Shostakovich Symphony #7 -- Bernstein
David Hillman
recording, Melodiya/Rozhdestvenski. It blew me away, and I wish I had
then bought this recording. Instead I got Bernstein/Chicago, 2-disk set
(#1 and #7), DGG, award-winning live recording. So far this has
disappointed me--especially in the fourth movement, which I had liked the
best; the Rozhdestvenski was much more relentless, to my ears; Bernstein is
changing tempos so often that this is not possible.
So I am wondering what others think of these recordings (or others of #7).
Also I wanted to mention: it sounds like on the Bernstein #7 fourth movement
between 9:47 and 10:05 there is somebody talking. Anyone else notice this?
Sounds like a production error to me, but who knows: maybe it is someone
at the concert in the first row.
Richard A. Muirden
#7 : Scottish National Orchestra/Jarvi [DDD] (Chandos CHAN 8623)
LPO/Haitink [DDD] (Decca 425 068-2)
Czech PO/Ancerl [AAD] (Supraphon 111952-2)
Chicago SO/Bernstein [w/ #1] [DDD/Live] (DG 426 632-2)
The Ancerl is said to be the best.
I can't stand the Bernstein. too slow and pondering.
IMHO.
-richard
--
Richard A. Muirden, Sys. Admin |Fan of Shostakovich, "Star Trek" and the Boeing
Mailto: ric...@rmit.EDU.AU |777 (launch: May 15, 1995 - United Airlines).
Phone: (+61 3) 660 3814 |I created alt.fan.shostakovich! Fly: UA,QF,WN
http://www.rmit.edu.au/richard |Can *YOU* beat my 102 Shost CD's? :-)
* 1995: Remembering 20 years since the death of Shostakovich (1906-75) *
B. Sternfield
more to your liking. He wasn't quite as eccentric back then.
Sony SMK 47616
Alain DAGHER
: for the 7th, from the a.f.s FAQ:
: #7 : Scottish National Orchestra/Jarvi [DDD] (Chandos CHAN 8623)
: LPO/Haitink [DDD] (Decca 425 068-2)
: Czech PO/Ancerl [AAD] (Supraphon 111952-2)
: Chicago SO/Bernstein [w/ #1] [DDD/Live] (DG 426 632-2)
: The Ancerl is said to be the best.
I can't agree with that. Perhaps when the Ancerl version came out it
was the best, but listening to it now, when there are so many other
versions around, it really doesn't rank at the top.
The recorded sound doesn't help of course, but I think it is a fairly
plodding and unenergetic version. Too bad because the romantic in me
would like to think that a symphony about the horrors of 20th century
History would have its best interpretation by a musician who was
victimized both by the Nazis and the Soviets and still managed to
survive and leave great art behind.
(Ancerl was interned at the infamous Terezin (sp?) camp and at
Auschwitz during the war. He survived and went on to make the Czech PO
one of the finest orchestras in the world. He fled Czechoslovakia
after the Soviet invasion of 1968.)
For a great 'Leningrad', try Maris Jansons and (who else) the Leningrad
Philharmonic.
--
Best wishes,
Alain Dagher "De la musique avant toute chose"
Montreal Neurological Institute
E-Mail: al...@pet.mni.mcgill.ca -Paul Verlaine
spotts joel ( undc)
I agree the Bernstein recording isn't so great . I personally prefer
Toscanini's recording of Shostakovich's 7th.This was the American
premiere and since it was recorded smack in the middle of ww2 it conveys
the composers intentions quite well
>
Peter Herweijer
>I agree the Bernstein recording isn't so great . I personally prefer
>Toscanini's recording of Shostakovich's 7th.This was the American
>premiere and since it was recorded smack in the middle of ww2 it conveys
>the composers intentions quite well
Funny that you're saying that. If you can believe _Testimony_, Dmitri
abhorred Toscanini's way with his music (and any other music).
But then again, you can't always believe _Testimony_.
- Peter Herweijer
pie...@sci.kun.nl
Neil Tingley
dhi...@pitt.edu "David Hillman" writes:
> Sounds like a production error to me, but who knows: maybe it is someone
> at the concert in the first row.
>
Glenn Gould was in the orchestra ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neil Tingley
ne...@music.demon.co.uk
Edinburgh
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David M. Cook
spotts joel ( undc) <jsp...@gl.umbc.edu> wrote:
>I agree the Bernstein recording isn't so great . I personally prefer
>Toscanini's recording of Shostakovich's 7th.This was the American
>premiere and since it was recorded smack in the middle of ww2 it conveys
>the composers intentions quite well
Shostakovich had very nasty things to say about this recording. It was
pretty obvious from his comments that it does not convey his intentions.
Dave Cook
Deryk Barker
: On 6 Jan 1995, Richard A. Muirden wrote:
: > for the 7th, from the a.f.s FAQ:
: >
: > #7 : Scottish National Orchestra/Jarvi [DDD] (Chandos CHAN 8623)
: > LPO/Haitink [DDD] (Decca 425 068-2)
: > Czech PO/Ancerl [AAD] (Supraphon 111952-2)
: > Chicago SO/Bernstein [w/ #1] [DDD/Live] (DG 426 632-2)
: >
: > The Ancerl is said to be the best.
: >
: > I can't stand the Bernstein. too slow and pondering.
: I agree the Bernstein recording isn't so great . I personally prefer
: Toscanini's recording of Shostakovich's 7th.This was the American
: premiere and since it was recorded smack in the middle of ww2 it conveys
: the composers intentions quite well
Wouldn't give it house room. Toscanini's behaviour over this premiere
was, IMHO, discgraceful. It was Stokowski who persuaded NBC to arrange
for the manuscript to be microfilmed and smuggled (via Iran?)
overseas. Stokey was fully intending to give the Western premiere, but
Toscanini obviously decided that he should, as he was the only good
conductor in the world. Wouldn't it be interesting, he wrote to
Stokowski, to hear an old anti-fascist conducting the work of a young
anti-fascist? (No....)
Funnily enough I don't believe Toscanini had ever shown much (or even
any) interest in Shostakovich's music before, but the premiere of the
Leningrad was going to be a *big* occasion.
Owing to Toscanini's pull at NBC he wrested the premier from
Stokowski, although it wasn't long before he decided he didn't think
much of the music.
Pearl recently released Stokowski first performance of the 7th,
recorded and broadcast a few months after Toscanini's monument to his
own selfishness. It's c/w the 1st and 5th and a couple of the Op34
preludes orchestrated by Stokowski - who obviously cared a good deal
for DSCH's music.
--
Deryk.
===========================================================================
|Deryk Barker, Computer Science Dept. | Across the pale parabola of Joy |
|Camosun College, Victoria, BC, Canada | |
|email: dba...@camosun.bc.ca | Ralston McTodd |
|phone: +1 604 370 4452 | (Songs of Squalor). |
===========================================================================
David M. Cook
Ward Hardman <har...@saturn.sdsu.edu> wrote:
>Perhaps some Shostakovitch experts out there can inform me as to whether
>this was a delusion on my part, caused by giddiness over the amount of cash
>I had conserved.
Well, I think the symphony itself stinks, so your lucky not to have wasted
too much money on it. Better to shell out the big bucks for good versions
of 1, 4-6, 8-10 and maybe 13 and 11 (I haven't heard 2, 3, 12 or 14.)
Dave Cook
Ward Hardman
: > for the 7th, from the a.f.s FAQ:
: >
: > #7 : Scottish National Orchestra/Jarvi [DDD] (Chandos CHAN 8623)
: > LPO/Haitink [DDD] (Decca 425 068-2)
: > Czech PO/Ancerl [AAD] (Supraphon 111952-2)
: > Chicago SO/Bernstein [w/ #1] [DDD/Live] (DG 426 632-2)
: >
: > The Ancerl is said to be the best.
: >
One day last year, I was standing in my local Tower (Records) contemplating
whether to shell out $30+ for the 2-CD Bernstein, when I spied a single-CD
Stradivarius version by Anton Nanut (of the North?) and the Ljubjana (sp?)
Symphony, for $4.44. I decided that wasn't risking too much, and took it
home. I was surprised at how good the sound and performance turned out to
be, certainly the Bernstein could not have been worth 7 times as much!
David Hillman
Neil Tingley <Ne...@music.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <3eia09$e...@usenet.srv.cis.pitt.edu>
> dhi...@pitt.edu "David Hillman" writes:
>
>> Sounds like a production error to me, but who knows: maybe it is someone
>> at the concert in the first row.
>>
>Glenn Gould was in the orchestra ?
If it were Gould (or Celibidache--I noticed him "singing" along on the two
disks of his I've heard), he would have been accompanying the music, not
just talking.
Alain DAGHER
: In article <3f6qgi$2...@pandora.sdsu.edu>,
: Ward Hardman <har...@saturn.sdsu.edu> wrote:
Why do you think it stinks? You're not alone, by the way. I believe
Bartok felt the same and even quoted that theme (in derision) from the
first movement in one of his pieces (does anyone know which one?).
Personally, I like the 7th. I think the 4th is a complete failure
however. It sounds to me like an attempt to out-mahler Mahler, but it
is just very loud and doesn't go anywhere.
Fred Goldrich
> I believe
>Bartok felt the same and even quoted that theme (in derision) from the
>first movement in one of his pieces (does anyone know which one?).
The theme introduced by the clarinet at bar 77 of the 4th
movement of the Concerto for Orchestra is said to be a parody of
the Shostakovich melody.
--
Fred Goldrich
gold...@panix.com
strasser michael c
On 16 Jan 1995, Alain DAGHER wrote:
> David M. Cook (dc...@linux5.ph.utexas.edu) wrote:
> : In article <3f6qgi$2...@pandora.sdsu.edu>,
> : Ward Hardman <har...@saturn.sdsu.edu> wrote:
>
> : >Perhaps some Shostakovitch experts out there can inform me as to whether
> : >this was a delusion on my part, caused by giddiness over the amount of cash
> : >I had conserved.
>
> : Well, I think the symphony itself stinks, so your lucky not to have wasted
> : too much money on it. Better to shell out the big bucks for good versions
> : of 1, 4-6, 8-10 and maybe 13 and 11 (I haven't heard 2, 3, 12 or 14.)
>
> Why do you think it stinks? You're not alone, by the way. I believe
> Bartok felt the same and even quoted that theme (in derision) from the
> first movement in one of his pieces (does anyone know which one?).
>
Alain,
Is this a quiz, or are you really asking? :-) It was the Concerto for
Orchestra.
Regards,
Mike
Gavin Ramsay
>Personally, I like the 7th. I think the 4th is a complete failure
>however. It sounds to me like an attempt to out-mahler Mahler, but it
>is just very loud and doesn't go anywhere.
I like the 7th as well. However, I think his 4th is one of his best
works. Admitidley, there are just too many ideas to make a fully
integrated symphonic piece. Have you heard it live? - its there that
its full impact is felt. I'll be hearing Gergiev and the Concertgebouw
do it on friday. Hope it is as good as the live jarvi and lazarev i
heard before.
Gav
Ohn Christian
: Ward Hardman <har...@saturn.sdsu.edu> wrote:
So now we know almost everything: what do you think of #15 ?
Christian
David M. Cook
I only have an old LP by Kondrashin. I'll have to dig it out and give it
a listen.
I agree with Alain that 4 is an odd duck, but I find it fascinating,
whereas 7 seems to go on and on and on...It's thematic material seems
stretched much too thin.
Dave Cook
Mike Quigley#2
of DS's 7th, but I quite like the DGG Bernstein one, mainly because of
its lease-breaking qualities. Royal S. Brown raved about this version
in a review in Fanfare, and described the accompanying version of the 1st
symphony as "perfect".
James Richard Gourlay
>In article <ramsay.7...@ruunb7.fys.ruu.nl>, ram...@fys.ruu.nl (Gavin Ramsay)
>> Have you heard it live? -
>>
>
>---Peter.
Why keepus in suspense - what did you think of the concert? Was it a good
performance or not? Does it live up to expectation?
Certainly it would be hard to beat the Jarvi version - he seems
so capable of oing everything with Shostakovich.
Charles E Ehrlich
>Indeed, Bernstein's latest version may even irritate the listener for his
^^^^^^
You mean he's still recording? That would be something! I would bet his
tempi have slowed down considerably... ;^)
>way of conducting, as in all his latest recordings for DG (think of Dvorak
Charles Ehrlich
Wolfson College (Oxford)
Neil Tingley
ram...@fys.ruu.nl "Gavin Ramsay" writes:
Did you hear those performances in Edinburgh. I did. Lazerev was nearly
stunning and Jarvi was a long time before I came to adore the 4th.