Customer Reviews

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I respectfully disagree with the previous reviewer. I have greatly enjoyed this recording. Both symphonies are well-recorded. Gergiev extracts strong performances from the brass, strings, and woodwinds . . . Quite a musical hat trick. In particuarly, I am fond of the performance of the 5th very compelling. The conductor takes a brisk tempo that lifts the movement up from the maudlin, plodding pace that many conductors including Benrstein take. Overall, there's a refreshing crispness to this interpretation.

The sound is full and gives decent perspective of the orchestra without being over-miked. Dynamic contrasts are very large. Soundstaging is expansive. I really think that performing these symphonies live has really focussed the conductor and the orchestra.

In sum, a much better recording than the "classic" Bernstein one. On that disc, you can hear how multiple sessions have been spliced into a Frankenstein's monster of recording. This disc could be standard to which the performance of all future performances of the 5th and 9th will be held.

As the mixed reviews would suggest, Gergiev's exuberant Shostakovich Fifth and Ninth won't be to everyone's taste. If you are looking for up-to-date sound and superb orchestral execution, however, you need look no further--these are plush readings captured in superb sonics. The problems, if they arise, have to do with interpretation. Gergiev sees both works as positive and forward-looking; 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 Russian 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. Gergiev adheres to the score and therefore runs the risk of sounding rhetorical; there are some dawdling moments in the quiet middle section also.

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. (Gergiev's 2009 remake on the Mariinsky label is much the same interpretation.)

In all, this is a major release in the Shostakovich discography and a success for all concerned.

Valery Gergiev has recorded Shostakovich's most popular and well-known symphony, #5. Not only that, he has recorded it along with #9, the same pairing as two of the best known recordings of #5 by Bernstein and Haitink. #9 was recorded in the Kirov's own Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, and #5 was recorded in Finland, both in 2002. Both are superbly performed and recorded, and showcase the distinctive strength of Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra -- delving into the score and bringing out lush details often overlooked by others.

Why then only four stars? I reserve my fifth star for Symphony #5 for Rostropovich's shattering performance on DG from the 1970s, currently unavailable. This new Gergiev rendition is quite good, comparable in quality overall to Mravinsky's 1984 account and Haitink's on Decca (see my reviews of both). Gergiev chooses a strange way to resolve the controversy over the ending -- Bernstein and some others present a real triumph, while others, including Mravinsky, Rostropovich and Haitink, present a mock triumph, or a triumph of evil. This interpretation is achieved by slowing down the tempo. Gergiev rolls right through the ending with no inflection either way -- the climax becomes a non-climax. I find this totally unsatisfactory. Rostropovich's triumph of evil may be an exaggeration of the score, but its power is undeniable.

As for #9, the only version I had heard previously was Haitink's. Gergiev takes the first movement considerably slower. I prefer Haitink's faster-paced interpretation, but the tempo gives Gergiev room to bring out lush flourishes, which is one of his trademarks. Just listen to his "Le Sacre du printemps" by Stravinsky (see my review) -- though it is episodic and loses momentum, there are brilliant, detailed passages that other accounts miss. The recording quality of the new Philips discs is far superior to the old Decca recordings by Haitink as well, as a back-to-back listen immediately reveals.

Gergiev's new recording of Shostakovich's #7, released last year, was universally acclaimed as setting a new standard for that work, long reviled by critics as overly bombastic (see my review). How? Mainly by bringing out the lush details in the central movements. He has not produced such a definitive breakthrough with this new #5/#9, but it is a fine rendition, worth hearing as an introduction to the works, or as an addition to a shelf of various interpretations and performances.

A disappointing release. After having heard Gergiev do broadcasts of the Fourth Symphony and both from St Petersburg and from the Met of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, this release of the Fifth and Ninth Symphonies does not measure up to the standard that can be expected from him and his Mariinsky forces. There is no better referendum on the results that come on this recording, than the consistently excellent solos from all the first stands, and long by now, the fully developed cohesion of all sections in this orchestra.

All of this is fine, but when rehearsal, preparation time is lacking, there is nothing better to rely upon than a few gimmicks. Hearing this sort of thing happen, if one was new to Gergiev, would make one think that he had not been around the block more than a couple of times, when so many of us know that nothing could be farther from the truth.

One does not have to listen very far on this disc, to pick out what I talk about here. The bulgy allargando gestures on the opening dotted figures that start to the opening movement of Five is a case in point. Steeply arched crescendi to anticipate restatements of ideas early on also begin to give the game away, along with the constant underlining, and grunting, groaning from the podium to further abet this way of going about things. The middle section of the first movement gets pushed very hard, but without quite an entirely sufficient or sufficiently planned goal in mind, so that the recapitulatory statement of the main theme ultimately gets undercut. Same error in judgment that happens on so many Bernstein recordings, his 1959 recording of this piece a notable exception. Apart from exaggerating one or two more lyrical gestures, the closing section of the first movement goes very well.

Solo work at the end of the first movement, and apart from an excessively halting oboe solo at the end of the second movement, there as well, is all excellent, again. Gergiev both starts and ends the second movement too heavily, with far too much underlining, but a good eighty percent of the movement goes very well. The cat and mouse for the reprise of the scherzo between plucked violins and bassoons underneath, while not being a novel touch, does enliven things quite a bit.

The same problems that afflict the first movement also hurt the slow movement. The opening statement in the violins sags, depriving the opening section of this movement of line. Climactic places in the movement are undercut by there having been too much underlining again earlier. Following the largest crest to the line in the opening section of this movement, marked Largamente, being undercut, the Poco piu mosso section that follows quickly becomes very episodic. Apart from harp beginning to drown out celesta in the closing line to this movement, the atmosphere is almost entirely right for the end of the movement. The finale to Five here is also almost entirely episodic in character. Reminder of the failure on Philips that the green Bychkov with Berlin was on this piece, is the slightly excessive legato for the cortege reprise of the opening theme in lower winds. Once into the D Major coda, Gergiev goes full out in making the close of this movement seem as oppressive as the composer most likely wished, with an effective sharp cutoff for the percussion right before deliberately elaborated cadence.

The Ninth Symphony fares even a little less well than the Fifth here. Gergiev opens the first movement in chamber orchestra vein, with what sounds like a reduced number of violins. Things quickly get sombre, heavy, and in rhythmic shape, foursquare, making the opening in retrospect seem entirely insipid and the entire effort humorless. Kondrashin is criticized for being too unsmiling with this music. His Ninth in at least his Philips recording of it, is severe, along clearly drawn classical lines, the element of parody in this music never out of perspective, but this is sombre. Forced, rather slurpy rubato weighs down the slow quasi Valse triste second movement, the scherzo is pushed too hard, and the finale almost goes ahead of the finale to the Fifth here, in sounding completely episodic.

A fine Eighth (1994) on Philips, that for a few critics warned of glibness beginning to surface from Gergiev, for my purposes still makes the cut, albeit without effacing memories of Mravinsky with this piece. I have yet to hear the new release of the Fourth, but based on the broadcast I heard six years ago, there is some reason for hope for this release.

In terms of orchestral brilliance and sound quality, this disc of Five and Nine merits four stars, and for the diehard Gergiev fan out there, probably will work entirely. I give it two, because of how much better on this music can be expected than we get here. The Haitink coupling of Five and Nine, the latter a bit too sombre in a few places, originally in a pairing on cd with an excellent First, makes a sound recommendation, if a little shy of a definitive one for these two works. For those who do not mind dated sound quality, Ancerl and Mravinsky should be sought out for recordings of the Fifth.

The symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich are in the body and heart of conductor Valery Gergiev. Put him on the podium before his Kirov Orchestra and the results are richly textured, tense, exciting, and satisfying performances. This album, which aptly pairs the Fifth and the Ninth Symphonies, is all the more vital in that it is recorded during live performances. The acoustics are grand and spacious and the arching lines and quirky diversions inherent in Shostakovich's work are refined and at the same time 'raw', in the best sense of the word. In the Fifth, Gergiev surprises with a few personal inflections in his timings and phrasings and makes the first movement especially fresh. Few conductors can serve these quintessential Russian symphonies better than Gergiev. Keep the whole cycle coming!

I bought this recording with great expectations. What could be a better combination that Gergiev and Shostakovitch performed by the finest Russian orchestra of today? Unfortunately the music-making is half-hearted. It is rhythmically slack and intensity varies greatly from blinding white heat to let's just get through this. As always Gergiev has some fascinating moments (check out the last oboe solo in the Mvmt. II of the fifth) but I think he is just simply too busy to put his whole heart in to any particular project. I remember reading that the ninth was recorded in the middle of the night as well. This is not the greatest of conditions for creating an exceptional performance. All in all, a disapointment.

I wish I could rave more about this recording. This isn't a bad outing, by any means, but seems "average" in comparison with other readings of these works.

The Fifth Symphony, one of the composer's most popular, is quite well represented, and some of these just seem to have more electricity than this one. (One favorite: Haitink and the Concertgebouw, on Decca.) The Ninth is taken at a fairly genial tempo, capturing the humor, but somehow the net result seems pleasant but not vital. Granted, the Ninth may not be everyone's first choice for the title of "Greatest Shostakovich Symphony," but it still has many moments worth hearing.

The Kirov sounds like its usual wonderful self, and the recording is good, even if not the clearest Philips has done with this team. If you adore Gergiev and the orchestra, and don't have either of these works, by all means give it a try. Again, not a bad recording by any means, but it didn't quite lift my spirits as I expected it to.

On the other hand, do check out his recording of the Shostakovich 7th, with the combined Kirov and Rotterdam orchestras, for a better example of that Gergiev electricity.

This Philips disc gives us a performance of Dmitri Shostakovich's Fifth and Ninth symphonies by the the Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg conducted by Valery Gergiev. I found it rather lackluster and not one of the essential recordings of these works.

The Fifth is perhaps Shostakovich's most well-known symphony, written in 1935 as the composer was chided for not conforming to the socialist realist norms of his country's new musical tradition in some earlier works. It is only faux socialist realism, for underneath this veneer lies a great deal of musical trickery. Those interested in Shostakovich's real socialist-realist efforts, which are really his greatest works, should look to the Third or Twelfth symphonies.

At first, Gergiev's handling of the 5th shows excellent sensitivity and pacing. The sound is pleasant and keeps the listener involved. Unfortunately, everything falls apart at the fourth and final movement. Gergiev conducts it far too fast, and a lot of the emotional weight and sense of praise and triumph (whether of Communism, of freedom, of Man, who knows) is gone. The drums of the finale, which should sound proud, are instead brash and unappealing.This was a profound disappointment after such a fine beginning. Subsequent listenings made it slightly less alienating, but I must say I still prefer the performance of the Royal Concertgeouw with Haitink.

The Ninth is certainly the least substantial of Shostakovich's symphonies. Written to celebrate the end of World War II, it is no triumphant praise of the Soviet motherland or proud victory march, but rather a light piece of simple relief and new contentedness. This is supposed to be an airy and breezy piece, but Gergiev drives the orchestra to play too heavily and in certain portions (as at the end of the first movement) the result is simply cacophonous.

The liner notes, written by Andrew Huth, are merely satisfactory, though they give a fuller perspective on the impact of the 9th than those of many recordings. The coverage of the 5th loses points, however, for quoting TESTIMONY, the supposed memoirs of Shostakovich as told to Simon Volkov which his widow and many close friends have revealed as forgery. The graphic design of this release is rather poor, with misplaced images covering up text inside the booklet and incongruous World War II propaganda art outside. The back also proclaims "Sung text enclosed", though these are purely instrumental works. From this I got the impression that the entire deal was rather rushed, meant to capitalise on Gergiev's current fashionability and congrue with his earlier recording of the Seventh.

Generally I find this recording inferior to the same pairing conducting by Bernard Haitink with the Concertgebouw (5th) and London Sinfonietta (9th) available on Decca. It seems like a great mistep. Gergiev can be an excellent conductor--see his expert handling of Sofia Gubaidulina's magisterial JOHANNES-PASSION, but this is not one of his finer efforts.

As the title of this review reads, this

is all the music on this recording is

about. Music to apologize: after the

disaster of the opera "Lady Macbeth"

Shostakovich criticized to the point

by the authorities that his entire

opus was on japordy. The symphony #5

serves as an "apology" for past musical

"mistakes". Shostakovich used his genius

to once again win the favor of the authorities.

Music to cause problems: after Russia's

victory during the second world war, the

Soviet composers were expected to write patriotic

music to celebrate the victory over the

Germans. Shostakovich's task was in somewhat

seen somewhat more important, because his

1945 symphony bearing the auspicious # 9

and since Beethoven's 9th a composer's 9th

was to be epic and celebratory. Instead Shostakovich

composes his smallest symphony.

No chorus, nor soloists as the regime had

expected, this work was not liked by the

authorities, but abroad became one of the

composer's most liked and favorite of all.

Is a light work, in a more classical style.

Shostakovich places an eye back in the 18th

century with this work.

Gergiev and the Kirov do a wonderful work; and

the sound quality is great too.