What Classical Music Are You Listening To?

[HutchFan]

24 minutes ago, Referentzhunter said:

Ts-find

DSCH's 12th Symphony is a bit of a pot-boiler -- not one of his best works.  But I think Rozhdestvensky is a wonderful conductor & one of Shostakovich's finest interpreters. 

I'm happy to have Rozh's complete cycle of Shostakovich symphonies:

For me -- along with Kondrashin's cycle -- this is the top of the heap.

 

Edited Monday at 03:43 PM by HutchFan

[Referentzhunter]

Ts-find

8 minutes ago, HutchFan said:

DSCH's 12th Symphony is a bit of a pot-boiler -- not one of his best works. 

 

If i am being honest; i have to spend more time with 'Shostakovich's symphonic cycle' because i still haven't a clear picture of it's qualities. From what i remembered i mainly liked parts of symphonies 7,8 (Mravinsky),11. I have to say that i like the first under Barsai also. Maybe i have to listen to the fifth again ? ...

Don't think i like the 13th and some others haven't really stuck with me either.

The guy form the local musicshop liked the 11th a lot.

Do you have a tip ?

[Peter Friedman]

[HutchFan]

1 hour ago, Referentzhunter said:

Do you have a tip ?

For me, Shostakovich's most compelling symphonies are the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Tenth, Thirteenth, and Fifteenth.  However, I wouldn't focus on the Thirteenth and Fifteenth until you've absorbed the earlier symphonies.  

In terms of conductors, along with Rozhdestvensky and Kondrashin, I would also recommend Barshai & Mravinsky. 

I also enjoy Haitink and Ormandy in DSCH -- even though (at times) their sounds aren't as idiomatic as Russian orchestras under Russian conductors.  That said, for example, Haitink's Eighth is AMAZING.  (I like it even better than Mravinsky's famous version of the 8th.)  And Ormandy's Tenth is outstanding too. (Philadelphia actually has a tradition of performing Russian music, and Ormandy gave the American premieres of several DSCH works.)

I like to think of Shostakovich as Mahler's heir.  They have quite a bit in common, and DSCH loved Mahler's music -- especially Das Lied von der Erde.  Of course, the circumstances of DSCH's life were very different than Mahler's, and understanding the particulars of DSCH's life in the Soviet Union is a critically important part of fully understanding his music.

 

EDIT

I watched this DSCH lecture recently and enjoyed it very much.  Well worth a look.

 

Edited Monday at 05:46 PM by HutchFan
Added link to DSCH documentary

[HutchFan]

Prompted by the discussion above:

Now listening to DSCH's Tenth. 

The first movement:  Relentless, bleak music that builds to such harrowing, intense climaxes.  It makes my hair stand on end.

 

[Peter Friedman]

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[Referentzhunter]

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