Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Gergiev pairs Shostakovich's most popular symphony with one of his wittiest. The Fifth was a lifesaver for the composer, literally. He'd come under severe attack from Stalin and his minions over the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and Siberia or worse loomed. The Fifth was his response, a 1937 work of "socialist realism" glorifying "Soviet man." The subtext was quite different, the finale's numbing outburst of screaming brass and relentless drums implicitly damning the official line. But it's hardly a formulaic work, as its attractive melodies are clothed in typical Shostakovichian garb. Gergiev and the Kirov band capture the buildup of tension in the first movement, the sardonic nature of the Allegretto, and the grim Largo, as well as that ambiguous finale. The post-war Ninth was a return to his earlier cheeky style, a witty work full of high spirits. The Kirov excel here too, capturing the mocking vulgarity of the second movement and the satirical finale. Identical pairings of the two works are available from Yuri Temirkanov and Leonard Bernstein, but Gergiev's belongs in their company. --Dan Davis

Amazon.com
Gergiev pairs Shostakovich's most popular symphony with one of his wittiest. The Fifth was a lifesaver for the composer, literally. He'd come under severe attack from Stalin and his minions over the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and Siberia or worse loomed. The Fifth was his response, a 1937 work of "socialist realism" glorifying "Soviet man." The subtext was quite different, the finale's numbing outburst of screaming brass and relentless drums implicitly damning the official line. But it's... read more

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9

Amazon.com essential recording

Leonard Bernstein's performances of Shostakovich were almost as highly regarded as his Mahler. This performance of the Fifth Symphony was the highlight of his celebrated tour of the Soviet Union with the New York Philharmonic in 1959. The composer himself attended the performances and approved of Bernstein's interpretation, which is the exact opposite of the traditional Russian one. Rather than take the finale ponderously, Bernstein flies through the music at a frantic pace, carrying it forward with irresistible momentum. The Ninth Symphony is the composer's lightest and most carefree. Bernstein walks the fine line between humor and seriousness with acrobatic skill. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Good in quality, typically unusual Bernstein style........2006-11-12

Shostakovich's music (especially the symhonies) is filled with wit and sarchasm, but this recording does not express these aspects. It takes just about all of the music at the kind of brisk pace more appropriate for period performances of pieces like Beethoven's earlier symphonies. One of the things strongly emphasized in this piece is the competition between the lower and higher pitches, and the dynamics of this performance are relatively flat and don't emphasize this. Also, I MUCH prefer the more modern ironic interpretation of the finale, wich is featured in Rostrapovich's recording, among others. Here, Bernstein seems to raise the tempo MUCH faster in the finale in order to force it to be a triumph that it simply is not. I highly recommend Rostropovich's recent recording of this work with the LSO.

Concerning tempos.......2006-04-18

Regarding tempos: yes, this Bernstein recording is famous for being rather quick. Though these ARE the tempos Shostakovitch has down in the score. Most people now take it much slower, and that way is considered 'correct.' FWIW.

an incorrect interpretation.......2006-01-19

The Shostakovich 5th is interpreted incorrectly. The tempos are always way too fast. Bernstein perhaps should have done more research before he conducted this Shostakovich. The ending is misleading. Because of the fast tempo, there lacks sorrow and pain. Buy the Rostropovich recording instead.

New York saves Bernstein .......2006-01-15

I am not here to dispute the great talent of the all-American musical hero Leonard Bernstein. A man far above the rest as far as skill and attention to detail is concerned but as for this recording there are many dissapointing aspects of the interpretation. The Ninth is done quite well. Although it does feel slightly bland and downright boring at times, I attribute this to my own personal preference. The orchestra performs superbly and Bernstein is in his element amongst this famed group of musicians. All in all, this is a solid recording of the Ninth.
It is the Fifth that completely turned me off to this recording. The interpretation was completely headstrong (a Bernstein-ian trait that is very well done in some works but goes way overboard in this Symphony) and at times careless. The tempos that Bernstein employs are much too fast and tend to waver slightly. For instance, the second movt. of the Fifth is a driving introduction introduced by low strings. At the outset, it is much too fast. As the theme is introduced a little later on, the speed is such that the orchestra cannot execute the passages cleanly and this creates a jumble of muddy orchestral sound not up to N.Y. Phil. standards. At the end of this passage, just before the entrance of the horns, there is an anticlimatic fall in the sound. As the bones and tuba have the descending line there is almost a decresendo in the sound rather than a building. This makes the entrance for horns sound quite out of place and overblown. The other movts. tend to fare slightly better, all except the last. While I do like the driving, intimidating tempo of the opening very much, there isn't much else musically that is appealing. The orchestra continues to play beautifully under the somewhat healed interpretation that Bernstein has gained since previous movts. But just when the music becomes its most enthralling, it seems that Lenny gets bored. The final chords of dissonance (the ones thought to represent the screams of Stalin's victims underneath a false hope and happiness) are bowled over. There is no feeling or passion invoked, just the notes on the page. Over all, I was quite dissapointed in the interpretation. The playing was good, if not up to the standards that are the Phil. For me, the orchestra was what shined in this recording, not Bernstein.
I'm not knocking Lenny. I have many amazing recordings of his other works that are beautiful and full of soul and passion. This one lacks in that respect. If you are looking for a wonderful interpretation of the Fifth, pick up LSO's live recording with Rostropovich. Amazing and right on the money, in my opinion.

A moment in history, but not as riveting as before.......2005-11-12

From the mid-Fifties to the mid-Sixties Leonard Bernstein had a complete grip on any "young people"--he didn't call us kids--who wanted to fall in love with classical music. It's hard to turn your back on the influence that shaped your taste, and this Shostakovich 5th was for an entire geneeration the very first time they had heard the work, or any Shostakovich symphony.

The detractors here are right in some respects. The sound, though detailed, is thin and noticeably shrill in the upper strings at forte or louder (they should have heard it before Sony's remastering). There is no muddiness in the bass, however. Bernstein doesn't see this as a savagely ironic or menacing work. But he still conceives a full specturm of emotions: The first movement is lyrical and reflective before the sudden intrusion of a powerful but not threatening march. The Scherzo is paced at medium speed and crisply played but again without satire or menace--LB was almost always positive in this phase of his career, the "Joy of Music" phase.

The Largo is tender, almost dreamy, taken broadly but without a hint of inward grief or respite from the preceding eruptions as some conductors play it. The finale, the touchstone of this performance, is exuberantly fast and triumphant. It comes off as a fitting conclusion--the only possible conclusion--to Bernstein's whole approach. He had no intention of using the Shostakovich 5th as a jab against the Soviet regime, and there's a good chance that the composer didn't, either. This was the work, after all, that he presented to regain favor with Stalin and his apparatchiks.

I must admit that I've gorwn to admire more intensely expressed performances that cover the political ground with a range of bitter, sorrowing, and satiric emotions. Bernstein's vision seems more limited, the piece less significant in his hands. But this was a moment that I can't quite shake.

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9 [Hybrid SACD]

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Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Pentatone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Brahms: Violin Concerto and Double Concerto [SA-CD - CD compatible]
Mahler: Symphony No. 1; Blumine [Hybrid SACD]
Mahler: Symphony No. 2
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3; Poulenc: Organ Concerto; Barber: Toccata Festiva
Schubert: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2 [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B000MRP1ZU
Release Date: 2007-03-27

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Even better on Hybrid SACD
Excellent recording. Brisk, refreshing interpretation.

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Shostakovich - Symphony 7 "Leningrad" / Gergiev (Multichannel Hybrid SACD)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 [Hybrid SACD]
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8
Mahler: Symphony No. 6 [Hybrid SACD]
Shostakovich: Piano Works [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B00020WZGA
Release Date: 2004-06-15

Customer Reviews:

Even better on Hybrid SACD.......2006-05-26

The symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich are in the body and heart of conductor Valery Gergiev. Put him on the podium before his Kirov Orchestra and the results are richly textured, tense, exciting, and satisfying performances. This album, which aptly pairs the Fifth and the Ninth Symphonies, is all the more vital in that it is recorded during live performances. The acoustics are grand and spacious and the arching lines and quirky diversions inherent in Shostakovich's work are refined and at the same time 'raw', in the best sense of the word. In the Fifth, Gergiev surprises with a few personal inflections in his timings and phrasings and makes the first movement especially fresh. Few conductors can serve these quintessential Russian symphonies better than Gergiev. And the Hybrid SACD version provides even more depth, richer sound. Keep the whole cycle coming! Grady Harp, May 06

Excellent recording. Brisk, refreshing interpretation........2004-06-27

I have greatly enjoyed this SACD. Both symphonies are well-recorded. Gergiev extracts strong performances from the brass, strings, and woodwinds . . . Quite a musical hat trick. In particuarly, I am fond of the performance of the 5th very compelling. The conductor takes a brisk tempo that lifts the movement up from the maudlin, plodding pace that many conductors including Benrstein take. Overall, there's a refreshing crispness to this interpretation.

The sound is full and gives decent perspective of the orchestra without being over-miked. Dynamic contrasts are very large. Soundstaging is expansive. I really think that performing these symphonies live has really focussed the conductor and the orchestra. Basically, this recording is a good orchestral presentation on hybrid SACD.

In sum, a much better recording than the "classic" Bernstein one. On that disc, you can hear how multiple sessions have been spliced into a Frankenstein's monster of recording. This disc could be standard to which the performance of all future performances of the 5th and 9th will be held.

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6
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Mravinsky, the original interpreter of Shostakovich

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6
Mravinsky , and Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: Elatus
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Symphony 11: The Year 1905

ASIN: B00006I4BH
Release Date: 2006-05-19

Tracks:

Symphony No.5 In D Minor, Op.47
Symphony No.6 In B Minor, Op.54

Customer Reviews:

Mravinsky, the original interpreter of Shostakovich.......2007-07-04

There is something extraordinary about hearing Mravinsky conduct Shostakovich -- beyond the fact that he was the original conductor of many of the symphonies, I can't get over the realization that *this is the way Shostakovich first heard his own works.*

The first performance of the 5th Symphony was by the Leningrad Philharmonic, Mravinsky conducting, on November 21st, 1937. It was met with a prolonged standing ovation, and there are those who believe that it was only this popular acclaim that saved Shostakovich. He wrote it after withdrawing the phenomenal 4th at a time when he was under attack by the regime for his "modernist, formalist" tendencies. So the 5th was his attempt at rehabilitation, and the subtitle was "a Soviet artist's answer to justified criticism." In retrospect, it seems that Shostakovich was unrepentant and that his answer was a work that spoke ("to those with ears to hear") plainly of the horrors of Stalin's regime. But Stalin & Co. apparently chose to project all the grotesquerie and evil in the music onto Hitler and interpret the finale, a triumph of evil power, as Soviet heroism. The music of Shostakovich's 5th, as well as its social context, make it one of the great works of the 20th century.

Shostakovich afficionados view recordings by Mravinsky as being in a class of their own, given his role in establishing the interpretations in the Soviet Union. Unfortunately these recordings are mainly obscure and difficult to locate (see the dschjournal online for information). This recording is from Mravinsky's last years -- April 4th, 1984, four years before his death. This Elatus disc is a reissue of the 1992 Erato disc that is now unavailable Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5, but expanded with the addition of the Rostropovich recording of the 6th Symphony.

I have read that Mravinsky's interpretations tended not to change much over time, and so it seems we can hear an echo of what Shostakovich first heard even with this recording from nine years after DSCH's death. It is a superb performance -- the strings and horns of Leningrad especially. The live recording from the Leningrad Philharmonic Large Hall is interrupted frequently, though, by loud coughing. It's not nearly as bad as the BBC recording of Mravinsky leading the 8th in 1960 Shostakovich: Symphony 8 (see my review), but it is the reason for the four-star rating instead of five. [There is only one recording that I consider superior to this one, both its interpretation and its sound, and that is the 1983 recording of Mstislav Rostropovich leading his National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C., recorded for DG Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5/Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet Suite No. 1 (see my review -- now available only as an ArkivMusic reissue). Rostropovich captures the tragedy and the terror in a way that is simply unparalleled by any other version I have heard.]

Mravinsky takes the 5th at a brisk tempo. Clearly Bernstein was influenced by this. Rostropovich gains emotional power by slowing down the tempo. Mravinsky just storms the allegro non troppo -- at first it struck me as far too fast, but I had to remind myself, this is the original interpretation! A crucial difference between Mravinsky and Bernstein emerges in the finale that makes all the difference in the world -- Mravinsky slows the tempo at the end, making clear that the triumph is hollow. Rostropovich takes it even slower, and with great force. Bernstein, though, rushes right through, missing the tragic element entirely.

This is not an ideal recording, but if you are a serious Shostakovich devotee it is essential until a superior, earlier Mravinsky recording becomes available. The Elatus reissue adds a perfectly fine version of the 6th, one of DSCH's minor works, from Rostropovich and the NSO.

See my list SHOSTAKOVICH: A LISTENER'S GUIDE for more reviews and recommendations.

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"Equisite Connoiseurship, Nos. 5

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6

Manufacturer: Arts Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 9 & 10
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad"
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 "The Year 1905" [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B00009LW4Z
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Customer Reviews:

"Equisite Connoiseurship, Nos. 5 .......2006-09-02

This is a fine recording of two of the finest symphonies composed in the 20th century by the last symphonist of the planet's extinct species. Symphony No. 5 (1937)is a busily melodic standard concert hall favorite, so brilliantly cinamagraphic and appealing/terrifying in imagages of Stalin's long wintery reign of terror and nationalistic bluster in the chilly, old and awful Soviet Union. Musicians in any orchestra under almost any conductor always rise to their best with Shostakovich's carnival orchestrations, as with Mahler's symphonies, and it certainly happens in this Arts CD single, recorded live with excited applause with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, a theatrically and melodically apt moniker for a band well trained in piccolo/strings brilliance,crisp waltzes, village band over- exuberance and deep, yearning melancholy. The direction of Russian-trained Oleg Caetani goes for the big sweep and detailed attention to the various orchestra section effects, one supposes just the composer's humor.
And this great symphony, which is immediately enjoyable, is coupled on this CD with the equally great but neglected Sixth Symphony (1939), both written to dupe his menacing critics in the Kremlin's Kulture Dark Ages ("We need People's Music, comrade, not yours!"). Hark! The critics loved it, so Shostakovich was spared the fate of writing gulag working songs in Siberia. "Clever" is always just the right word for Dimitri Shostakovich.
The two works are equally great and seem equally structured in vast introductory landscaped octaves, and Shostakovich, as obliging a chameleon as Stravinsky, absolutely rose to his peak in orchstral nostalgia and classical form. In my opinion,his inspiration thereafter to write more and more intellectually passionate symphonies too often failed him, like Mahler's after his great Fifth Symphony, I think,and the 10 or so that followed, including the much respected hyper-active Seventh, are but distracted echoes amid growing Soviet political convulsions.

Shostakovich himself once remarked that it was getting too hard to write an allegro movement (and so his finales fell too easily into the old Slavic trap of folkish clog dances, military noise and shadow boxing (with Rossini, Verdi and stage entertainers of a bygone age. But Prokofiev could behave that way,too.)
So by all means get this wonderful pairing of Shostakovich's best, because if you're after just the Fifth it generally comes packaged with his harsher products.

Ancerl Gold Edition 39: SHOSTAKOVICH Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5

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The Final Golden Ancerls

Ancerl Gold Edition 39: SHOSTAKOVICH Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 ("Leningrad")
Shostakovich: Symphony 8
Beethoven: Symphony Nos. 3 & 8 [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B00079RNLI
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Customer Reviews:

The Final Golden Ancerls.......2006-01-07

Those familiar with my reviews on Amazon will know of my love for Supraphon's "Gold Edition" Karel Ancerl CDs. Well I recently picked up the final six volumes in this collection (vols 37-42) and I have to say they are as delightful as the first 36 sets. Volume 39 features Ancerl and the Czech PO performing Shostakovich's 1st & 5th Symphonies in stereo from 1964 & 1961 respectively. Ancerl was best known for the music of his native country, but he also shined in showcasing the works of 20th Century composers. These are arguably Shostakovich's most popular and accessible symphonies, and I certainly enjoy these as much as the other celebrated accounts I own. In all, this title is part of a fitting to conclusion to a great series and a great conductor.

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Great music-making at bargain price!
Excellent value for money

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Tracks:

Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47: Moderato
Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47: Allegretto
Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47: Largo
Symphony No.5 in D Minor, Op.47: Allegro non troppo
Symphony No.9 in E Flat Major, Op.70: Allegro
Symphony No.9 in E Flat Major, Op.70: Sym No.9 in E Flat, Op.70: Moderato
Symphony No.9 in E Flat Major, Op.70: Sym No.9 in E Flat, Op.70: Presto
Symphony No.9 in E Flat Major, Op.70: Sym No.9 in E Flat, Op.70: Largo
Symphony No.9 in E Flat Major, Op.70: Sym No.9 in E Flat, Op.70: Allegretto

Customer Reviews:

Great music-making at bargain price!.......2004-03-01

This disc was my first exposure to the Ninth, and I cannot say I have heard a more convincing rendition; now the Fifth is played here with gusto, but I have Rostropovich's recording from 1994 that outshines almost any for overall interpretation and sound engineering. One cannot go wrong with this Rahbari CD though.

If you're somewhat new to Shostakovich, get nice recordings of symphonies 4&10, such as Eugene Ormandy on Sony, and a couple chamber music CDs. The Complete Trios & Sonatas on Arabeque is great but might be unavailable; still, Naxos has some other nice Shostakovich recordings, including the Complete String Quartets.

This Ninth is outstanding, and who minds having several versions of the Fifth? I could live with this one pretty well. Once again, there is every reason to buy this disc -- performance, sound, and price are right-on.

Excellent value for money.......2000-02-26

Rahbari was a student of Karajan's and he does a decent job here with a Belgian orchestra. If you want an inexpensive version of these two fine symphonies, you can do no better than this disc.

Shostakovich - Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, Song of the Forest - Yevgeny Mravinsky (6 CDs)

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Shostakovich - Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, Song of the Forest - Yevgeny Mravinsky (6 CDs)

Manufacturer: Melodiya
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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Complete Mozart Symphonies / Pinnock, English Concert

ASIN: B0002IQR6Q

Product Description

CD 1: Symphony No5 in D Minor, Op. 47. Song of the Forest, Op. 81. Vitaly Kilichevsky, tenor Ivan Petrov, bass; The USSR State Academic Russian College; The Boys Choir of the Moscow Choral College; Chorus Master: Alexander Sveshnikov; The USSR State Symphony Orchestra. Recorded: studio in Leningrad, 04.24.1954 (1-4), 1949 (5-11). Total time 79:09. MONO. CD 2: Symphony No7 in C Major, Op. 60 (Dedicated to the city of Leningrad). Studio Recording, Leningrad, 1953. Total time 72:36. MONO. CD 3: Symphony No8 in C minor, Op. 65. Recorded live at the Grand Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic Society, 02.25.1961. Total time 59:26. STEREO. CD 4: Symphony No6 in B Minor, Op. 54., Symphony No10 in E Minor, Op. 93. Recorded live: at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, 01.27.1972 (1-3), at the Grand Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic Society, 03.31.1976 (4-7). Total time 77:26. STEREO. CD 5: Symphony No11 in G Minor Year 1905 Op. 103. Total time 60:18. CD 6: Symphony No12 in D Minor Year 1917 Op. 112. Dedicated to the memory of V. Lenin., Symphony No15 in A Major, Op. 141. Total time 77:12. Recorded in Leningrad 02.02.1959 (Symphony No 11) studio October 1961 (Symphony No 12) studio 05.26.1965 (Symphony No 15) live at the Grand Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic Society. STEREO / MONO. Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Conductor: Yevgeny Mravinsky. 20 bit Digital Remastering. 20 bit Digital Audio Processing. Sonic Solutions Turbo-Bit-Mapping.