himself? #7 is SOOOO underrated!

Anyways, one day I googled, "What kind of classical music would metalheads like?" I'm not a metalhead, but I noticed that many praising comments on classical music YouTubes are by metalheads. And there are a few metal songs I absolutely love, so I was really curious.

Several reddit threads turned up and I went through all of them, taking down names. Among the many names that kept popping up (e.g., Vivaldi, Bartok, Mahler and Wagner) was Shostakovich.

He wasn't the first I listened to, but when I eventually got to him, I started with #11. Within the first few SECONDS, I recognized it as a several-minute piece from the 1970's TV series "Cosmos" hosted by Carl Sagan (I had purchased the soundtrack as a teen). I had always really liked that selection but never bothered to find out who the composer was.

I just had a gut feeling that I'd love #11 in its entirety. It had me gripped all the way to the epic finale.

My father was a big Mahler fan, having introduced me to him several years ago via going to two symphonies. He also got me on "Planets" and "Pictures" when I was a teen. He gave me a tape to "Russian Easter Overture" in my early 20s (which I instantly was enthralled by). He knew I was a huge fan of John Williams.

But oddly, he never mentioned Shostakovich. Several years ago he'd pick the symphonies from the season schedule to attend (I left that entirely up to him and never even looked at the schedule).

For this fall season I did: Sure enough, Shostakovich #5 was scheduled - but cancelled due to Covid. I'm sure in those previous seasons his symphonies were played … but for some mysterious reason, which I'll never know until I join my father in the afterlife - he never introduced me to him. And I'm sure he was familiar with his music, especially since he was a Mahler fan.

Anyways, I just had to share this with all the Shostakovich fans here!


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

You're never too old to discover Shostakovich. I started listening to his symphonies when I was about 10, and he has been one of my favorites ever since. If and when you have time to take a break from symphonies, check out Shosty's piano sonatas, op. 34 Preludes and op. 87 Preludes and Fugues. 

By the way, welcome to TC!!


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## Christine (Sep 29, 2020)

Thank you. BTW, do you know how to make the title of a thread bold? Mine is the only one in normal weight font; can't figure out where in the edit function to get it bold. It gets lost in the forum threads.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

HALLELUJA ❤ Never too late! I’m a part-time metalhead...


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

IMO, Shostakovich's best and most consistent genre is chamber music, the fifteen string quartets being the very center of his creative output. Every one of the string quartets is good, half of them are masterpieces. The complete quartets recorded by the Borodin Quartet is the first thing I would say should be in the collection of any Shostakovich enthusiast.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

I am a huge Shostakovich fan. I like all the symphonies you've listed too with the 11th being one of my favourites. 
Welcome to the Shostakovich fan club!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Welcome to the forum! Judging by the symphonies you like, you'll probably end up liking #6 and #15 as well. You may want to check out the *Shostakovich entry* (36 pages!) in the Composer Guestbooks for a lot of good comments from Forum members over the years.


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## SearsPoncho (Sep 23, 2020)

Welcome. I don't believe you mentioned Shostakovich's 4th Symphony. It's one of his most powerful compositions. I have some very good recordings of it by Ormandy and Ashkenazy, and Rattle's recording has also been highly praised. I think you can't go wrong with any Kondrashin recording of Shostakovitch. I agree with EdwardBast: Much of his greatest and most unusual music is in the chamber music genre. The 8th String Quartet is rightly considered one of the greatest string quartets of the 20th century, and as EdwardBast pointed out, the Borodin Quartet is excellent in this repertoire. His 2nd Piano Piano Trio is another powerful work. There is a very good recording of it by the Borodin Trio, as well as an old recording by Kogan/Gilels/Rostropovich. Fortunately Shostakovich was prolific in all genres, and there's also the Preludes and Fugues for Piano, Concertos for various instruments, opera (Lady Macbeth...), Jazz Suites, and much more. Enjoy your journey of discovering this giant of 20th century music!


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

Welcome to TC! I'm also a big Shostakovich fan.

Shostakovich is a fascinating composer for me. His symphonies are quartets are probably his most well-known genres, but they are very different beasts. While his symphonies presents a complex, sometimes concealed, psych under a spotlight scrutinized by the public and the authorities, his string quartets are often more personal, and perhaps more truthful of his intentions. I love them both. His music is timeless and is very much relevant in this crazy world of our present time.

I've always loved his instrumental symphonies, but #13 and #14 have been occupying my mind more recently for their unstoppable outpour of emotion.

By the way, "Cosmos" also led me to buy an Isao Tomita album of the same name that had a big sticker on the LP cover that said it contained music from "Cosmos", but unfortunately it was apparent immediately after I'd started playing it that it wasn't the soundtrack. "Cosmos" did use a Tomita track from that album though. I was only able to acquire the soundtrack much later in life, but only for nostalgic reasons.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Christine said:


> Thank you. BTW, do you know how to make the title of a thread bold? Mine is the only one in normal weight font; can't figure out where in the edit function to get it bold. It gets lost in the forum threads.


Welcome to the boards! As for the bold-text, it only appears normal weight because you are up-to-date and do not have any unread posts. It's a normal function of the forums. Click on any other thread, read the last post, and then go back to the main forum and you will notice the same thing happens.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

I still never quite got through his 7th symphony with adequate attention. Just found it long and boring. The 9th is one of my favourites. For his string quartets, I like the Beethoven Quartet. They can really make his music SING. I tend to get overwhelmed by the technique of other versions, and find it distracting. Shostakovich himself supervised the Beethoven Quartet rehearsals and dedicated many of them to them.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Did you try his string quartets? I reccommend nos. 8, 9, 10, 14, and 15.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Phil loves classical said:


> I still never quite got through his 7th symphony with adequate attention. Just found it long and boring...


The performance that finally sold me on the 7th was Bernstein and the Chicagoans, actually one of the longest available (it's a two-CD set along with the 1st). Uncle Lenny _believed_ in this symphony and was totally committed to it, and in his hands it works and reveals its power.


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## thejewk (Sep 13, 2020)

I'm also new to Shostakovich, but after a few weeks with the string quartets I'm now a confirmed fan. I actually purchased a set of his symphonies conducted by Barshai yesterday as MP3s for a ridiculously cheap £8, so will be listening to those on repeat as well in the coming weeks.


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## Ulfilas (Mar 5, 2020)

Great news! As Jansons rightly said, after Mahler the greatest symphonist of the 20th century.

(I recommend Jansons' set on EMI, in addition to Barshai).


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## BenG (Aug 28, 2018)

KenOC said:


> The performance that finally sold me on the 7th was Bernstein and the Chicagoans, actually one of the longest available (it's a two-CD set along with the 1st). Uncle Lenny _believed_ in this symphony and was totally committed to it, and in his hands it works and reveals its power.


This really is the definite recording - I think most people would agree on that. The C major at the end is just....


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## thejewk (Sep 13, 2020)

Ulfilas said:


> Great news! As Jansons rightly said, after Mahler the greatest symphonist of the 20th century.
> 
> (I recommend Jansons' set on EMI, in addition to Barshai).


Thanks, I hadn't considered that set because I hadn't seen it mentioned much. I'll add it to the wishlist and pick it up in a month or two for some comparative listening. The Fitzwilliam Quartet set it one of my top priorities at the minute, as a nice complement to the Borodin set I have on Chandos which is missing the last two quartets, and I find the tape hiss negatively impacts the 13th quartet on the Borodin set too due to the dramatic pauses being filled with distracting noise.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

I am not a huge fan of the Shostakovich symphonies. Nos. 1, 4, 5, 9 and 10 are the only ones I really care for. They're also fun to play - he wrote GREAT bassoon/contra parts. The string quartets are excellent, but the DSCH music I turn to the most is his lighter stuff: the Jazz suites (not really jazz) and some of the film scores, such as The Gadfly. Wonderful, spiky yet melodic music. And the opera, Lady Macbeth is one of the greats. This version is terrific:


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I was around that age when I explored Shostakovich in depth. There is a lot to know about him aside from the symphonies and string quartets. He played piano and wrote film music when young to make money; some of his film music has been recorded. It is mostly agitprop but as good as most film scores. "The Fall Of Berlin" is among the better ones.

He also wrote songs and much more not well known. Most people seem to focus on the more popular symphonies -- Nos. 1, 6, 7-10. It is worth your time to know his later symphonies, especially No. 13 "Babi Yar" inspired by a World War II event. 

Shostakovich said the war liberated composers who, like him, had been strangled by authority in the 1930s when he almost lost it all over a mess from his opera "Lady MacBeth of Minsk District". Turned out it was too much like Stalin's real life.

His "war" symphonies -- Nos. 7-9 -- are probably his best and certainly the most well known with Nos. 1, 5 and 10.

When you listen to No. 8 think of totalitarianism; that's what his friends said he was writing about. No. 10 is about Stalin, his greatest personal influence insofar as he murdered so many of Shostakovich's friends. These two symphonies are his greatest works, I think.


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## Christine (Sep 29, 2020)

#11 is war as well. And sure sounds like it.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

KenOC said:


> The performance that finally sold me on the 7th was Bernstein and the Chicagoans, actually one of the longest available (it's a two-CD set along with the 1st). Uncle Lenny _believed_ in this symphony and was totally committed to it, and in his hands it works and reveals its power.


I went through it today. It was pretty intense. I feel 10 years older after listening to it, a real workout.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

FWIW the Bernstein Leningrad is free to stream or to add to your cloud library for Amazon Prime members.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

I love you, Christine!


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## Guest (Oct 1, 2020)

Christine,

I love that you watched Cosmos with Carl Sagan. I remember watching as a teen, anticipating each new episode. The animation of evolution made an indelible impact on me. It's also wonderful that you have discovered the symphonies of Shostakovich. I actually prefer is concertos, but I prefer concertos over symphonies by most composers. 

Welcome to the forum. 

Jerry.


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## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

Christine said:


> I never knew such spellbinding, beautiful music could exist. In fact, shortly before discovering Shostakovich, I'd sit mesmerized listening to the Filharmonia Narodowa's version of the Neptune movement of "Planets," thinking that I'd never find a more captivating piece of music.
> 
> But a voice inside told me not to bet on that.
> 
> ...


You should try the English "Shostakovich" in my opinion., Malcolm Arnold.






Or another English composer that Shostakovich admired, Benjamin Britten.


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## Holden4th (Jul 14, 2017)

The Barshai set is very good but I wish that maybe I had bought the Kondrashin as I feel from what I've heard it shades it. I also 'discovered' Shosty a few years ago and the 8th is currently my favourite symphony. The recording I turn to most often is by Andre Previn on EMI. There is also a great one on BBC Legends from Mravinsky but the sound is not wonderful. Must check out the Bernstein 7th.


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## Christine (Sep 29, 2020)

I just ordered the Bernstein 7th, though after sampling several I currently put the Haitink version as the best (haven't heard ALL of them, but the ones I didn't purchase had unimpressive reviews on Amazon).


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Christine said:


> I just ordered the Bernstein 7th, though after sampling several I currently put the Haitink version as the best (haven't heard ALL of them, but the ones I didn't purchase had unimpressive reviews on Amazon).


Bernstein/CSO Shost #7 is quite magnificent....crank up the volume, enjoy the ride!!


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## Christine (Sep 29, 2020)

Holden4th said:


> The Barshai set is very good but I wish that maybe I had bought the Kondrashin as I feel from what I've heard it shades it. I also 'discovered' Shosty a few years ago and the 8th is currently my favourite symphony. The recording I turn to most often is by Andre Previn on EMI. There is also a great one on BBC Legends from Mravinsky but the sound is not wonderful. Must check out the Bernstein 7th.


The violin plucks in #8 are seriously haunting -- fit for a horror movie.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I'm similar on Shosty, Christine. It took me years to get into his symphonies and there's still some I really don't like at all (I'm sorry but Babi Yar makes me wanna run to the hills with my fingers in my ears). The one area that I neglected for longest was his string quartets and that was a big mistake as they are his most consistently impressive pieces, IMO. That Pacifica Quartet set is just brilliant.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Love most of his works including Cello Concerto no 1 and recently discovered his piano trio no 2 which was my monthly focus


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## Christine (Sep 29, 2020)

Merl said:


> I'm similar on Shosty, Christine. It took me years to get into his symphonies and there's still some I really don't like at all (I'm sorry but Babi Yar makes me wanna run to the hills with my fingers in my ears). The one area that I neglected for longest was his string quartets and that was a big mistake as they are his most consistently impressive pieces, IMO. That Pacifica Quartet set is just brilliant.


I've never cared for string quartets, and I've listened to others such as Bartok, and I just don't care for them, even though I can objectively recognize that they are great pieces. I'm a symphony person. However, I've been listening to Shosty's quartets...I've listened to 1 through 8, and so far, I like 6 and 8 the best, but I just can't get into this form of music enough to want to listen to any quartet over and over. Maybe something magical will happen with 9 through 15.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Shostakovich symphonies are a treasure trove of music ...he's certainly a major figure and one of the 20th century's true heavyweights.....he lived in Russia his entire life, and experienced that terrible nightmare events that plagued that nation for so many decades....has any nation suffered as much as Russia in the 20th century?? Poland, perhaps?? China?? 
It would be a gross oversimplification to claim that Shostakovich expressed this national experience in his music, but there's no doubt, the composer was heavily influenced by this experience...his own oevre demonstrates this....prior to "Lady Macbeth" and Sym #4, DS' works are bright, flamboyant, colorful as a whole....after he got into trouble, his works take on a much darker hue...still he presents the full spectrum of expression - tense, violent, tortured at times, but also meditative, calm, passionate at others....what a wonderful opportunity and experience awaits you to discover the music of this very major composer...


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## Christine (Sep 29, 2020)

I got the Bernstein CSO CD and you're all right -- it IS the best version (except for the finale, which I'll get to in a moment). First off, the tempo is slower than many of the others. This gives more time to enjoy all the great parts. The second reason is there are very few cracking or shrill horns. The third reason is kind of like the first: slower tempo means longer listening time for my favorite sections of this magnificent symphony.

Now, about the finale. As it was approaching, I kept thinking, "Please, be slower like the rest of it! Please do not hurry through it!" But I had a gut feeling the tempo was going to switch once the finale began. And it did. I was not happy. Furthermore, the bass line isn't as strong.

So what I'll be doing is listening to Bernstein's version up till the last approximate seven minutes.

Then, for the finale, I'll go to my Haitink CD.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

I don't believe there are any "cracked" horn notes [or any other instruments] in BernsteinCSO Shost 7....loud?? Yes, indeed, right thru the center!! Just as it should be...also, Lenny's conclusion is not fast. It's actually pretty standard...it can't go too slow or the brass runs out of chops....sustaining that volume is strenuous for everyone.


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## Subutai (Feb 28, 2021)

I don't know what it is but I just can't get into Shostakovich. I mostly listen to symphonies and orchestral works. Chamber and opera isn't for me, although I have a few chamber pieces lying around.
The thing about Shostakovich symphonies is that they all sound like soundtracks to Soviets films which have been lost to eternity. Only Dmitri knew what he saw when he composed it. Without the film the soundtrack makes no sense to me.
I could change.my mind in the future as I'm currently going through as many Russian/Soviet symphonies as I can find and they are fantastic works. It's a shame we are forever stuck in Germania. Perhaps after I've appreciated the 'lesser' Soviets will I finally get Shostakovich. Or just listen to Prokofiev again.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Subutai said:


> I don't know what it is but I just can't get into Shostakovich. I mostly listen to symphonies and orchestral works. Chamber and opera isn't for me, although I have a few chamber pieces lying around.
> The thing about Shostakovich symphonies is that they all sound like soundtracks to Soviets films which have been lost to eternity. Only Dmitri knew what he saw when he composed it. Without the film the soundtrack makes no sense to me.
> I could change.my mind in the future as I'm currently going through as many Russian/Soviet symphonies as I can find and they are fantastic works. It's a shame we are forever stuck in Germania. Perhaps after I've appreciated the 'lesser' Soviets will I finally get Shostakovich. Or just listen to Prokofiev again.


How about Shostakovich's 9th symphony? That is more traditional in form. It's probably the one I'd listen to most often. Really playful and fun.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Shostakovich symphonies are not sound tracks to an unseen film...unburden yourself of this concept, and just let the sounds take you on the journey...with Shostakovich, the journey is very dramatic and rewarding.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Heck148 said:


> Shostakovich symphonies are not sound tracks to an unseen film...unburden yourself of this concept, and just let the sounds take you on the journey...with Shostakovich, the journey is very dramatic and rewarding.


I beg to differ.


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

First, congratulations on the early retirement!! I too retired early at 53. And I spend the vast majority of my time listening to music and exploring new music. Music has been my passion since I was a child, and I am so lucky to be able to bathe myself in it daily.

As for Shostakovich, I have yet to get into him. There are so many composers and works to explore...and there are certain ones who appeal to me pretty quickly, like Mahler and Brahms and Bruckner and Tchaikovsky....and then there are the composers whose works don't grab me. Like Shostakovich and Sibelius. But I will keep listening...

[edit]
ahh, I just remembered that his 5th Symphony grabbed me recently. So I'm listening to it again right now. Solti conducting.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Phil loves classical said:


> I beg to differ.


Shostakovich wrote tons of film scores... it's what kept him alive economically for years...but these works are different from his symphonies....I don't think his symphonies are attached to any particular film or video entity...
What video concept applies to his 1st Symphony?? 5th, 4th ?? tmk, none..


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## Rach Man (Aug 2, 2016)

Christine said:


> I've never cared for string quartets, and I've listened to others such as Bartok, and I just don't care for them, even though I can objectively recognize that they are great pieces. I'm a symphony person. However, I've been listening to Shosty's quartets...I've listened to 1 through 8, and so far, I like 6 and 8 the best, but I just can't get into this form of music enough to want to listen to any quartet over and over. Maybe something magical will happen with 9 through 15.


I, like you got into Shostakovich later in life, and like you, I am not a big fan of quartets. But Barshai orchestrated 4 of Shostakovich's quartets and they are wonderful. If you can get either of these for a reasonable price, grab it. Some prices are outrageous. But these are very enjoyable pieces of _bigger_ string quartets.


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