Customer Reviews

Shostakovich: The Jazz Album

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If Shostakovich had decided to write in the Russian folk idiom, this CD would probably be the best glimpse into that genre.

Intending to raise the level of Soviet jazz, we now have two jazz suites scored for orchestra, but featuring instruments used in a way we don't normally hear in Shostakovich. Using xylophone, twangy guitar, accordion, harmonica, and saxophones, we are treated to various "dance forms" such as waltzes, polkas, foxtrots, and marches. Shostakovich goes from the militant, to the humorous, to the sensual, each with an engaging and "catchy" Russian melody and unusual orchestration. He also orchestrates the famous "Tea for Two" into a short fantasia, which is rather whimsical.

The 1st piano concerto is a kind of odd fit on this CD in my opinion. More in the vein of what we are used to hearing from mainstream Shostakovich, he is rather melodic and often quotes from other works. The bare bones orchestration of piano, trumpet, and strings gives this work a very transparent feel. The first movement has an ominous opening theme. The slow second movement is very exciting in its own right with its sense of drama, rarely dwelling in lugubriousness, carrying the sense of dread from the first movement. The third movement is a sort of recitative to the last movement. The last movement has an unusual string mode mixture, the piano goes into a dance feel and the trumpet has some fanfare licks. Both piano and trumpet work together very well as separate soloists in this movement. He ends in a fury with piano and string poundings, the piano has some raucous quotes, and the trumpet ends with fanfares.

Overall, the performances are stellar. The jazz suites have natural Russian flair, the slow with great sumptuousness, the fast never taking itself too seriously and never careening out of control. The piano concerto doesn't fit the program in my opinion, but a very fine performance indeed. This CD is a must for any collection and an easy introduction to the lighter side of Shostakovich.

It's too bad that Riccardo Chailly and the Concertgebouw haven't recorded more Shostakovich (perhaps because Haitink did), since this project is pretty winning. As several other reviewers have noted, however, the term "jazz" here is a bit of a misnomer. Some of the music is lighter than usual for the composer, but anyone expecting to find even as much as what Bernstein created in his "jazz moments" is likely to be a bit disappointed.

But never mind, the recording is superb. Shostakovich's "Piano Concerto No. 1," for piano, trumpet and strings, is one of his most wittily engaging works, and Ronald Brautigam (piano) and Peter Masseurs (trumpet) sound wonderful. The final movement is fairly hilarious, despite a somewhat introspective middle movement that precedes it. The second of the two "Jazz Suites" has the dark little waltz made famous by its appearance in Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut." (This is the very recording used in the film.)

As if all this weren't enough, the concert closes with the composer's hilarious take on "Tea for Two" called "Tahiti Trot." Its sparkling insouciance is a gentle reminder that despite the composer's anguish and pain, he still had wit to spare.

Terrific playing, terrific sound, and lovely cover art, too. One of Chailly's best, most imaginative recordings with this orchestra.

If you only know Shostakovich for big doom-laden symphonies or politically incorrect operas, then think again - allow your ears to be tickled pink by the delicate, fun-filled orchestration and sparkling melodies of these items of musical confectionary!! "Jazz" is probably not the best description of this style - the equivalent of 1930's vaudeville and cafe music for the Soviet populace. Chailly and the Royal Concertgebouw have obviously had the time of their lives (and a great laugh!) while making this disc - may I recommend track 10 (Dance No 1) if you need cheering up? A brilliant CD and a showcase for the amazing talents of one of the century's greatest composers/entertainers!!

- in fact that should have been very recommendable, but I ran out of space... Just like Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 has been eternally linked to "Elvira Madigan", the second waltz from the Jazz Suite no. 2 risks being eternally linked to "Eyes Wide Shut". Eventhough this might not be all bad - "Eyes Wide Shut" is an excellent film - it is not fair, because the Jazz Suites are so much more than just Waltz No. 2. As other reviewers have said, this is far from the Shostakovich most known - in fact, the music, in particular the waltzes (which all have a certain likeliness to no. 2), makes me associate to Strauss and Vienna rather than to Shostakovich and Russia. The Jazz Suites are cheerful, with tones of solemnity, making the piano concerto stand back a little like "just an ordinary piano concerto", not because it is not good, but because it lacks the spirit of the suites... And eventually, just a small warning. You should not buy this album if you want to buy a jazz album - it certainly isn't. But you should definitely consider buying it, anyway.

I can hardly add anything to what the other reviewers have previously said but just a personal opinion: I am not an expert in Shostakovich and I used to stay away from his music (until now); the music recorded here is not a typical example of what he did afterwards (i.e. symphonies, string quartets...), but this CD is really magic. It is true that it looks like film music more than standard jazz, but Shostakovich's talent for melody and orchestration (look for example the Tahiti trot) is outstanding. And even here, in music which is not intended to be very deep, you can appreciate the infinite sadness that would characterize his future music, his undeniable russian style and sometimes the joy of life and youth. Besides, the performing and recording are very good, so you can't ask for anything more.

As the previous review so rightly said, there is so much more to Shostakovich than his concertos and orchestral works (although those are consistently excellent). Here, Chailly and the Concertgebouw Orchestra do a marvellous job in making these already-morish pieces even more addictive. Having played the 2nd Jazz Suite myself (playing xylophone in a wind band arrangement) I was particularly eager to hear an alternative version of the work, and this recording handles it superbly (listen particularly to Dance 1 and the Finale). And finishing with the irresistable Tahiti Trot makes this collection of light music a treasure of anyone's CD collection.

Although he was much better known as a composer of symphonies, fifteen in all (the most of any major composer since Beethoven), many of them large and bold, Dmitri Shostakovich had moments where he could be light-hearted. Given that he worked under the watchful eyes of the Soviet Communist Party and that tyrant of Iron Curtain political correctness Joseph Stalin, this is nothing short of a miracle. This album of "jazz music", all of which was composed in the 1920s and 1930s, demonstrates Shostakovich's more "light-hearted" side.

The works featured here include the composer's First Piano Concerto (with pianist Ronald Brautigam and trumpeter Peter Masseurs), the famous Tahiti Trot, and the two Jazz Suites that Shostakovich composed in 1934 and 1938 respectively. Each of the four works gives us the knowledge that Shostakovich knew how to be wickedly subversive and humorous under severe conditions, though it is not necessarily "jazz music" the way Americans might think. There are twists in these works, as well: for example, the jaunty Foxtrot of the Jazz Suite No. 1 incorporates what sounds like a Dobro (more commonly associated with American bluegrass and country music).

The Jazz Suite No. 2, of course, contains the famous Second Waltz in the key of C Minor that director Stanley Kubrick used for his final film, the psychosexual drama EYES WIDE SHUT, in 1999. In fact, this very recording, by Riccardo Chailly and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, is the one that Kubrick used. It has a salon feel to it, and has as much in common with Johann Strauss' classic waltz style as it does with Shostakovich's own individualistic approach to things.

Both Brautigam and Masseurs are brilliant in the Concerto, and Chailly and the Concertgebouw demonstrate the kind of orchestral brilliance that serves them as well in this lesser-known Shostakovich collection as it does in their Bruckner and Mahler sojourns. It comes highly recommended as an unusual look into how great music with humor could be created under extreme circumstances.

Like many classical composers who have written jazz influenced music, Shostakovich's contribution falls easily into a salon orchestra style ... or what I refer to as "summer classical lite", the Boston Pops repetoire. And when that is the music I want to hear, I turn to Milhaud's Le Boeuf Sur Le Toit or this album. Several cuts make this a memorable album - Waltz from Jazz Suite No. 1 and the Tahiti Trot are the most obvious candidates for mention. Jazz Suite No. 2 is a bit more somber than No. 1 but still retains the summer carefreeness typical of salon music. The recording is of a consistently good orchestra clearly comfortable with the music ... treating it neither too seriously nor to frivolously. A delight to listen to.

I agree with the previous comments completely but would like to recommend Track 13 - Waltz No 2 which I felt the best part of Eyes Wide Shut - The Movie. It is the music which plays over the credits. My wife and I sat through the entire credits just to keep listening to this magical music. I then set out to track down what it was and rather than buy the soundtrack bought this entire recording. The rest is also fantastic. BUY IT!

...well, it's not-so-unusual in that the music reflects some of the more popular idioms from throughout Shostakovich's life. However, this is not the typical fare we expect from this composer, whose symphonies and string quartets are amongst the most important of the 20th century. Perhaps the most awesome fact is that this contemporary music permeated Soviet censorship, even making it onto the concert stage. And jazz seems to be a field Shostakovich entered with great aplomb - he had a high regard for a wide variety of jazz musicians, and these compositions prove he had more than merely a fleeting interest in writing music which reflected this style.

The jazz suites are excellent - light, attractive and witty, but it's his take on 'Tea for Two' ('Tahiti Trot') which is the most interesting. Challenged by conductor Nikolai Malko to come up with an orchestration of this piece within an hour, he managed to do it in 40 minutes - when listening to this you soon realise the complete genius he was when it came to orchestral arranging.

I love Shostakovich's typically passionate music, and this disc makes a different but very worthy addition to the collection.