Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 Leningrad

Dmitry Shostakovich (Composer), Kurt Masur (Conductor), New York Philharmonic (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
• Conductor: Kurt Masur
• Composer: Dmitry Shostakovich
• Audio CD (May 9, 2000)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Teldec
• ASIN: B00004S1EE
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,134 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Symphony No. 7 - Leningrad: I. Allegretto

2. Symphony No. 7 - Leningrad: II. Moderato (poco allegretto)

3. Symphony No. 7 - Leningrad: III. Adagio

4. Symphony No. 7 - Leningrad: IV. Allegro non troppo

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In Kurt Masur's straightforward and superbly recorded performance of Shostakovich's wartime Symphony No.7 ("Leningrad"), the listener can feel the composer's deep sense of loss for the devastation visited upon his native city, first by Stalin's Great Terror and then by the Nazis' 900-day siege, in which nearly a million civilians died from bombs, starvation, and exposure. The orchestral playing is suitably intense; the strings are rich-sounding and the brass powerful and brilliant. What keeps this performance from reaching the pinnacle achieved in a 1996 recording by Yuri Temirkanov and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic is a slight lack of rhythmic flexibility. In the work's final moments, for example, Masur maintains a strict tempo, while Temirkanov takes a Furtwängler-like retard that milks every ounce of the music's grandeur and excitement. In the first movement, Masur misses some of the movement's longing because, unlike Temirkanov, he does not sufficiently differentiate the March section from more relaxed episodes, in which the music seems to dissolve in a dreamy haze of sound. Masur is also less successful in capturing the Mahler-like keening of the third. And, wonderfully played as it is, Masur's finale is not as convincing as Temirkanov's. Without going over the top, Temirkanov's fervor and panache create visceral excitement in this otherwise rambling movement that Masur, for all his virtues, cannot match. --Stephen Wigler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, April 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 Leningrad (Audio CD)

I have been searching for a satisfactory of Shosty 7 for quite some time now, and I finally found this one. The recording is absolutely incredible! The playing is as flawless as I've ever heard a recording, and you would be hard-pressed to find something to disagree with in Masur's expert interpretation of the work. Of special note to me is the bassoon solo at the end of the first movement - often this is the part that brings down the entire recording, but Judith LeClair's world-class performance leaves the listener breathless. A simply stunning performance!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Miss, June 1, 2004

By 

L. Ku "pgroups" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 Leningrad (Audio CD)

Shostakovich was an ambitious Russian artist and a contemporary of Stalin. He was famous for running into conflicts over his music with the dictator, and his towering 10th symphony - a work characterized by terrible, frightening, dissonant sounds that was written immediately following Stalin's 1953 death - is believed to be Shosta's short recap of Stalin's reign.

This seventh symphony, and probably his best, of 1941 was also a work with a programmical idea. It, of course, was Shosta's account of the Nazi seize of Leningrad happening before his own eyes. Like all Shosta orchestra works, this symphony is a large, loud, and strong one. It uses a big orchestra often with emphasis on brass and percussion lines. The NYPO, known for their magnificant brass musicians, plays the symphony with skill under the baton of long time friend Kurt Masur.

Considering it is a live recording from Avery Fisher Hall, the sound on disc is actually very surprisingly well done. Absolutely try to obtain a copy of this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great recording!, January 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 Leningrad (Audio CD)

As with all of Shostakovich's music, the 7th has an underlying message usually dealing with war stricken Russia throughout the earlier part of the 19th century. More expicit than his other works, this symphony being titled 'Leningrad' truly is a cry from the heart of Shostakovich expressing his distain for the situation of the day. I feel the New York Pilharmonic does a wonderful job capturing this essence. I have read other reviews were there is disagreement about how rubato should play a part in some of the more espressivo sections. As a first time listener, I feel that this does not have to be so in order for this work to be effective in its purpose. Masur captures the seemingly endless struggle of the people through tempos and dynamics and reveals the true sarcasm of this work, especially in the grotesque military marches. And let's not forget the incredible musicians that comprise the New York Phil. They play everything with perfection and the utmost musicallity. The sound of this live teldec recording is warm (never harsh even in the climaxes) and captures each section individually very well, but fits those individual sections beautifully into the whole.