Shostakovich: The Execution of Stepan Razin; Two Fables after Krylov

Dmitry Shostakovich (Composer), Michail Jurowski (Conductor), Cologne Radio Orchestra (Orchestra), Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Cologne Radio Orchestra, Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester
• Conductor: Michail Jurowski
• Composer: Dmitry Shostakovich
• Audio CD (April 25, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capriccio
• ASIN: B000026D1X
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,007 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Performance of a 20th Century Cantata Masterpiece, November 20, 2000

By 

Matrina Lesko - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shostakovich: The Execution of Stepan Razin; Two Fables after Krylov (Audio CD)

Here are a few more details about this recording to augment the...descriptions on the Amazon.com page: This recording includes: The Execution of Stepan Razin, Op. 119 (Stanislaw Sulejmanow, bass, Cologne Radio Chorus, Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michail Jurowski, conductor); Two Fables after Krylow, Op. 4 (Tamara Sinjawskaja, mezzo soprano, orchestra and conductor as above); Intermezzos from "Katarina Ismailova" (original version 1934; the opera was originally named "Lady Macbeth of Mtinsk" but was also performed in 1934 under the name "Katarina Ismailova" -- the name the 1962 revision holds). I got this recording for the Execution of Stepan Razin, which I learned in 1970 from the original recording with Nestorenko as the bass. It is a truly thrilling half-hour work, with a text by the Russian poet, Yevgeni Yevtushenko. The story is a vivid description of the execution of a Russian Robin Hood in 1671 and offers many opportunities for the narrator and crowd, to say nothing of the full orchestra, for both high and subtle drama. The original recording by Nestorenko should be reissued. It is thrilling beyond description -- starting with the enormity of Nestorenko's voice and the super human control he has over it. This is not a piece for a bass baritone of even the Wagnerian stripe: only a true Russian basso will do. What is more, the original recording has a special performing edge on it: each of the artists involved is quite aware of the fact that they're premiering a masterpiece, a masterpiece that will outlive them all. The present recording loses some of that edge; but that is to be expected. The work is being widely performed these days. It is already accruing various and sundry interpretive traditions -- the common fate of all great masterpieces with time. These traditions tend to iron out the rough transitions, as well as file down the high-risk highs and lows that typify premiere performances. In this vein, the present performance is rock solid. It is definitely the better of the two (!) recordings presently available. The Fables from Krylov catch Shostakovich in a silly mood. It is very interesting to hear works by the young master, to hear, so to speak, the mature master coming. It's really impossible for me to listen to the Intermezzi from Katarina Ismailova divorced from the opera -- I'm still much too close to the opera to be able to appreciate them as independent works. However, if you have no problem listening to the Intermezzi from Britten's Peter Grimes -- now a concert staple around the world -- you should have no trouble appreciating these short dramatic tone poems. It should be noted that Cappricio is recording the complete song cycles and cantatas of Shostakovich, offering fans of the composer a great opportunity to both acquaint themselves with unknown works and consider alternative interpretations in the vast Shostakovich catalog.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Savage Grandeur, April 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Shostakovich: The Execution of Stepan Razin; Two Fables after Krylov (Audio CD)

This is a very fine performance of "The Execution of Stephan Razin. The playing and singing seem to me more russian than the russian recording availible on chandos. The Bass Sulejmanow sings with great power and expressiveness, even if he does not always sing the written pitches. The orchestra and chorus play and sing with savage grandeur and with much expressive color. My big gripe is the text provided in the booklet. There is no russian transliterated or otherwise. The german text from which the english translation is taken leaves out large portions of the narrative. Therefore it is impossible to follow the story.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I'd rather have Kondrashin, August 25, 2006

By 

Jan Egil Kristiansen "janegil17" (Faroe Islands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shostakovich: The Execution of Stepan Razin; Two Fables after Krylov (Audio CD)

I much prefer the old Melodiya LP with Kirill Kondrashin's Execution of Stepan Razin. Kondrashin takes the listener into the drama, while Jurowski leaves us as audience in a theatre. Nice music, but we are not part of the action.