Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 Leningrad

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
In Kurt Masur's straightforward and superbly recorded performance of Shostakovich's wartime Symphony No.7 ("Leningrad"), the listener can feel the composer's deep sense of loss for the devastation visited upon his native city, first by Stalin's Great Terror and then by the Nazis' 900-day siege, in which nearly a million civilians died from bombs, starvation, and exposure. The orchestral playing is suitably intense; the strings are rich-sounding and the brass powerful and brilliant. What keeps this performance from reaching the pinnacle achieved in a 1996 recording by Yuri Temirkanov and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic is a slight lack of rhythmic flexibility. In the work's final moments, for example, Masur maintains a strict tempo, while Temirkanov takes a Furtwängler-like retard that milks every ounce of the music's grandeur and excitement. In the first movement, Masur misses some of the movement's longing because, unlike Temirkanov, he does not sufficiently differentiate the March section from more relaxed episodes, in which the music seems to dissolve in a dreamy haze of sound. Masur is also less successful in capturing the Mahler-like keening of the third. And, wonderfully played as it is, Masur's finale is not as convincing as Temirkanov's. Without going over the top, Temirkanov's fervor and panache create visceral excitement in this otherwise rambling movement that Masur, for all his virtues, cannot match. --Stephen Wigler

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 Leningrad, Music, Dmitry Shostakovich, Kurt Masur, New York Philharmonic, 20th/21st Century Symphony, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Orchestral & Symphonic, Symphonic

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 7
Average customer rating:

A must have.

A fantastic Performance...

You Should Have Been There!

Once and never more.

The only pairing of Bernstein and the CSO, in good performances

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 7

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GB2
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Tracks:

No. 1 Op. 10; 1. Allegretto - Allegro non troppo
2. Allegro - Meno mosso - Allegro - Meno mosso
3. Lento - Largo - [Lento] (attacca:)
4. Allegro molto - Lento - Allegro molto - Meno mosso - Allegro molto - Molto meno mosso - Adagio
No. 7, Op. 60

Tracks:

No. 7, Op. 60
3. Adagio (attacca:)
4. Allegro non troppo

Amazon.com essential recording

One of the most thrilling musical experiences of my life was seeing Leonard Bernstein and the Chicago Symphony play Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony live. As Bernstein wrung every last ounce of pathos from the slow movement, I found it incredible that anyone could ever have thought this less than great music. The ending was so loud you could hardly even hear the cymbals! Happily, every bit of that experience--including the full dynamic range--has been captured on this recording, along with a terrific First Symphony. This is one of the great ones. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

A must have........2007-02-02

While I must admit that this is the only recording I've heard of Shosty's 7th symphony, I can't imagine a more impressive performance. Seriously, this might be the greatest brass playing ever...ever! I highly recommend this recording!

A fantastic Performance..........2007-02-02

Up until I heard the live performance of Berstein and the CSO playing the Shostakovich 7th, I had not been a fan of Bernstein, especially because of his NYPO recording of the Shostakovich 5. However, I was so completely taken aback by the live performance of the 7th, that as soon as I could, I purchased the CD set. The 7th is a seemingly overgrown work, too overt and cumbersome, (think of Bartok making fun of it in his Concerto for Orchestra) yet it delivers an emotional jolt that makes one want to stand up and cheer. This Berstein recording got me back onto his side in 1989. It is sad that he had so little time left, however.

You Should Have Been There!.......2006-03-10

Yes, this "Leningrad" does indeed rate five stars, as most, if not all other writers here have given it. Despite some distortion in the louder passages, this recording certainly is a classic document. (I like Bernstein's 1962 recording on Columbia as well, but this simply has more impact.) One reviewer asked how the brass section did what they did. Having had the honor of being at this performance, I can tell you: the already world class regular section was augmented by extra players. If you think the finale is loud on the CD, you should have heard it when it was taking place!

I must correct one writer who said these performances were done in Medinah Temple in Chicago. They were both done in Orchestra Hall, Chicago, the First Symphony recorded without the audience, the Seventh done live. I was privileged to have been there. I'll never forget it!!

Once and never more........2006-02-01

This is the only recording, as far as I know, Leonard Bernstein did with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a group of players with a very long tradition in the American music and with a great technical playing good enough to play quite all the repertoires.

Like in the case of his Mahler's 9 with Berlin, Bernstein only recording with this orchestra is a miracle that happens once and never more, because of many reasons, the first one because this is a live recording in the Medinah Temple and the emotions felt in this CD could not happen again.

I always thought Chicago is a very appropriate orchestra to play DSCH's music, because of the characteristics of the orchestra and of Shostakovich's music, very hard and very sensitive at the same time. One of the symphonies it's better to this couple DSCH & CSO is the 7th that it's not the most complex between DSCH's works, from the technical and musical point of view, but that demands a great and powerful orchestral response, something you can listen perfectly in this amazing recording, in which CSO gives his best, with a baton that understand very well the score, as far as he can... I think no one could understand completely the meaning of the Leningrad not being in the place of the siege or in the scenario described in the double-program of the symphony, probably linked to the oppression Stalin made with his politics to the pre-communist life of Saint Petersburg. I remember Goethe's words, when he said that reading a book is more complex than reading a book. Of course good Goethe talked about understanding a work, and Lenny, even not living that situation gives us a description of the fears, sadness, oppression, etc, really convincing from the very first bar.

Symphony Nº1 is a piece from DSCH's conservatoire years, from 1926, when the composer was only 19 years old and he was suffering a very disturbing economical situation, after his father's death and in the poor CCCP after the Revolution and the Civil War. It's known DSCH had to work in a cinema, under very hard conditions to eat, and that Glazunov took care of having some official assistance for his conservatoire pupil in order to Dimitri gave attention only to composer. The piece is not a great work like symphonies 5, 7, 8, 10, 13... but it shows some details and the personality of the maestro clearly. It was a great success from the same premiere and it made appear Shostakovich as the emergent figure of the new soviet composers, formed in the communist conservatoire... That was what the regime said, because in fact Leningrad conservatoire was mainly what it was before communist regime.

Leonard Bernstein performance of this symphony is a glory from all the points of view, perfectly played and recorded, the piece is fresh, full of tension and emotion, and even that parts not so fine orchestrated shine with real genius. The fourth and final movement is specially outstanding and the way the symphony ends is so good that sometimes I repeat the last minute when it finish. I really don't know any other version played with this very deep conviction on CD.

Seventh Symphony "Leningrad" is OUTSTANDING too, in every movement the orchestral playing and Lenny's conducting is breathtaking. The gigantic crescendo of the first movement is really a monument in the way Lenny control the dynamics perfectly, having an end that is really impossible to repeat, with the scales of the metals and drums full of terror, like watching the face of the death in front of you, in front of the city.

Central movements are wonderfully described too, the dynamics and the control of the tempo is amazing, as we listen in the second movement, a clear example of alternation between fortissimos and pianissimos, as between an atmosphere were everything is like suspended in fears and moments of pain.

The last movement is another Bernstein's `show', because of the way he proclaims the victory of the initial motif, which we could say is not completely affirmed in order to create that two-senses possibilities in the symphony reading. From the very dark beginning of the movement Lenny creates a crescendo that finally leads an explosion in the last bars, outstanding one more time.

The recording is fine, very present, full of body and not so clean like his recordings with Vienna in the 80's (I think about his DSCH's 6 & 9, for example), but it worth very, VERY, very much.

I could not say this is the only possible version, as I read in other reviews. I know about 5 or 6 performances (Rostropovich, Jansons, Haitink, Barshai...), apart from some others life, and of course this is the one I like much more, but not the only possibility, I try to discover always new ways in art, specially in music performances. Jansons' version in EMI is very good too, and we can not forget DSCH music always use to ask for the soviet performances, which are a very different way of understanding the works generally. Kondrashin or Rozhdestvensky shows another ways too.

Nowadays you can buy this 1st and 7th in this double top price CD or in a very interesting 6CDs box which contains Bernstein performances of DSCH's symphonies 6th and 9th with the Wiener Philharmoniker for not to be missed. That 6CDs box offers too his recordings of Stravinsky for DG. I have all of them and I think it worth too, but you remember the best thing in that box are DSCH's performances.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

The only pairing of Bernstein and the CSO, in good performances.......2006-01-22

Bernstein was only 70 when he made this, his only recording with the Chicago Sym., but he was already debilitated and tired. Given his bad health, it's a wonder that these performances of the Shostakovich First and Seventh Sym. are as vital as they are. From anyone else, I would give the Seventh five stars. It is a galvanzing reading captured in great sound. But Bernstein's first Seventh, made in 1962 with the NY Phil., was a miracle of spontaneous, totally committed music-making. If you want maximum sonic impact, buy this CSO recording instead, but get it in the new bargain box from DG that contains all of Bernstein's later Stravinsky and Shostakovich recordings. The latest remastering is impeccable throughout.

Paying full price for this 2-CD set would hurt less if the Sym. #1 were better. I find it lacking in mood and color; it sounds very well played and nicely detailed but little more. When it was over I felt neutral, whereas the earlier NY Phil. version is quirky and digs in more. Again, the sonics are excellent, far better than before.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad"

Average customer rating:

Great music, good performance, awful recording.
Comment
very intriguing performance!
the right background
From Leningrad To Washington

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad"

Manufacturer: Apex
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Symphony 11: The Year 1905

ASIN: B00005RC80
Release Date: 2002-07-16

Customer Reviews:

Great music, good performance, awful recording........2007-06-04

I bought this recording after listening to a live performance broadcast from the UNAM Philarmonic Orchestra (OFUNAM). I was moved by the powerful music and determined to get myself a copy of this symphony.

To my regret, I decided to buy this CD. As I mentioned earlier, the music is great and the performance is very good. Unfortunately, it is a very unbalanced recording volume-wise. You have to constantly juggle the volume to listen to some extremely low-volume parts being played and then immediately lower it to avoid deafness on the loud parts.

Seriously, I had to turn the volume up to 100% to listen to some parts, then lower it at least to 50% on other parts. Very annoying. It ruins what should be an excellent listening experience.

If you like this powerful symphony -and there are multiple reasons to enjoy it-, I recommend you get yourself another recording.

This is a cheap CD and -unfortunately- it shows.

Comment.......2007-01-06

Was surprised how much I liked it. The first movement reminds me of Ravel's "Bolero", but the theme does reappear all the way through. I'm surprised it is not thought of as opne of Shostakovich's top ones.

very intriguing performance!.......2006-04-17

With Rostropovich at the podium, it seems that any work of Shostakovich or any of his Russian predecessors for that matter, is rendered justice, or at least a very honest interpretation.

Obviously, as the longest of Shostakovich's symphonies, this one can either mesmerize or bore the listener to tears. With a first movement whose main premise is a march of bolero-style progression (and rather silly and vulgar thematic material), Rostropovich does well in bringing the underlying satire and sarcasm that pervades Shostakovich's writing.

This recording comes at a great bargain price; a definite must for any Shostakovich fan.

the right background.......2006-01-17

Shostakovich started writing this symphony in July 1941, shortly after Adolf Hitler had invaded his native country the Soviet Union.

Half a year later things had taken a disastrous turn. The Germans had advanced before the gates of Moscow. They were robbing, looting and killing everywhere. They burnt houses, leaving its inhabitants unsheltered to the mercy of the Russian winter. It was a catastrophy the Russians hadn't experienced since the Tartar invasions ages before.

A Western observer at the time, Alexander Werth, wrote: "The anger and resentment against the Germans, mixed with a feeling of infinite pity for the Russian people, for the Russian land, defiled by the invader, produced an emotional reaction of national pride and national injury which was extraordinarily well reflected in the literature and music of 1941 and the early part of 1942."

Well, Shostakovich' 7th symphony is such a reflection - doubtless an excellent one. Its music symbolizes Leningrad's (nowadays St. Petersburg) persistence to resist the German invador. Inspired by its architectural splendor, as well as by its status as the cradle of Lenin's Socialist Revolution from 1917, Leningrad refused to surrender. Being surrounded, without any light and heating in the midst of winter, its inhabitants died by the thousands of cold and starvation.

Understanding these shocking, tragical backgrounds make you appreciate Shostakovich' 7th symphony correctly. Seen from this angle, its reflective capacity can hardly be overestimated. All bedded in a masterly composed piece of classical music, fully testifying about Shostakovich' genius.

From Leningrad To Washington.......2004-12-12

The Seventh Symphony of Dmitri Shostakovich, named "Leningrad" in honor of the city where the composer was holed up in 1941 during the Nazi invasion of Russia while composing the work, is almost certainly the longest and largest symphony ever created by a Russian composer to occupy a spot in the orchestral repertoire. In its 72-minute running time, it is a great affirmation of the Russian people and their triumph over the forces of Hitler's evil, minus the propaganda and threats that the composer often had to contend with at the hands of Stalin.

Of all the many recordings that this work has received, this one made by the legendary cellist-turned-conductor Mstislav Rostropovich is about as incisive as any. Rostropovich knew the composer very well, and it is that experience that he brings to this recording with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C., whose music director he was from 1977 to 1995. Often considered "The Nation's Orchestra" because of its locale, the N.S.O. has often been overshadowed by its far more illustrious neighbors to the north in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. Under Rostropovich's precise direction, however, the orchestra makes the "Leningrad" shine in all its power, fury, terror, and triumph. Hugely recommended for 20th century classical fans in general, and 20th century Russian music in particular.

Shostakovich - Symphony 7 "Leningrad" / Gergiev (Multichannel Hybrid SACD)

Average customer rating:

An emotionally riveting performance
wish I could put 0 stars...
OK, but nothing to get super excited about
One of the Better Ones
Gergiev knows his Shostakovich

Shostakovich - Symphony 7 "Leningrad" / Gergiev (Multichannel Hybrid SACD)

Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bach: The Four Great Toccatas and Fugues [SACD]

ASIN: B00008UAFX
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Customer Reviews:

An emotionally riveting performance.......2006-06-18

First off, I'm surprised by the number of reviews posted for this performance by Gergiev of Shostakovich's 7th Symphony which rank it as a "good" or "poor" performance. Of course, I had to laugh at the reviewer who states that Gergiev does not know his Shostakovich! It takes real audacity for some common music lover to say something like that against a trained conductor, especially when said common music lover has probably never in his/her life seen the score for the piece of music he/she is listening. Of course, that's the problem with much of classical music, as I see it: the first interpretation we hear of any piece often sticks in our minds as the paradigm and all subsequent interpretations must live up to such lofty expectations. It's very rare to find a performance that completely removes that paradigm from its pedestal.

With this performance in particular, Gergiev has done a phenomenal thing by combining the Kirov Theater and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. By doing such, Gergiev is able to produce a very texturally thick and cohesive sound, but it's not so thick that it begins to resemble molasses: it's an enveloping thickness that immediately grabs your attention and does not let go until the grande finale. And boy, what a finale Shostakovich's 7th Symphony has! It's difficult not to pay attention to the whole of this symphony because Gergiev's interpretation of it, with two orchestras, is so spellbinding and so emotionally intensive that, even without knowing the details of the Siege of Leningrad, anxieties are raised, tears and wept, and patriotic cries are unleashed! [At least, that's what this interpretation did to me!]

I've heard other interpretations of Shostakovich's tribute to "Leningrad," and though I, too, have never seen the score for this excellent piece of music, I find this version to be absolutely superb. Other interpretations do tend to sound more dismal which definitely keeps with the spirit of the Siege of Leningrad, but where other pieces fall short in the pronunciation of the patriotic spirit which Shostakovich definitely wished to convey. As a Russian, Gergiev understands this patriotism a little better than other conductors and definitely conveys it with his interpretation, but that does not mean that Gerviev sacrifices the more solemn aspects of "Leningrad" for this patriotism. Quite the contrary, Gergiev strikes a clean balance between the two and does so fantastically! I've never heard such a balance in all my years! I'm definitely looking forward to Gergiev's other interpretations of Shostakovich's symphonies.

Definitely pick up a copy of this album.

wish I could put 0 stars..........2006-03-18

I first heard this piece in when I was in high school. I heard it live at Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, the Israel Phliharmonic was conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky, I went to every performance during the week it was played (I had a friend that allowed me to sneak in).

Needless to say this is one of my favorite pieces.

I own the following recordings of this piece:
Bernstein with Chicago Symphony, Haitink with the London Philharmonic, Masur with New York Philharmonic and my favorite Ashkenazi with St Petersbug Phliharmonic. All of those recordings are excellent. There is an authorative feel of drama, pain, struggle. The context of these pieces is apparent, and the conductors in those recordings made sure to offer this piece as a complete work. The orchestras are also engaged and inspired by these Maestros. I highly recommend those recordings.

Words cannot describe the disappointment I had from this 2-Orchestras-for-the-price-of-one recording.
It is shallow, out of context, detached. An insult to the listener's intellegince, the only struggle Gergiev has through this piece is probably how to make more money with his grandiose, bloated productions.

There was only one good thing in this piece: the timpany first drum roll in the first movement. But thats it. Even the wind solos were unimpressive and unengaged. This is the sloppiest recording of this piece I have ever heard, the fact that it is a 200 people orchestra is no excuse (I heard double orchestra concerts, live, with no hick-ups what so ever), on the other hand this behemoth of ensemble surprisingly lacked punch at the orchestral climaxes.

Just stay away.

OK, but nothing to get super excited about.......2005-11-03

I have about 10 recordings of this symphony.

Despite having 2 orchestras, the sound level on this recording is far too low. The start of the invasion theme was TOTALLY inaudible with my open headphones and standard background noise around me!

People rave about the sound of the 2 orchestras, but it's not a super clear recording and TOO QUIET in places. Strings are far too weak in places in the 1st movement; can hardly hear them when you should (as in other recordings).

The side drum in the invasion theme is far too close. Ridiculously, when we get the first real tutti (with the swirling horns), the side drum drowns out the trombones and other heavy brass!!! It is quite interesting to hear the side drum clearly in the big tuttis, but I don't consider it an UPFRONT soloist in the huge climax!

The top of the climax (when the side drum stops at 16:51) has a big bad DECCELERANDO which is VERY eccentric, not in the score and WEAKENS the climax in my view. The best point which I love about this normally is that the side drum hammers relentlessly at the same tempo to its very last beat at the climax. This slow down is inauthentic and WRECKS it!

Gergiev DOES NOT know his Shostakovich -- conduct as the composer wanted it (and knew best), please!!!

Some positives: 4th movement, at 5:01 onwards, I like the clear trumpets, side drum and strings. The climax of main theme of this movement at 5:49 is nice and clear on woodwind (which is rare; very often obscured). But timpani sound a bit out of tune at very end of symphony.

The Bernstein/CSO/DG recording is heaps better overall and if you want big clear sound go for it -- nothing approaches it for the 1st and 4th movements. Haitink/Conc/Philips is similarly good all round with very clear sound.

So I consider this an ECCENTRIC performance with some interesting bits, but far from a top standard of interpretation and the sound placement is very strange (particularly of the side drum).

So ignore the super hype of all the other reviewers about it being best ever, etc.

One of the Better Ones.......2005-04-05

There's a school of thought which says that the true genius of a symphonic composer is not revealed until the generation after him produces conductors who truly love and understand his music. This certainly was the case with Gustav Mahler, for example. Bruno Walter excepted, the GREAT Mahler conductors, Mitropoulos, Horenstein, and Leonard Bernstein, all came from the generation after Mahler.
The same fate may be true in the case of Dimitri Shostakovich, the subtleties and complexities of whose music pose some rather daunting interpretative challenges to any conductor. Valery Gergiev is a conductor one generation removed from Shostakovich, and he clearly has this music in his blood, both musically and spiritually. This is one of the more interesting recordings of
the Shostakovich 7th available today, and everyone who loves this symphony owes it a few listenings.
The first thing you notice about Gergiev's approach to this symphony is the extreme range of dynamics he applies to it. One of the major criticisms that set in as a reaction to this symphony's being overpraised during the war was that it tended toward bombast. Indeed, this is, by and large, one of the LOUDEST symphonies ever written, with more crescendoes and fortissimoes indicated in the score than just about any other you can name. Gergiev's approach to solving that problem is expand the symphony's dynamic range, thereby giving both the crescendoes and fortes marked in the score room to expand and grow without becoming obnoxiously loud. Thus, the famous march theme in the opening movement, which gives nearly everybody fits of one kind or another, is initially stated in a pianaissmo so soft as to be almost inaudible. The march theme, therefore, grows and grows by carefully graded turns with each repetition, until its force at the end is nearly overwhelming. It works wonderfully.
The whole symphony is approached in a similar fashion; Gergiev's approach is to generally broaden things through expansion. Thus the second movement is played not as an Andante scherzo, as is usually done, but Moderato, as marked, and becomes more of a danse macabre, a brilliant choice. The Adagio is a thing of beautiful sadness quite beyond whatever programatic imaginings the listener may have.
Likewise, the final Allegro non troppo benefits from Gergiev's expansion of dynamics. At the same time, however, it suffers from his indistinct beat, which dissipates some of its force.
On the whole, this is one of the better recordings of this symphony we have today. It certainly demonstrates that there are different ways of approaching this music and solving its interpretive challenges. If Shostakovidh's message in composing it was: "Courage!" than that, too, is Gergiev's message in playing it. Bravo, Maestro!

Gergiev knows his Shostakovich.......2004-10-21

This is one impressive recording. The two large orchestras together are almost too overwhelming.. The sound is thick and sinewy in a way that one is unaccustomed to.
This interpretation ranks with the best in this symphony, Gergiev obviously knows his Shostakovich. The orchestral playing is fully up to his vision, being quite spectacular.
Gergiev makes more of the last three movements than most (one actually wants to hear them in this recording!), and hits all the right spots in the first.
Is this the best 7th? Impossible question, but one thing is certain - it has an unfair advantage over all the others in a superior format. ;)

The quality of the SACD recording is one of the best I have heard so far. As I listened to it for the first time, I was not struck by the quality right from the start, but once the orchestra started to unleash its fury halfway through the march I heard things one would not expect to hear outside of the concert hall itself.
This is a big recording of big music, and frankly, a big listening room is needed to fully appreciate it. My little room was shaking from the overly enclosed reverberations!

I look forward to hearing more of Gergiev's Shostakovich done in SACD. I echo another reviewer's desire to have a recording of the 8th of this quality.

Average customer rating:

Arising From the Ashes
OK, but nothing to get super excited about
fantastic new account of the famous wartime symphony
The Definitive 7th
The sublime, bookended by the banal and the monumental.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4,5 & 6

ASIN: B00008NR76
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Tracks:

I Allegretto
II Moderato (Poco Allegretto)
III Adagio
IV Allegro Non Troppo

Amazon.com

Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony has been surrounded by controversy ever since it was written; it even ignited a battle between two great conductors, Toscanini and Stokowski, for the first American performance (Toscanini won). Composed in 1941 during the siege of Leningrad in homage to the Russian people's heroic resistance against the German invaders, it has been condemned by some as political propaganda, hailed by others as a symphonic masterpiece. Time and audiences everywhere have decided in favor of the latter view; today, the "Leningrad" is one of Shostakovich's best known, most popular symphonies. Though its programmatic content is clear, the emotional impact of the music itself invites listeners to imagine their own scenario. Gergiev has this music in his bloodstream and knows how to inspire an orchestra (two in this case); exploiting every instrumental resource, he elicits both massive and delicate playing, achieving powerful build-ups and tremendous climaxes. The result is a taut, concentrated performance that makes the symphony--Shostakovich's longest--seem shorter than usual; its no-holds-barred approach plumbs the depths and scales the heights of human experience, from bleak, grotesque irony to heart-breaking, anguished lamentation and ultimate triumph. The famous first movement march--a simple, deliberately trite little tune over a persistent snare drum figure--starts almost inaudibly; its eleven always different repetitions generate enormous suspense, and when the cumulative orchestration reaches its peak, you feel as if an entire army had marched over you. The recording's only flaw is its excessive dynamic contrast, so keep a finger on the volume control. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Arising From the Ashes.......2006-07-16

There can't be a more inspiring story than that of the residents of Leningrad (or a host of other cities, to be sure) burrowing in and starving and freezing out the Nazis during World War II. Before knowing the outcome of that struggle...but knowing the resilience or possibly stubbornness of his neighbors...Dmitry Shostakovich composed this symphony. Sixty years later--about a week after 9/11, to be precise-- the symphony most associated with that city (now of course known by its Tsarist name) and its rock star conductor, together with another of his gazillion orchestras, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, made this recording.

Knowing that I have a definite soft spot toward Gergiev, I have waited a while before reviewing this disk. I've read many other reviews (not just those here, and not all positive) and listened to other recordings of the 7th. I still think this is a fine recording. And the key seems to be in the dual orchestras. The depth that they give, particularly in the first movement, is striking. It is in this movement we begin hearing---at around 7:00--the eerily sarcastic march of the enemy (the Nazis? Stalin's henchmen? both?) which seems to go on forever. The snares, the woodwinds and the strings are all so clear, so elucidated, it's like they've been recorded on their own channel (and I'm not listening to SACD, either!). And it goes on from there. The mournful third movement, the triumph that slowly arises out of the fourth movement....this is a recording that seeks to capture emotion, and in spades.

In "Shostakovich vs. Stalin", a DVD Phillips put out to accompany some of these "war symphonies", a musician from that era tells viewers that when Shostakovich finished this symphony, just before he and his family fled Leningrad, most of the Philharmonic was gone; either dead or having left the country. Some of those left were quite ill or wounded, but they loved Shostakovich and the Philharmonic. So they all gathered in the Great Hall of the Conservatoire, half an orchestra, to play it for a radio show to be broadcast across the country.

I love that story. Even though those players are multiplied fourfold on this disc, the music itself keeps alive their memory, with its laughter in the face of repression, empathy, and triumph.

OK, but nothing to get super excited about.......2006-01-17

fantastic new account of the famous wartime symphony.......2003-10-18

This live performance and recording of Shostakovich's 7th Symphony is superb -- Gergiev conducts the combined Kirov and Rotterdam orchestras, live in Rotterdam just a week after 9/11/01. It has been widely acclaimed as the definitive recording of the 7th, as Valery Gergiev continues to establish himself as the leading contemporary interpreter of the Russian repertoire.

Shostakovich's 7th symphony was an international sensation when it arrived in the West during WWII -- the composer made the cover of Time Magazine, a drawing of him in his fireman's helmet -- but it suffered a decline in reputation thereafter as it quickly came to be seen as "banal and bombastic," in the critics' accepted terms, applied to the first and fourth movements respectively. It is true that it is not one of DSCH's best symphonies -- those would be the 4th, 5th, 8th and 10th. But it is a fine work, and as others have noted, the two central movements have many lovely moments. Personally, I find the gradual transformation of a light-hearted theme into a menacing fortissimo (the "invasion theme") in the first movement to be a quite effective use of banal material -- I think DSCH knew exactly what he was doing. Compare the heavy-handed grotesque dance in the second movement of the 5th, and hear a similar sensibility. To my ears, it is the triumphant ending that sounds forced, and seems likely to be the result of a compromise with political exigency.

The 7th Symphony has become embroiled in controversy, along with Shostakovich's entire life and work. It might seem obvious that it portrays the Nazis as the evil force in the "invasion theme," but according to Volkov and others, it actually represents the rise of Stalin's terror and the gradual perversion of the high ideals of the revolution. The cover art for this CD captures this ambiguity by depicting Gergiev holding the score in front of him, as if to say "here is what Shostokovich wrote -- listen to the music, and decide for yourself what it means." Compare this to the painting of wartime devastation on the cover of the Bernstein recording, reflecting the official account, to see how the understanding of Shostakovich has changed since his death. As I listen to this work, it seems less obvious that it is about war than the 8th Symphony, with its manic allegro non troppo battle scene. I am inclined to think that the "holy fool" view of Shostakovich is true, that he was spitting in the eye of Stalin by portraying evil and allowing the attribution of that evil to be officially misinterpreted. (If Hitler is evil, and Stalin fights Hitler, that does not mean that Stalin is not also evil... )

The package for this recording is brilliant. The disc itself as well as the inlay under the disc shows a photo of Soviet troops seizing a German position. The back of the booklet is a detail from a Soviet painting/poster/mural showing resolute soldiers in a row on a red backdrop. The official account is thus part of the presentation, which is only fitting since it is if nothing else an inextricable part of its renowned history.

The Definitive 7th.......2003-10-05

Valery Gergiev continues to document on recordings the stature he has gained in conducting not only his own Kirov Orchestra but as guest conductor of the major orchestras of the world. At first the idea of pairing the Kirov with the Rotterdam Philiharmonic Orchestra seems a bit of overkill for establishing Gergiev's interpretation of this most famous of Shostakovich's fifteen symphonies. But then when it is made clear that this CD is the product of live performances in September of 2001 in Rotterdam it becomes clear that the decisions were wise. The control and overall scale of this performance is undeniably among the great moments in recorded history. Gergiev finds the fear, the fight, and the tenderness in this epic work. The sound is huge and lush and well produced. Yet it is in those tenderest moments of this massive symphony that Gergiev seems most wise. Was there a bit of response to the USA 9/11 incident influencing this performance? You be the judge. Others have described this recording splendidly and to say more would be mere homage. This is a very important recording - for technical reasons, for interpretive and performance reasons, and more importantly for reasons of the soul. Highly recommended.

The sublime, bookended by the banal and the monumental........2003-10-03

You are probably wondering how it could be that a recording having the above brief description, seemingly denigrating at least parts of the work, nonetheless has the five-star rating I've chosen to give it. The explanation is simple, really. Valery Gergiev has taken this work very much to heart as "important" Shostakovich, putting his own imprimatur on it in the process, and has succeeded in bringing out details often overlooked, with the result that the work, despite its 'extramusical" connotations, emerges as "fresh" and unique as such a work might.

Many of Shostakovich's works are programmatic to the extreme, involving - often - subtexts and even subtexts WITHIN subtexts. Probably, none do so more than his "war" symphonies, especially the 11th and the 7th under consideration here. Subtitled "Leningrad," this symphony, on its surface, depicts the German siege of that city in 1941, and the eventual victory of the Soviets over the Germans following that extended siege. Shostakovich personally experienced that siege, and, whether or not one chooses to accept various other subtexts (such as the Volkov "Testimony" one that describes the work in dramatically different terms), it is clear that this is in fact a "war" symphony such as only he might have written as a personal reaction to the German invasion.

The "banal" of course describes the all-too-famous "center" of the opening Allegretto, with its incessant side drum tattoo accompanying a simple theme repeated twelve times, each time louder and with different forces than the previous. It is an obvious parody of Ravel's "Bolero," right down to an unexpected modulation to an unrelated key near its close. (Béla Bartók in turn parodied this theme in his "Concerto for Orchestra," presumably after having heard a radio broadcast of the work that drove him to distraction with its utter thematic banality.) But - often overlooked - is that the theme might also be described as a Shostakovich parody of a tune from Franz Lehar's "The Merry Widow," a connection I find fascinating, inasmuch as it provides a "Germanic" context that might put the lie to the Volkov subtext. In any event, Gergiev has provided us with the most gripping account of this "Bolero," shattering in its cumulative effect (starting from barely a whisper) and taken at a rather quick clip that I find appropriate.

We find the sublime in the two inner movements, particularly with their overtly Mahlerian overtones. The third movement Adagio is remarkable in its content and structure, and it is here that I think Gergiev finds fresh substance and meaning that others all too often miss. Beginning with its Stravinskian "wind band" sonorities that lead into a beautiful cantilena on the strings that returns again and again, Shostakovich is at his most creative and "universal." There are Wagnerian sonorities in the lower brass, and a gorgeous flute solo that almost causes me to ask whether Ivan Sollertinsky, Shostakovich's closest friend and a Mahler specialist, shared some heretofore unknown knowledge regarding Mahler's unfinished 10th Symphony with him. Near the end of this remarkable movement, so full of imaginative and beautiful ideas, the trumpets introduce a malagueña-like theme, taken over by the full orchestra, and the work then proceeds without interruption into its "monumental" concluding Allegro.

There is, to my way of thinking, more musical substance in the "monumental" than in the "banal," in that this final Allegro itself also has its share of sublimity, in the form of a brief respite from "the march to victory" in which a solo string line in the violins serves as yet another reminder that "Shostakovich knew his Mahler." But, soon enough, Gergiev leads us into a concluding coda that is truly shattering in its cumulative energy.

Despite this being a very new release, it was recorded in late September, 2001 (in the shadow of 9/11, no less), at the Gergiev-led Rotterdam festival celebrating Shostakovich. Whether or not that date proximity is reflected in the enthusiasm and ardor so apparent in this performance is largely beside the point.

I write these words with my ears still ringing from hearing a live performance of this work by Gergiev and his Kirov Orchestra a few evenings back, at the start of their current tour in the U.S. The performance was under "ideal" circumstances (perfect 10th-row center seats in my favorite local venue, Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA, famed for its splendid acoustics). My aural memory of that event enables me to make a few relevant comments about this recording. It is nearly the match of what I heard (although what I did hear can only be described in superlatives full of hyperbole; a virtually "perfect" performance). The ensemble excellence of the Kirov alone exceeded that of the combined Kirov/Rotterdam forces. The orchestral forces were arrayed differently, clarifying some details in the process. (The work requires a huge orchestra, and the Kirov fully filled the Mechanics Hall stage.) More than likely, the principal oboist on the recording was a Rotterdammer; the Kirov principal oboist was at least slightly "tarter" (but consistent with the timbre one usually hears in Shostakovich works). And the dynamic contrast was, if anything, greater than what one hears on this recording. (The side drum tattoo and pizzicato strings beginning the inexorable "invasion" theme were just barely at the level of audibility, while the closing bars of the work near lifted the roof off the venue.)

But please do not take these personal live-event observations as commentary about this recording being anything less than the best I have ever heard, and most likely the best available. The performance is indeed superb, Gergiev indeed has put his personal stamp on this work as being "major league" Shostakovich, and the dynamic range of this Philips recording is phenomenal enough.

Bob Zeidler

Average customer rating:

A Historically Significant Box Set with Lasting Significance
Amazing performance of the 14th
Great set, but Symphony 14 sounds a little off
Great Recordings of Great Music at a Great Price.
fine

Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies

Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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

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Dvorak & Saint-Saens: Cello Concertos
Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies & Tone Poems
Mahler: The Complete Symphonies
Bruckner: The Complete Symphonies
Prokofiev, Shostakovich: Violin Concertos no 1 / Rostropovich, Vengerov

ASIN: B000005824
Release Date: 1998-01-13

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 10: Allegretto
Symphony No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 10: Allegro
Symphony No. 1 In F Minor, Op. 10: Lento
Symphony No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 70: Allegro molto
Symphony No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 70: Allegro
Symphony No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 70: Moderato
Symphony No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 70: Presto
Symphony No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 70: Largo
Symphony No. 9 In E Flat Major, Op. 70: Allegretto

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 In B Major, Op. 14: Largo
Symphony No. 2 In B Major, Op. 14: Quarter Note = 152
Symphony No. 2 In B Major, Op. 14: Poco meno mosso - Allegro molto
Symphony No. 2 In B Major, Op. 14: Chorus: 'To October'
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 20: Allegretto
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 20: Piu mosso - Allegro
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 20: Andante
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 20: Allegro - Allegro molto
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 20: Andante - Largo
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 20: Chorus: 'The First of May'

Tracks:

Symphony No. 4 In C Minor, Op. 43: Allegretto poco moderato - Presto
Symphony No. 4 In C Minor, Op. 43: Moderato con moto
Symphony No. 4 In C Minor, Op. 43: Largo - Allegro

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5 In D Minor, Op. 47: Moderato - Allegro non troppo - Largamente - 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

Tracks:

Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 54: Largo
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 54: Allegro
Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 54: Presto
Symphony No. 12 In D Minor, Op. 112: Revolutionary Petrograd
Symphony No. 12 In D Minor, Op. 112: Razliv
Symphony No. 12 In D Minor, Op. 112: Aurora
Symphony No. 12 In D Minor, Op. 112: The Dawn Of Humanity

Tracks:

Symphony No. 7 In C Major, Op. 60 'Leningrad': Allegretto
Symphony No. 7 In C Major, Op. 60 'Leningrad': Moderato (poco allegretto)
Symphony No. 7 In C Major, Op. 60 'Leningrad': Adagio
Symphony No. 7 In C Major, Op. 60 'Leningrad': Allegro non troppo

Tracks:

Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 65: Adagio - Allegro non troppo
Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 65: Allegretto
Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 65: Allegro non troppo
Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 65: Largo
Symphony No. 8 In C Minor, Op. 65: Allegretto

Tracks:

Symphony No. 10 In E Minor, Op. 93: Moderato
Symphony No. 10 In E Minor, Op. 93: Allegro
Symphony No. 10 In E Minor, Op. 93: Allegretto
Symphony No. 10 In E Minor, Op. 93: Andante - Allegro

Tracks:

Symphony No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 103: The Palace Square
Symphony No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 103: The Ninth Of January
Symphony No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 103: In Memoriam
Symphony No. 11 In G Minor, Op. 103: The Tocsin

Tracks:

Symphony No. 13 In B Flat Minor, Op. 113 'Babi Yar': Babi Yar: Adagio
Symphony No. 13 In B Flat Minor, Op. 113 'Babi Yar': Humour: Allegretto
Symphony No. 13 In B Flat Minor, Op. 113 'Babi Yar': In The Store: Adagio
Symphony No. 13 In B Flat Minor, Op. 113 'Babi Yar': Fears: Largo
Symphony No. 13 In B Flat Minor, Op. 113 'Babi Yar': Career: Allegretto

Tracks:

Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: De profundis: Adagio
Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: Malaguena: Allegretto
Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: Lorelei: Allegro molto
Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: The Suicide: Adagio
Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: On Watch: Allegretto
Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: Madam, Look!: Adagio
Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: At The Sante Jail: Adagio
Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: The Zaporozhian Cossack's Answer To The Sultan Of Constantinople: Allegro
Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: O Delvig! O Delvig!: Andante
Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: The Poet's Death: Largo
Symphony No. 14, Op. 135 For Soprano, Bass And Chamber Orchestra: Conclusion: Moderato

Tracks:

Symphony No. 15 In A Major, Op. 141: Allegretto
Symphony No. 15 In A Major, Op. 141: Adagio - Largo - Adagio - Largo
Symphony No. 15 In A Major, Op. 141: Allegretto
Symphony No. 15 In A Major, Op. 141: Adagio - Allegretto - Adagio - Allegretto

Amazon.com essential recording

Mstislav Rostropovich was a friend of the composer, and his performances of the 15 Shostakovich symphonies are uniquely authoritative. It's true that as a conductor the great cellist has had his ups and downs, but unlike so many far less musical personalities, he has only recorded the music that he feels most passionately about, and the results have been generally impressive. His performances of Symphonies Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are really among the best ever, and there isn't as single performance among the rest that isn't at least very good. The National Symphony Orchestra of Washington in particular plays with real guts and conviction. An essential set for fans of the composer. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

A Historically Significant Box Set with Lasting Significance.......2004-10-03

This set of 12 CDs is a recording of all fifteen symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich by the cellist/conductor Mstislav Rostropovich. Not only is this survey of Shostokovich's very important symphonic output one of the few times we are able to listen to all the symphonies with as few variables as possible, allowing us to truly hear the course of thought and creativity and turmoil of Shostokovich, but it also fulfills a promise between the composer and his pupil (Rostropovich) to create this project. Rostropovich premiered some of these symphonies and had direct instruction from the composer as to the interpretation of them all. All of these facts make this a compendium of recordings that belong in the libraries of music lovers devoted to the genius of Shostakovich.

Now if only the individual performances were as solid as the project itself! While we may be hearing these works with the knowledge that the composer sanctioned them, they are variable in success. Part of this is due to the variable quality of sound the conductor elicits from the three orchestras involved (the National Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Members of the Academic Symphony Orchestra Moscow). The tempi are less successful than those chosen by better conductors performing these works today, and the usual degree of excitement obtained by other batons is missing. But the performances of all 15 symphonies are never less than interesting and are indeed at times illuminating. In all, this is an important body of recordings and belongs in collections of all those who appreciate the significance of Dmitri Shostakovich.

Amazing performance of the 14th.......2001-08-10

I currently own 5 versions of the 14th symphony (Kondrashin, Bernstein, Barshai (a relay of the preimiere in Moscow), Haitink, and another Rostropovich version on the Russian Revelation label. The Bernstein is saggy and contrived, the Haitink fails to excite, the earlier Rostropovich is in terrible audio, The Kondrashin is excellent and full of white heat, and the Barshai is even more hair raising.

And where does this version of the 14th belong? Among the very best. This perfomance's soloists were the original soloists Shostakovich intended (Vishnevskaya and Rhestin). The orchestra though different from the primiere is still excellent. When listening to the Haitink, the orchestra plays with emotional reservation. Not the case here

Great set, but Symphony 14 sounds a little off.......2001-07-26

Rostropovich's performance is very good, but I haven't particularly liked the 14th (my favourite!). Comparing this recording to the other two I own (Bernstein with the NY Philarmonic and Haitink with the Concertgebouw -- this last has lyrics in each poem's original language, which I like better), I found the performance sub-par. It seems the orchestra is not performing cohesively during some piano passages.

Also, it is a shame (or should I say a sham) that not all the CDs are sold individually. I tried to buy the series one-by-one across 3 countries (US, Brazil and Chile), and haven't found Symphony No. 7 so far...

Great Recordings of Great Music at a Great Price........2000-03-31

I feel bad for those of you who have passed by this title and have not ordered it. Buy it now or else buy a gun and shoot yourself because you don't know what you're missing! Great recordings of great music at a great price. Buy it now!

fine.......2000-03-17

Sorry,I cannot write or speak English well.

Average customer rating:

Tough luck, I like it too!
A classic recording that redeemed a lost symphony
Sorry, am I boring you?
An Unfortunate Experience
SPECTACULAR SHOSTAKOVICH!!!

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 7, 9, 10 (Adagio)

ASIN: B0000027NO
Release Date: 1993-09-21

Tracks:

Sym No.7 in C, Op.60 'Leningrad': I. Allegretto
Sym No.7 in C, Op.60 'Leningrad': II. Moderato (poco allegretto)
Sym No.7 in C, Op.60 'Leningrad': III. Adagio (attacca:)
Sym No.7 in C, Op.60 'Leningrad':IV. Allegro non troppo

Customer Reviews:

Tough luck, I like it too!.......2005-11-11

Actually I've liked this performance since a few years after it was released and never cozied to any follow up. Slow? Well in some people's books that means monumental and anyone who ever lived through WWII knows that monumental was never a fox-trot. Maybe some would like this on period instruments, meaning violins with shrapnel in the bodies--gives them a slightly different sound, you know. This may also be a bombastic war-horse (literally) but I also think it's wildly under-rated as a bombastic war-horse. You try writing a symphonic work while being bombed by Nazis sometime and tell me when you hit The Eroica! The Leningrad is actually impressive, often quite moving and exciting, and dusts up with one of the great symphonic perorations of them all. Bernstein (not always my favorite conductor either so no Benny hysteria here) does a terrific job of making this music reflect its true historical circumstances, and not ours. These days kids go to battle blasting rap, monumentality is a pretty alien concept.

A classic recording that redeemed a lost symphony.......2005-10-28

One of Leonard Bernstein's special talents was to take a neglected or even derided work and find gold in it. By 1963, when this recording was made, the Shostakovich Seventh had worn out its good will as an anti-Nazi poster from WW II, sinking into both neglect and derision. But Bernstein earned raves for this performance, and one can see why.

The NY Phil. plays like a band of virtuosos; in terms of sheer performance skill it would be hard to imagine this work done with more elan and conviction. This is all the more amazing because the Seventh contains 74 min. of often leaden, banal music, among the least inspired that Shostakovich ever put into a symphony. Bernstein conducts with such care and sensitivity that he finds emotional content even in the stiffest passages.

The reviewers who dislike this reading have distorted the facts. This isn't a slow performance. In fact it is faster in every movement than the classic 1953 performance under Mravinsky and faster in 3 out of 4 movements than the recent, very good Temirkanov reading on RCA. The original sonics on the LP were spectcular and continue to be so on the CD--it's impossible to tell that this recording is more than 40 years old. Altogether, Bernstein has achieved almost a miracle of renovation in a work that needed a lot of renovation to begin with.

Sorry, am I boring you?.......2002-11-02

God I love Shostakovich, but can anyone tell me what the appeal of this recording is? Bernstein's plodding, un-interested performance of this magnificent work is an insult to Shostakovich. An insult compounded when one considers the historical context of this symphony. He really seems bored by the whole thing, was this recorded as some kind of contractual obligation? For a great performance of this work, one that shows more than just what's contained in the text, then I urge you as strongly as I can to try Mravinsky's magnificent recording and run from this woeful interpretation like it had the pox!

An Unfortunate Experience.......2002-06-21

Listening to Leonard Bernstein's wholly uninspiring performance of D. Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony, I find myself recalling the words in his memoirs "Testimony" about Toscanini's conducting, how he "chops the music" up into an unrecognizable, disgusting "hash."
What CAN be said pro-Lenny is the following: He got the New York Philharmonic to play all of the notes, and thus the music is recognizable as Shostakovich, op. 60, written in 1941-1942. With the painfully slow tempi he uses throughout, however, it would be a scandal for all the notes not to be heard! The listener can hear each and every note, each and every polyphonic voice. Indeed, the performance is a truly beautiful one, a pleasure for the ear.
But Shostakovich is never merely "pretty music." Bernstein's tempi are painfully slow throughout, lack forward motion, and thus sucks the life from Shostakovich's music much like a mosquito sucks blood from an unfortunate passer-by. Additionally, the sound of the NY Philharmonic is not focused, pointed, and thus lacks the brilliance that all of Shostakovich's music demands.
Shostakovich did indeed think highly of Bernstein as a conductor, but perhaps it was because Shostakovich always valued young, energetic performers who were willing to try new things, go out on a limb. He valued the individuality of each and every performer's interpretations of music.
Indeed, Bernstein's performance here is individual. Excessively slow tempi, clarity in polyphony, and dulled sound are what he employs. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work. If Shostakovich is your interest, AVOID this recording.
For that, I would nominate Vladimir Ashkenazy with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic (1995), or Mstislav Rostropovich with the National Symphony Orchestra (1992).

SPECTACULAR SHOSTAKOVICH!!!.......2000-12-22

A truly exceptional reading of the massive "Leningrad"--- Bernstein, at his absolute zenith here, and the NY Philharmonic playing fervently for him, penetrates and clarifies this most monumental of symphonic works. The sheer concentrated intensity, for example, of the nearly thirty minute first movement Allegretto, alone, silences criticism by the strength of its grip. The Adagio, too, with its emotionally soaring strings and ominously portenteous flutes, becomes, under Bernstein, an unparalled descent into an acutely unsettling psychological maelstrom. Here's a work teeming with every orchestral dynamic and nuance in the book. A thirty-four-year-old Shostakovich inspiredly unleashed. And Bernstein pays tribute to the composer with this recording. The brilliant brasswork, remarkable woodwind playing, absolutely voracious violinry and complete unison of the NY Philharmonic is ravishing, sumptuous, unbelievably exciting. The sound (from 1962) belies its age well: it is full, rich, detailed.

[Running time: 75:03]

Average customer rating:

LENINGRAD No 7 restored by Temirkanov
The best
A garish, shallow work that gets a great performance
Was this a rehearsal?
The Power and the Energy Emerge from this Leningrad!

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad"

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7
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The Queen

ASIN: B000003FOZ
Release Date: 1996-01-16

Tracks:

Syphony No. 7, Op. 60 'Leningrad': Allegretto
Syphony No. 7, Op. 60 'Leningrad': Moderato (poco allegretto)
Syphony No. 7, Op. 60 'Leningrad': Adagio
Syphony No. 7, Op. 60 'Leningrad': Allegro non troppo

Amazon.com

Performances and recordings of Shostakovich's wartime Symphony No. 7 ("Leningrad") are rare. Its length makes it difficult to program, and that it is hard for conductors to organize does not make it any easier for audiences to understand. It may seem strange, therefore, that Yuri Temirkanov's performance with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic is perhaps the finest modern performance of this work. With the possible exception of Leonard Bernstein's account with the Chicago Symphony, Temirkanov's is the longest ever recorded. But, where Bernstein's drags--particularly in the march section of the first movement--Temirkanov's never lets up. More than any other living conductor in this kind of repertory, Temirkanov can suggest the illusion of spontaneity: his widely fluctuating tempos breathe naturally and keep the ear in a state of perpetual expectation. There is tremendous note-to-note tensile strength in the massive first movement; humor tinged with melancholy in the shorter second movement; unflagging drama and intensity in the hushed, expansive third movement; and fervor and ferocity, culminating in a hair-raising coda, conveying the otherwise rambling finale with a sense of prophetic urgency. --Stephen Wigler

Customer Reviews:

LENINGRAD No 7 restored by Temirkanov.......2006-10-04

This is excellent; the best; the most dynamic; the most interesting and different and yet the most searching and moving account I ever heard. Temirkanov makes the pounding, relentless March seem so malevolent. The Adagio is very fine and equals any other but the Finale brings out the 'divine retribution' element and is the most perfect epic-film music for those Soviet tanks, charging out onto the enemy. The brass tuning seems to mix in with the cacophony of War and brings out wild and even sardonic overtones, almost as if Dimitri S is trying to say "You think you have got Leningrad; just wait a while" Temirkanov is a master of balance of sonority like no other and he should be a great star. This disc has power, majesty, gravity and deep spiritual turmoil present and should not be missed. Neil Smith, Manchester UK

The best.......2006-08-12

In comparison with other modern recordings, this is clearly the most interesting interpretation.

A garish, shallow work that gets a great performance.......2005-09-24

The Seventh is one of Shostakovich's "patriotic" (i.e., pro-Soviet) symphonies, along with the Eleventh and Twelfth. At this remove in history, they all smell a bit, but the Seventh, which memorializes the siege of Leningrad in WW II, won wide approval when it was premiered, largely for politicl, anti-Nazi reasons. The charm quickly wore off, and for a long time nobody really touched this garish, shallow work. It needs a totally committed performance under a great conductor, and here it gets just that. The sonics are among the best I've heard, equal to Temirkanov's Petrouchka, also recorded under the same circumstances.

Was this a rehearsal?.......2005-08-22

A dissenting view from a long-time Shostakovich fan who finally tossed out his copy of this CD after several tries. Among the many so-so available versions of this work this is the only one that consistently makes me cringe. Yes Mr. Temirkanov has a good reputation, but if you listen closely, the brass--very important in this work--is out of tune! How can a good conductor let this pass, I dont know; perhaps budget and time considerations. Otherwise, the playing is, for the most part, of fair quality and non descript; certainly nothing to write home about. I simply refuse to be impressed by the fact that this is a Russian performance of a Russian work. If that is such a big factor, why even bother listening to it? The actual performance is the main thing. In short: Good recording quality, subpar performance. The greatest Russian composer of the XXth Century deserves better than this.

The Power and the Energy Emerge from this Leningrad!.......2005-04-02

Yuri Temirkanov is a unique conductor. Seemingly less interested in fame and wide exposure through many recordings, he is none the less one of the old school masters of conducting. Hearing this gentleman live with a really superb orchestra is a lesson in passion. At a recent guest conducting post with the Los Angeles Philharmonic he proved that he can cajole more interpretive ideas from works as varying as the Ravel "Le tombeau de Couperin" and Debussy's "La Mer" as he can from his own standards such as the collection of scenes from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake". With no baton and minimal gestures he communicates with an orchestra as an alchemist. His tempi may be whirlwind and his attention to overall architecture of a work may not be wholly satisfying, but the inner phrases which he courts are splendidly realized.

Such is definitely the case with this phenomenal recording of Shostakovich's Leningrad symphony. Where others (such as Gergiev and Haitink) may have the work more in cohesive form, Temirkanov spills the soul and the anguish and the Russian spirit into the piece from the first notes. His approach seems to search out the drama, pause for reflection, then push forward to the climaxes. Doubtless a good part of this attention to hidden nuances is his long association with the work with his own St Petersberg Philharmonic Orchestra. He is on home ground here with his own band and the vision is clear.

For those who long to explore the drama of Shostakovich's works, this is definitely a recording to have in library. And with relatively few recordings that give us entry into this iconoclastic conductor, this recording is a must. Grady Harp, April 05

Stravinsky, Shostakovich: Bernstein's Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon

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Always Good to Study Bernstein Again
Irregular Stravinsky and Shostakovich jewels.
Not the best of Bernstein, but there are some gems

Stravinsky, Shostakovich: Bernstein's Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
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Mahler III: Complete Recordings on DeUtsche Grammophon 3

ASIN: B000ASAENU
Release Date: 2005-11-08

Customer Reviews:

Always Good to Study Bernstein Again.......2006-05-09

Now that Leonard Bernstein has entered the canonization of American conductors it is healthy to review his recorded output to understand the impact he had on classical music in America (and the world, for that matter). Not all of Bernstein's recordings are worthy of placement in the upper echelon of the library, but his approaches to scores are always deserving of attention. This boxed set (six CDs) from DGG represents all of the recordings Bernstein made with that prestigious recording company and while not all of them are his best, they each carry a halo of growth and altered approach Bernstein offers after his long years of conducting.

Included in the box set are Shostakovich Symphonies 1 and 7 with the Chicago Symphony, and 6 and 9 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Both ensembles are first rate and Bernstein elicits fine playing from them. If he dwells a bit long in the tooth on the languid portions of Shostakovich, his other recordings give spikier accounts.

For the works of Stravinsky (long associated with Bernstein until the 'new breed' of conductors usurped that throne) Bernstein conducts the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra over which he held great authority, in fine performances of the second suite from 'L'oiseau de feu', the 1947 version of 'Petrushka', 'Pulcinella', a varied 'Le Sacre du printemps', the 'Symphony in C' and 'Symphony in Three Movements'. The performances include some of his most insightful conducting as well as some of his least involved!

Fortunately DGG includes Bernstein's superb performance of 'Les Noces' for vocal soloists, chorus, 4 pianos & percussion with John Mitchinson, English Bach Festival Percussion Ensemble, Homero Francesch, Paul Hudson, Martha Argerich (!), Krystian Zimerman (!), Patricia Parker, Cyprien Katsaris, Anny Mory in a rhythmically secure, propulsively conducted and controlled manner. Using the same forces he encores the 'Mass, for chorus & double wind quintet', a work still too infrequently performed today.

There is always something to learn from hearing Bernstein conduct (and talk! - remember those superb Sunday televised encounters?) and it is to DGG's credit to present this wide range of recordings in one set. Grady Harp, May 06

Irregular Stravinsky and Shostakovich jewels........2006-03-07

DG is releasing some of the most interesting Bernstein's performances they have launched in other series or kept in their catalogue. This 6 CDs box offers the works by two Russian composers Bernstein loved very much and with whom he had an enormous feeling and empathy. Those are Igor Stravinsky and Dimitri Shostakovich.

First of all DSCH, that is the really best in this box...

Symphonies 1 & 7 are the only recording, as far as I know, Leonard Bernstein did with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a group of players with a very long tradition in the American music and with a great technical playing good enough to play quite all the repertoires.

Like in the case of his Mahler's 9 with Berlin, Bernstein only recording with this orchestra is a miracle that happens once and never more, because of many reasons, the first one because this is a live recording in the Medinah Temple and the emotions felt in this CD could not happen again.

I always thought Chicago is a very appropriate orchestra to play DSCH's music, because of the characteristics of the orchestra and of Shostakovich's music, very hard and very sensitive at the same time. One of the symphonies it's better to this couple DSCH & CSO is the 7th that it's not the most complex between DSCH's works, from the technical and musical point of view, but that demands a great and powerful orchestral response, something you can listen perfectly in this amazing recording, in which CSO gives his best, with a baton that understand very well the score, as far as he can... I think no one could understand completely the meaning of the Leningrad not being in the place of the siege or in the scenario described in the double-program of the symphony, probably linked to the oppression Stalin made with his politics to the pre-communist life of Saint Petersburg. I remember Goethe's words, when he said that reading a book is more complex than reading a book. Of course good Goethe talked about understanding a work, and Lenny, even not living that situation gives us a description of the fears, sadness, oppression, etc, really convincing from the very first bar.

Symphony Nº1 is a piece from DSCH's conservatoire years, from 1926, when the composer was only 19 years old and he was suffering a very disturbing economical situation, after his father's death and in the poor CCCP after the Revolution and the Civil War. It's known DSCH had to work in a cinema, under very hard conditions to eat, and that Glazunov took care of having some official assistance for his conservatoire pupil in order to Dimitri gave attention only to composer. The piece is not a great work like symphonies 5, 7, 8, 10, 13... but it shows some details and the personality of the maestro clearly. It was a great success from the same premiere and it made appear Shostakovich as the emergent figure of the new soviet composers, formed in the communist conservatoire... That was what the regime said, because in fact Leningrad conservatoire was mainly what it was before communist regime.

Leonard Bernstein performance of this symphony is a glory from all the points of view, perfectly played and recorded, the piece is fresh, full of tension and emotion, and even that parts not so fine orchestrated shine with real genius. The fourth and final movement is specially outstanding and the way the symphony ends is so good that sometimes I repeat the last minute when it finish. I really don't know any other version played with this very deep conviction on CD.

Seventh Symphony "Leningrad" is OUTSTANDING too, in every movement the orchestral playing and Lenny's conducting is breathtaking. The gigantic crescendo of the first movement is really a monument in the way Lenny control the dynamics perfectly, having an end that is really impossible to repeat, with the scales of the metals and drums full of terror, like watching the face of the death in front of you, in front of the city.

Central movements are wonderfully described too, the dynamics and the control of the tempo is amazing, as we listen in the second movement, a clear example of alternation between fortissimos and pianissimos, as between an atmosphere were everything is like suspended in fears and moments of pain.

The last movement is another Bernstein's `show', because of the way he proclaims the victory of the initial motif, which we could say is not completely affirmed in order to create that two-senses possibilities in the symphony reading. From the very dark beginning of the movement Lenny creates a crescendo that finally leads an explosion in the last bars, outstanding one more time.

The recording is fine, very present, full of body but not so clean like his recordings with Vienna in the 80's (I think about his DSCH's 6 & 9, for example; too on this CDs box), but it worth very, VERY, very much.

I could not say this is the only possible version, as I read in other reviews. I know about 5 or 6 performances (Rostropovich, Jansons, Haitink, Barshai...), apart from some others life, and of course this is the one I like much more, but not the only possibility, I try to discover always new ways in art, specially in music performances. Jansons' version in EMI is very good too, and we can not forget DSCH music always use to ask for the soviet performances, which are a very different way of understanding the works generally. Kondrashin or Rozhdestvensky shows another ways too.

If Symphonies 1 & 7 with Chicago are good, Symphonies 6 & 9 with Vienna are extraordinary too. I have read sometimes critics about the slow tempo Bernstein used, but I've to say this tempo brings new views and conceptions about these marvellous scores. First movement of Symphony Nº6 sounds deep and spacious, technically perfect like the rest of the performance. Second and third movements are really amazing, hard to believe because of the incredible level of the Vienna players, in a tempo that allows you to listen all the instruments and musical phrases perfectly defined. Symphony Nº9 performed by Bernstein was said it is too much triumphal... I really like it very much in the way it's played, like the Sixth marvellous form any point of view.

Stravinsky is good, but the orchestra is not at the same level than CSO or WP. Petrouchka is very, very good and very theatrical. Le Sacre is savage, furious and very interesting. The most important works are, in this way, those better conducted by Lenny and best played by the Israel Orchestra.

We have to mention Noces and Mass, not very usual on CD and with fine performances on Bernstein hands.

Sound is better in DSCH recordings, as in Stravinsky there are some works (Noces, Mass) in ADD recordings.

Anyway, a very, VERY interesting 6 CDs Box which worth for all those who don't have these Shostakovich performances and for those who want to have good performances of some of the best Stravinsky's works.

Not the best of Bernstein, but there are some gems.......2006-01-22

This DG bargain box of 6 CDs brings together recordings of Stravinsky and Shostakovich that, with few exceptions, are remakes of considerably better earlier ones. The Stravinsky works mostly date from 1982 with the Israel Phil. They would be considered quite good except that the earlier NY Phil. recordings are great. The same holds true for the Shostakovich, though perhaps not to such an extent, since the Vienna Phil. plays so spectacularly on two of them.

As a quick overview:

Stravinsky: The best readings here are the Firebird Suite from Tel Aviv and a pairing of Les Noces and Mass from London in 1977. The last two arena't remakes. The Isael account of Le Sacre is certainly very good in spots but rather slack in other spots. The little-heard Scenes de Ballet gets an elegant, sinuous reading with not a trace of excessive underlining, while the Sym. in Three Movements is plodding (neither of these is a remake). The Petrushka is dull and uninvolving. In all, more than half of the music on these three CDs stands up very well.

Shostakovich: The best is Sym. #9 with the marvelous Vienna Phil. from 1985, a cheerful, refined reading that eschews darkness. The Sym. #6 from the same source, but a year earlier, sounds noncommittal and underplayed. Sym. #1 and 7 come from 1988, quite late in Bernstein's career. The Chicago Sym. plays elegantly in the First, but everything seems a bit tired. The Seventh was a Bernstein specialty; he had made a huge hit recorded and is almost as good, though lacking the uncanny communiction of the first version. I found the playing too refined at times, but Bernstein never played this piece for its potential savagery. In all, this Seventh and the Ninth have worn the best.

All the sonics here are exceptionally good. Bernstein got good analog sound from Columbia when he was with the NY Phil, but these digital remasterings leave those old versions in the dust. It's a trade-off, then, since as an interpreter Bernstein never excelled his youthful self in these works.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad" (recorded 1968) - Rozhdestvensky conducts the Grand Symphony Orchestra of Radio and TV (USSR)

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Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad" (recorded 1968) - Rozhdestvensky conducts the Grand Symphony Orchestra of Radio and TV (USSR)

Manufacturer: Russian Revelation
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Symphony No. 7, 'Leningrad' In C, Op. 60: I. Allegretto
Symphony No. 7, 'Leningrad' In C, Op. 60: II. Moderato (poco allegretto)
Symphony No. 7, 'Leningrad' In C, Op. 60: III. Adagio
Symphony No. 7, 'Leningrad' In C, Op. 60: IV. Allegro non troppo

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Shostakovich: Symphony 7 "Leningrad"
Alexander Dmitriev , and St Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Water Lily Acoustics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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General | Classical | Styles | Music

Gustav Mahler: Symphony #5
Svetlanov Piano Concerto & Skryabin Symphony #3

ASIN: B0009PLM2G
Release Date: 2005-06-21

Tracks:

Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No.7 'Leningrad' - Allegretto
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No.7 'Leningrad' - Moderato (poco allegretto)
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No.7 'Leningrad' - Adagio
Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No.7 'Leningrad' - Allegro non troppo

Album Description

Water Lily Acoustics is proud to present the legendary orchestras of St. Petersburg, Russia, in live concert recordings which capture the excitement and sense of occasion of attending a live performance as no studio recording can. The philosophical and technical ethos of the Water Lily approach to recording is, here, perhaps for the first time, given free rein to produce a musical experience unparalleled in its realism and impact. Forged from the precious metals of the opulent age of the Czars, and tempered in the crucible of Communism, the orchestras of the former Soviet Union occupy a position in world culture that is truly unique. It is a privilege to be the first American record company to have captured the essence of these great orchestras in their native city.

This recording, though brand new, has already acquired an almost unprecedented level of historical significance. This was the orchestra that gave the first performance in the besieged city of Leningrad of Shostakovich's profoundly moving wartime symphony. Now, sixty years later, they return to the work with which they will always be ineradicably associated in a performance of shattering power and cinematic vividness of imagery. Shostakovich's musical depiction of the horrors and triumphs of the battlefield have never been equaled, and in this spectacular concert recording the sonic splendor of the composer's inspiration emerges with devastating impact. Equally remarkable is the synergy between Maestro Dmitriev and the orchestra he has headed for almost thirty years, lending this recording a particular poignancy and authenticity.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

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