Customer Reviews

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 7

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This is the performance of Shostakovich's Leningrad that I've been waiting for. Some people have said that this is not one of his finer symphonies. I dare you to listen to this recording and not come away moved. You simply will not hear this music played with more involvement or virtuostic power. The Chicago Symphony simply plays the living HECK out of this music.

The First movement opens brightly and broad. There's a real feeling of setting out on a great and magical journey. At the final variation of the march theme in the first movement, right before the music beings to collapse, the bass drum has never been captured better. If you've got a good sub, prepare for your floor to rattle! The 2nd movement is taken very slowly. This is no moderato. But the slower tempo gives it a somber, almost meditative like quality. His Adagio is the most heartfelt I have ever heard, and most surprising(thank God), completely lacking in that infamous melodrama via massive rubato that came with so many of Bernstein's later recordings. And then the Coda of the finale....as other reviews have mentioned, it is amazing. When I first heard it, I just kinda sat there for a few minutes and didn't do or say anything, totally stupified by what I had just heard. It is so LOUD! This one will have the neighbors going crazy. That bass trombonist is a MONSTER! As to the question whether the symphony ends in real triumph or manufactured triumph, Bernstein's is definately in the real triumph camp.

Bernstein's overall timing is the longest ever recorded, clocking around 84 minutes, about 10 minutes more than average. This is the only recording I know of that requires a second disc to hold it. In particular, the 2nd movement clocks in at nearly 15 minutes, quite a stretch from the usual 11 or so. But, his orchestra is so involved and electrifying, that the broad tempi do not decrease the excitement in the least. Indeed, throughout the entire performance, Bernstein's tempi will only astounish you rather than offend you. Taken as a whole, the interpretation is one of the freshest and most original out there.

While I would not be without some other faster recordings, if you're looking for a single Leningrad, I would recommend this one as a first choice. Don't worry about the price. It's well worth it.

After listening to this unforgettable performance of Dmitri Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony, every other performance you hear of the piece will undoubtedly seem mild-mannered and restrained by comparison. Yep, this recording is THAT imposing. (Better yet, it never gets dull every time I hear it.) Sure, the purist could quibble with some of conductor Leonard Bernstein's subjective adjustments (the unmarked gradual accelerando in the second half of the fourth movement) and slow tempos (the second movement, more "Adagio" than the marked "Moderato, poco allegretto")---and yet, under Bernstein's baton, it all pays off, and the performance grips the ear like no other recording of the piece I've heard (although I do not claim to have heard a wide range of them). The Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays magnificently, and its brass section will make your jaw drop in the closing stages of the finale, so loudly and perfectly it plays its final peroration. Definitely one of my favorite classical discs (and, I'll admit it, I'm an admirer of Leonard Bernstein, at least on record).

I don't have much to say about the coupling, the performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, except to say that this was my first encounter with the piece, and under Bernstein's baton, it certainly seems like the charming yet strikingly modern student symphony that the booklet notes imply it is. But the "Leningrad" is the thing here, and it is just stellar.

Bernstein was 70 when he made this, his only recording with the Chicago Sym., and he was already debilitated and tired. Given his bad health, it's a wonder that these performances of the Shostakovich First and Seventh Sym. are as vital as they are. From anyone else, I would give the Seventh five stars -- as you can see, the other reviewers unanimously praise it. It's a galvanzing reading, no doubt, captured in great sound. But Bernstein's first Shostakovich Seventh, made in 1962 with the NY Phil., was a miracle of spontaneous, totally committed music-making. If you want maximum sonic impact, buy this CSO recording instead, but get it in the new bargain box from DG that contains all of Bernstein's later Stravinsky and Shostakovich recordings. The latest remastering is impeccable throughout.

Paying full price for this 2-CD set would hurt less if the Sym. #1 were better. I find it lacking in mood and color; it sounds very well played and nicely detailed but little more. When it was over I felt neutral, whereas the earlier NY Phil. version is quirky and digs in more. Here, the sonics are excellent, far better than before.

Bernstein's Shostakovich has always been controversial: witness the plodding perfomance of the Symphony no. 9 in this series. However, he has achieved the unthinkable in the Leningrad. This performance must count as one of the greats of recorded music. The march of the German forces onto Leningrad, and subsequent onslaught, in the first movement is genuinely chilling. Bernstein has managed to make what is regarded as one of Shostakovich's worst symphonies (just ask Bartok) into something truly magic; a must for the Shostakovich and/or Bernstein devotee.

The only problem here is that Bernstein and the Chicago Symphony outdo even Mravinsky (orchestral precision, recorded sound quality, the conductor's commitment to the music) and convince all who care to listen that the "Leningrad" is one of the few masterpieces of the 20th Century. Which means other conductors and orchestras want to have a go at it -- and fall short of the mark, as they must. More so-so 7ths are not needed while this recording remains available.

Toscanini approaches the high voltage here, but the dated sound of the 1942 radio broadcast offers a dim outline compared the technicolor spectacle Bernstein/Chicago offer on these discs.

I spent the decade of the 80's in Chicago and had the opportunity to hear the Chicago Symphony and visiting Orchestras on a regular basis. The concert from which this recording took place is one of the three concert events that have a special place in my heart (the others being Tennsted's harrowing Mahler 6th and Solti's revalatory reading of Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle).

The heavens were aligned on this occasion. Bernstein was in the twilight of his career and this extremely rare pairing of Bernstein and the CSO was the buzz of the town. While I am not a fervent admirer of Bernstein (I think some of his later readings are indulgent and mannered and a live concert in Chicago with him conducting the Vienna Philharmonic in the Sibelus 5th was a disaster), his choice of program and orchestra on this occassion was a perfect match.

The CSO played this piece with a conviction and passion that even suprised me. Bernstein's interpretation wrung every emotional ounce out of the score. But in comparison to other Bernstein performances, the excess did not seem to distort the piece out of place, it only added to the emotional experience.

As the piece ended, you could see that Bernstein and the CSO were both physically and emotionally drained. The audience also was somewhat in a state of shock over what they had just witnessed. But even through the exhaustion, you could see Bernstein beaming from ear to ear over what had just been accomplished.

A hundred years hence, when the story of twentieth century music has been conclusively written, I believe that the Shostakovich Seventh will go down as one of the handful of truly great works. I think the piece has been underrated since 1945, when all the "serious" critics started retreating from its historical and propaganda value. Once all of that (including the backlash) is washed away, only the music will remain - and what music it is! For me it's by far the best Shostakovich symphony, an opinion I know is not widely shared (but then again, I like progressive rock so my tastes run a bit to the "bombastic").

The Seventh is also interesting as further proof that all film music is lifted wholesale from the masters. Listen to the "invasion" sequence of the first movement, and you'll see where Alex North's got his theme from "Spartacus". Did North think we wouldn't notice?

This is THE recording of the Seventh, and the First is entirely wonderful as well...but for me it's like comparing the brightness of the moon against the sun...the Seventh is that fantastic.

I agree with the previous reviewers who thought this was anextraordinary 7th. In those reviews, though, there hasn't been much,if any, mention of the 1st, also an amazing piece (What were you doingwhen you were 18? Not writing a piece like this, I'll wager). I willsay without any hesitation whatsoever that this is greatestperformance of the 1st I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot of them(about 40 years ago, I watched Stokowski rehearse the NY Phil in the1st; they reached the big climax in the last movement, and then SaulGoodman, rest his soul, attacked the tympani solo and broke a drumhead with a loud thwang, which broke up everybody, includingStokowski, who ended the rehearsal, laughing). It isn't evenclose. This music was just in Bernstein's blood and this performanceis perfectly paced with tremendous impact. It also doesn't hurt thathe was conducting the Chicago Symphony. What an orchestra!

Love this Leningrad. It's now available for even a cheaper price in a re-released version. It is the same performance and the sound is exactly the same. But it's much cheaper, nearly cutting the price of this issue in half! Do yourself a favor by picking up this smashing Leningrad Symphony today in it's reissued form.

After my first listening, I was immediately hooked on this 2-CD set of Shostakovich's first and seventh symphonies. These performances are the most groundshaking, awe-inspiring performances of Shostakovich works currently available on record. But could you really expect less of Lenny and the amazing Chicago Symphony Orchestra(especially their famous brasses)? If you don't know much about Shostakovich or aren't such a huge fan, this set is guaranteed to get you hooked. The performances are incredibly passionate and full of life. You hear these performances with colors, textures, and life that only Bernstein could elicit from an orchestra. The strings sing passionately and the brasses blare loudly, resulting in a terrifyingly overpowering performance. Plus, you get it all in crystal clear digital sound. I can't overemphasize how great the sound is in these recordings. I guarantee it'll have your speakers rattling and the neighbors wondering why you listen to heavy metal so loud. The performance and sound quality are truly amazing, and the compositions are first rate. This is truly essential listening.