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Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8

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Shostakovich's 8th Symphony is one of his greatest, along with the 4th, 5th and 10th. Written during WWII, it is sometimes referred to as "The Stalingrad," though with less cause than the 7th being known as "The Leningrad" -- Shostakovich was indeed in Leningrad when the German siege began, and composed the first three movements of the 7th before being evacuated. The 8th Symphony is a powerful expression of the horror of war, which has been compared to Picasso's painting "Guernica." First performed on November 4, 1943 with Mravinsky conducting, it was largely ignored at first. Eventually in 1948 the Soviet authorities denounced Shostakovich for producing such a pessimistic work, failing to celebrate the great victory. This is not a work of propaganda, but rather a profound tragedy, the only appropriate response to such massive brutality, suffering and death.

While similar in some respects to the 5th -- for instance the 3-note opening theme echoes its 4-note opening -- the 8th is larger and more complex, expressing much of what Shostakovich had been holding back due to Stalin's threats. This is not speculation -- Shostakovich himself said that the war made it possible for artists to more freely express themselves. It was not only the victims of Hitler's aggression but the victims of Stalin's terror prior to the war that the 8th commemmorates.

The 8th has an unusual construction, opening with a 26-minute adagio, followed by two fast movements of six minutes each, then a nine-minute largo and finally a 15-minute allegretto. The dramatic center is the allegro non troppo, which is a battle scene, punctuated by a crazed trumpet, symbolizing to me the insanity of war. In the several versions of the 8th that I've heard, the central movement, which is horrifying and vivid, burning itself into your brain, is what makes or breaks a performance. The first movement builds up to it, and the last two movements decompress from it -- if it fails, the entire symphony fails. Haitink and his Concertgebouw in this 1982 performance storm the battle scene with manic intensity. It is far more effective than the mushy performance of Rostropovich and the National's 1991 recording on Teldec (see my review). The recording which to me represents perfection is also on Decca, a 1989 performance by Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (#425 675-2). Solti drives the CSO with relentless intensity throughout the entire work, and the allegro non troppo is not quite as manic as Haitink's, striking the perfect balance of precision and intensity. The Rostropovich recording is superior to the Haitink in the last two movements, coming closer to Solti in attaining a smooth, compelling narrative flow. This Haitink version is more static and cold in the largo and allegretto, failing to fully capture the poignance and tragedy of the war's aftermath.

Shostakovich's 8th Symphony is one of the towering masterworks of 20th century music, and 20th century art overall. I listened to the Solti recording especially over and over from August of 2002 through the U.S. war on Iraq in April 2003.

Appropriately, there's not much light that filters into this deeply troubling work. Though different in certain ways, I'm reminded a bit of the Sibelius Fourth, but there is a broader concern here than that represented by the Finnish composer. In this recording, Haitink and the Concertgebouw Orchestra proceed in a direct manner and convey convincingly the recurrent feelings of desolation and despair. Though tones throughout are primarily black and gray, there is an occasional flash of silver, usually in the form of declarative punctuations from the outstanding Concertgebouw brass. ( No oxymoron intended.) In several instances, the combined weight and thrust of that brass with strings and the piquant Amsterdam woodwinds is rendered tellingly. Especially noteworthy are the biting, piercing features of the driving third movement, projected with superb clarity and vividness. Overall, I feel, Haitink gives the impression of darkness and gloom its proper measure simply by permitting things to unfold naturally. This symphony essentially speaks for itself. With excellent sound reproduction, this is yet another winner in the Haitink/Shostakovich cycle.

After his 7th Symphony, partially written from within the crumbling walls of Leningrad as it valiantly defended itself against Hitler's armies, Shostakovich turned his attention to the subject of war itself. The eighth symphony is the result, a profoundly angry and disturbing piece which rails against the voices of conflict, the unstoppable war machine, and the inevitable results. Needless to say, this intelligent attack on the belligerent mindset and furiously negative look at the consequences resulted in the composer being denounced - again - by Communist Party officials.

It's a wonderful piece of music. Shostakovich is, as usual, original and inventive, and composes a very accessible, moving and emotional symphony. This is music that sweeps you up, only to shake you angrily, demanding you open your eyes to the nightmare that surrounds you. Shostakovich's horror at the war that surrounded him in 1943 is clear, and there is no triumphant or hopeful ending to this piece.

Bernard Haitink conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra for this performance, which captures with some gusto the themes of the symphony. I sensed some minor glitches on the CD, but can't determine if these are audio problems or just players out of breath. Haitink, as usual, is at his interpretive best, I honestly have not heard another conductor with the gift for interpreting Shostakovich that Haitink has. It is a superb performance of a brilliant symphony, and I certainly recommend it

Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony is a vast and bleak landscape - quiet much of the time but with stretches of enormous power (and volume). This dark piece requires a huge orchestra to summon up its canvas of sorrow and grief. Needless to say, this is not music for casual listening.

In the 1980's, Bernard Haitink completed a cycle of all fifteen of these extraordinary symphonies, and this recording is one of the best in the series. His straightforward, no-nonsense interpretation is a nice contrast to the overwhelming emotional content of the piece - a very different type of approach from say, Bernstein or Gergiev.

Haitink's clear vision is helped by superb playing from the Concertgebouw Orchestra, sounding totally comfortable with the demanding score. The recording quality is outstanding, also one of the best in the series.

In short, for most people this will not a piece for everyday listening, but when the mood is right, this is an intense, altogether moving experience.

This recording of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 with the Concertgebouw Orchestra is one of the best perfromances on CD. Hats off too the London/Decca recording team for capturing a marvelous performance that leaves one feeling like they are in the middle of the concert hall. The real stars of this recording though are Hatink and his superb Concertgebouw Orchestra. Hatink's interpertation of this monumental score brings to light all the horors of WWII as composed by Shostakovich in this "Great Patriotic War" symphony. The gradual tempo increase from 'Adagio' to 'Allergro' in the first movement is perfromed with dynamic persision. Listen to the burtal playing of the Concertgebouw in the third movement as this diabloic scherzo marches head on into the grandious climax of the 'Largo'. Hatink's conducting of the final movement is nothing but remarkable as he relaxes the tension heard in the preceeding movements, and brings this work to a surealistic close. Wonderful recording!

Shostkovich's 8th symphony reflects us world in which dark, bleak, emotions covers you and don't let you breath. This is a fascinating document of one of the greatest composers of the 20th century.

The present performance by Bernard Haitnk and the Concertgrbouw Orchestra offers an impressive view on this rather horror work.

At the opening passages of the first movement Haitink opts for somewhat brooding tempos, but not to fast and not to slowly. His very well gauged tempos allow him to get a forward thrust. Also very important, Note for example how Haitink's take a close care to the material structure, under him the orchestra strings sound totally grimmer and by that he produced a gteater sense of darkness. The basic momentum has already moved forward by Haitink and the next development shows his grasp through the more intense passages. Here he also produced a great sound from his players. Haitink's Concertgebouw Orchestra shows comprehension from the highest order, and it is a fine example for a long time relationship between conductor and orchestra. The great sound is also produced because of the high technical engineering of Decca. The big drama, in the central sections of the movement conveyers a huge brutality climaxes, under Haitink delivered with immensely power. The marching side drum is rambling, and the final climax is truly terrifying. Haitink's vision on this powerful movement is truly one of the most impressive ones.

The two middle movements are at the same high level as the first. The orchestra plays superbly under haitink, notice to the danse macabre section in the second movement. However Haitink's dark approach of the first movement delivered here with more moderate sense of breathing air at last. But as with Shostakovich, you will breath air for a very short time, and when the arrival of the four movement start, marks as Largo the grimness feeling appear again. Now with even a greater sense of horror..

Haitink's superb handling on the Largo is one of the strengths of his performance. There is a huge depth in his vision, which for me really catch the spirit of shostakovich's music. However Haitink's is not to sentimental in his approach, rather then that he keeps you more in a distance; for me it is a magic touch by a great conductor that really understand the impact of this music. The Concertgebouw Orchestra also plays wonderfully for Haitink's. Notice to the beautifully woodwind sections. In the last movement Haitink's show his ability to gets under the skin of Shostakovich's music and to expose its inner meaning. And by that point his immensely vision made complete, and he takes the beautifully mysterious ending to its enigmatic conclusion.

The CD also comes on alternative price, make him a good value. This is a must have recording for shotakovich admires.

The orchestral playing, sound, and Haitink's grasp of the work's architecture are peerless. He makes the work into one overwhelming arch.

I am fond of Previn's recording for EMI (it is beautifully played and his inner movements are thrilling), but his first movement lacks the inevitability of Haitink's; similarly, Previn's final movement lmost sounds comfortable next to both Haitink. It is a valid approach, but it will not leave you as shaken as Mravinky or Haitink.

Slatkin leads a well-played and very moving performance, which is unfortunately somewhat undone by its low-impact sound.

There is really nothing to argue over here -- Haitink's Shostakovich Eighth has been admired since its elease in 1983, and time hasn't worn down the recorded sound, which is quite grand. The Decca engineers include a warm sense of hall ambience from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The orchestra is world class, and for once it cannot be said that the Russians sound considerably more idiomatic. Its true that Mravinsky, who conducted the premiere in Nov. 1943, left behind two searing versions, on Philips and BBC Legends, that are unique in their tragic impact, especially the second recording, which commemorates the British premiere of the symphony in 1960 (it's in surprisingly full stereo, although prospective buyers should be warned about almost constant audience noise). The other Russians whose readings I've heard are certainly to the manner born, and if one were restricted only to Bychkov or Kondrashin, there would be no complaints; Gergiev doesn't fare so well in a recording for Philips that is one of is earliest. It's roughly recorded and sounds too blunt, an ironic outcome considering that at the moment he delivers performances of this work that are transcendent.

With so much going for it, is Haitink's reading one of the great ones? Not to me, because after a powerful opening Adagio and two biting scherzos, he lapses into ordinariness. Blandness is always a possibility with Haitink, and I had hoped that he would be fired up for the entire performance. The last two movements have always puzzled critics. The fourth movement is a passacaglia that repeats its theme twelve times without much, if any, development. The finale is so deliberately mild as to seem like a calculation anti-climax. In the right hands, something bleaker and more moving can be made out of this music, but Haitink proceeds literally, losing the opportunity to argue on the composer's behalf. Many listeners won't care. We've become almost uncritical of Shostakovich's major symphonies, unlike critics of thirty years ago, who were unembarrassed to complain about is inconsistencies and lapses into banality.

The range of great Shostakovich Eighths may be fairly narrow, but we have a surplus of very good ones, to which Haitink's belongs. To my mind, the ones that edge him out are Previn on DG, Kondrashin on several labels but originally Melodiya, the two Mravinskys, and Solti on Decca leading the Chicago Sym. at its astounding best. To be avoided, as an earlier reviewer notes, are the Rostropovich on Teldec (dull and clumsily conducted) and a remake on LSO Live (coarse and overblown).

The above three words pretty well summarize Haitink's Shostakovich Symphony #8 with his Concertgebouw orchestra. It also sounds terrific, despite a couple of minor flaws. The enormous first movement builds tremendous tension while maintaining its funereal pace. The two fast movements are terrifyingly intense. The bleak Largo continues the moving death march, and the final movement is as sadly ironic as can be, as it haltingly dances toward the questioning peace of the ending. Along the way, the phrasing always hits the mark, and the playing of the orchestra veers madly and sonorously between the required extremes, without losing momentum or derailing itself. A recording to live with. And think about.

It can sometimes be a little easy to read Shostakovich's biography into his music. While I do not deny that the circumstances of his life certainly had an impact on his music, on what he wrote and the way he wrote, on what he wished to express through his music, it is a disservice to the composer and to his work, to treat him as a sort of mechanical mirror, so that on this side you have What Happened to Him, and on that side you have The Music He Wrote, and Shostakovich merely reflects the one in the other. But an artist does not serve only as a funnel through which his experiences pass into art; if we do not consider that is possible for a composer who is having a bad day to write positive music, and possible for a composer whose life is relatively comfortable to write gloomy music, then we do not allow for a composer's having either a brain, or volition.

The first movement took me a few listenings to accept. Part of this delay was a matter of an acquaintance of mine praising the movement above the tenth ... and I am very familiar with the tenth, and the first movement of the tenth is an amazingly coherent span of twenty minutes' worth of music, amazingly coherent despite its departures from the expected sonata-allegro design ... part of the delay in my appreciation of the first movement was, the obvious references to the fifth symphony. Harsh critics accuse Shostakovich of "recycling" ideas from the fifth here; this is overstating the matter, but all the same, hearing some echoes of the fifth, initially got in my way for the first movement of the eighth.

A few listens later, and the "fifth-ish" moments do not faze me; indeed, I think highly of the movement. Though, still, I find the first movement of the tenth superior in clarity, focus - but after all, we do not expect a composer to have the same thing to say in every work.

Probably my favorite "element" of the first movement of the eighth is an instrumentational transformation which is very characteristic of Shostakovich. The theme which opens in the celli, is in the development section given to a breathy flute, and then passed along to oboe and clarinet in unison; and later still, this theme is given to the brass. I think it is clear, even without leaning on Shostakovich's biography to provide too close an extra-musical `program', that there are moments in this movement which produce an impression of immense, brute power; and that some of Shostakovich's most moving music is the contrast of such brute sonic force, melting into such lyrical tenderness as the `naked' bassoon solo which follows this `hostile brass takeover' of this theme.

The second (Allegretto) and third (Allegro non troppo) movements are very "prokofievish," which suits me just fine. The general character of both recall the robust, moto perpetuo affect in Prokofiev, while there is ample detail which is plainly Shostakovich himself. These two movements together strike me a little bit as a private musical joke on Shostakovich's part. We have just had almost half an hour of an Adagio first movement, and now we have not one scherzo, but two. The two scherzi back to back suggest a danger of redundancy. Then, as if further to court this danger, the two movements are fairly similar, metrically and rhythmically. (In all this, I do not find a Shostakovich incapable of making a good symphony of these materials - but a composer who can do what he wishes musically, who knows what he is doing ... and who is being deliberately ironic to some degree. We might discuss what the irony may or may not mean - but I think the fact that there IS irony here must be fairly clear.) Then, what pushes this over the edge is, both scherzi are essentially ostinati which go on and on at such length, that they are in danger of overstaying their welcome. Shostakovich is a master of texture and timing, so that he pushes towards the edge, without quite losing his foothold.

For all their similarities, the scherzi do have distinct characters. The second movement (Allegretto), which is perhaps truer to the "prokofievish" designation, has the sort of cheerful, muscular character which would fit in "Le pas d'acier," only the sustained reliance on the shrill, top-heavy-woodwind texture is very Shostakovich. The third movement (Allegro non troppo) is driven by an arpeggiated ostinato which begins in the strings; when this passes into the brass, it assumes an unmistakable breathlessness and menace.