Customer Reviews

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10, Stravinsky: Concerto in D for Violin and Orchestra

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I had a copy of the lp version of this on the US Decca label -- around 1960. The surfaces weren't too great, to put it kindly, but I loved the performance. Hearing it again in this excellent transfer doesn't bring back memories; it is a revelation. Frankly, I don't hear much difference in sound quality between this 10th and the Stravinsky concerto that preceeds it on the disc, an early stereo recording. Together they make an excellent concert.

But it is this remarkable recording of the 10th that is the main event. The great opening movement is experienced as if in a single sweep, rather than in the episodes heard in most recordings and performances; the several sections becoming the ebb and flow of a vast seascape. The second movemth is savage, the Czech Phil easily matching Berlin, Leningrad, New York in this. The nocturnal mysteries and eirie folk-dance of the third movement are perfectly realized, and the pace and 'party' gestures of the finale are done to a fair-thee-well.

Get this before it dissappears from the catalog.

I bought this recording on a hint from another Shosty fan. (I hate the term Shosty).
Yet, this DSCH symphony is paramount in any collection. The scherzo is relentless and the rest of the symphony is great. It is hard to find any better version out there right now.
In fact, I recently bought the remastered European Van Karajan 10. It was good. Very good. This is still better. I judge this piece by the 2nd movement and the finale.
In my opinion, Ancerl, Ormandy and Jarvi are still tops!!

This disc contains not only a terrific account of Stravinsky's violin concerto, but also a famous, grim, and desperately overwhelming interpretation of Shostakovich's tenth symphony. The latter is a mono recording, but nonetheless, the sound is very good indeed, as good as a mono recording can be. The Stravinsky piece, by contrast, is in full-fledged stereo sound, and the interpretation is just as convincing. Strongly recommended!

DG has stuck by wofgang Schneiderhan lo these many years since he recoded with Furtwangler, despite his unknown status in the U.S. I have never been a big fan, however, until hearing this supberb Stravinsky concerto. It's an enigmatic work, and too many violinists try to be daper and elegant, seeing only the neoclassical surface. With Ancerl an incisive, sometimes biting accompanist, Schneiderhan finds hidden passions and conflict, making this early stereo recording one of the best in the catalog in terms of originality and conviciton. The sound, although thin at the top, is quite acceptable.

Ancerl gives us a canny Shostakovich Tenth, recorded in excellent monoaural sound with lots of presence. He draws back from the Big Statement approach and makes the music quicker, with lean textures and an edge. The great flaw in Shostakovich's biggest late symphonies is that they are both ponderous and melancholy. This can be overcome by turning the melancholia into tragedy, but you risk sinking the listener into depression. I like Ancerl's way better, and the non-Germanic sound of his Czech Philharmonic helps to that end by not trying to be the Berlin Phil.

but I don't think this is a Shostakovich Tenth for the ages. The Scerzo is zippy rather than savage. Ancerl's dash and flash in the last two movements doesn't persuade me that they aren't a touch glib. But I like the saxophone-like horns for being truly Slavic, and it's very good to get through the Tenth without feeling that the skies are perpetually gray. In all, one of Ancerl's best documents.

As far we know, Shostakovich `s Tenth symphony has been an emblematic symbol, a vibrant and instilling work impregnated of a mercurial energy and powerful fortissimos all the way through. That means you must ensure yourself before all, to have a first rate Orchestra, capable to reach the edges of rhythmic vitality, in order to convey the listener the wilderness and visceral realism beneath the score.

Karel Ancerl was a prominent conductor. And although Shostakovich doesn't seem to have been his preferred composer, every time he directed, really exhibited an original approach.

And so, we have once more the virtuosic, radiant and expansive sound of the Czech Philharmonic. Both factors made this performance achieved a prestigious place among the top three versions ever made about this colossal opus. The other two would be to my mind, Ormandy - Philadelphia (by far, my first choice) and Mitropoulos - New York Philharmonic.

So, don' t hesitate for a moment and search it. It will always reward you.

I was first drawn to the violin of Wolfgang Schneiderhan, when I heard his DG recording of Beethoven's only Violin Concerto, Op.66 in D major. It is one of the best performances of that piece by any violinist. Equally remarkable is this DG recording of Stravinsky's Violin Concerto in D, and the Shostakovich 10th Symphony, both under the baton of Karl Ancerl. The orchestras (Berliner & Czech Philharmonics) are clear, vibrant and balanced, and the engineering is not pushed, nor brittle. Don't miss this one. It's a treat.

I found the interpretations utterly forgettable, and the sound is absolutely awful. Almost any modern recording would be a better alternative, in my opinion.