Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9
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Music CD Cover
Edition: Music CDCD Release Date: 2004-05-11
Music Label: Philips
Soundtracks:
- I. Moderato
- II. Allegretto
- III. Largo
- IV. Allegro Non Troppo
- I. Allegro
- II. Moderato
- III. Presto
- IV. Largo
- V. Allegretto - Allegro
Free Music Notes for Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9
Free Music Review: Highly confident, forward-looking performances from Gergiev
Hit: 5 Stars
As the mixed reviews would suggest, Gergiev's Shotakovich Fifth and Ninth won't be to everyone's taste. If you are looking for the best possible sound and superb orchestral execution, however, you need look no further--these are plush readings captured in demonstration-quality sonics. The problems, if they arise, have to do with interpretation. Gergiev sees both works as positive and forward-loking; there are no hidden messages from a dissident artist suffering under totalitarian oppression.
In other words, Gergiev gives us "official" Shostakovich, and that affronts listeners who want these works to be subversive. Leonard Bernstein took the same positive approach to the Fifth Sym. in his famous 1959 recording, and yet Gergiev betters him in grandness, helped by incredibly lifelike sound. The Kirov Orch. outplays the NY Phil, the first Russian ensemble of which this could be said. We hear Shostakovich's music executed with such precision and fullness that it's quite breathtaking at times, and the Largo of the Fifth is even more eloquent than usual under Gergiev's passionate direciton. Bernstein surpasses his rival only in the finale, where instead of following the composer's fairly measured opening Allegro, Bernstein races away in a breathless Presto that transforms the music and rids it of pomposity. Gergive adheres to the score and therefore runs the risk of sounding rhetorical.
The Ninth is performed with equally impressive technique, and here Gergiev has a new idea. The Ninth offended the Soviet musical establishment with its cheekiness; a heroic symphony was expected in tribute to the travail of the Russian people during WW II. Ever since, conductors have tried to outdo each other to make the Ninth even more irreverent--a raspberry in the face of a repressive regime--but Gergiev expands it into another forward-looking, positive work. You may miss the irreverence, but in this optimistic version the symphony sounds bigger, more important, and also more measured. I was convinced by Gergiev on his own terms, and again the beauty of the recorded sound is quite seductive.
In all, this is a major release in the Shostakovich discography and a great success for all concerned.
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9 Poster
Gergiev pairs Shostakovich's most popular symphony with one of his wittiest. The Fifth was a lifesaver for the composer, literally. He'd come under severe attack from Stalin and his minions over the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and Siberia or worse loomed. The Fifth was his response, a 1937 work of "socialist realism" glorifying "Soviet man." The subtext was quite different, the finale's numbing outburst of screaming brass and relentless drums implicitly damning the official line. But it's hardly a formulaic work, as its attractive melodies are clothed in typical Shostakovichian garb. Gergiev and the Kirov band capture the buildup of tension in the first movement, the sardonic nature of the Allegretto, and the grim Largo, as well as that ambiguous finale. The post-war Ninth was a return to his earlier cheeky style, a witty work full of high spirits. The Kirov excels here too, capturing the mocking vulgarity of the second movement and the satirical finale. Identical pairings of the two works are available from Yuri Temirkanov and Leonard Bernstein, but Gergiev's belongs in their company. --Dan DavisClassical Music CDs
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