Customer Reviews

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 "1905"; Jazz Suite No. 1; Waltz; Tahiti Trot

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

 

 

Forget Superman at Six Flags. Get your thrills and chills with Shostakovich, Jansons, and the Philadelphia Orchestra today!

My general problem with most recordings of the 11th Symphony fall into two categories: sound quality and tempo. I feel extremely short-changed if people rush through this work, especially at the most transcendental moments such as the cor anglais solo in the last movement. Shostakovich? Transcendental? Well, maybe not in the spiritual sense, but the despairing wail of the solo cor anglais rises far above the melee and mayhem of the previous 55 minutes or so--utterly heartbreaking on this recording. The other issue is mostly a problem with the LSO Live engineers, who I think don't quite understand how an orchestra should sound.

Jansons has no such problems with either, although my last pet peeve, the short last note and quiet chimes, does happen in this recording, but the whole rest of it makes up for those, I think.

Not just "merely adequate," Jansons goes far above these bare minimum requirements. The brass are terrifying, the strings electric, and the solo cor anglais, as mentioned above, will make you weep, if you're in the right (wrong?) mood. The percussion have good presence most of the time, excepting the last moments in the chimes.

The biggest shock in this recording came when Jansons nearly doubles the tempo at the percussion solo in the 9 Jan. movement. This actually sounded pretty fair to me after my initial shock: sounded like real gunfire, almost. Whatever the case, I don't mind it at all.

Mariss Jansons takes the listener back in time to that bloody Sunday in 1905 in St. Petersburg!
The contrasting moods between movements and the energy are vividly present in this recording.
A reference recording for anyone wanting to get to know this amazing work. I highly recomend it.
I have listened to many recordings of the 11th, but none come anywhere close to this one! Truly a masterpiece CD!

I'm not going to try to add anything to the other reviewers on that score.

But the "filler" is also very good. If you're not familiar with this more playful side of Shostakovich, hear him kick up his heels in the Jazz Suite No. 1. Then hear a haunting waltz from Jazz Suite No. 2, something that sounds like it would have played well just before "the lights went out" in August 1914.

Simply put, this is the best recording of this work I have ever heard. Without being shackled by Wolfgang, the Philadelphia Orchestra sounds just tremendous! The brass are simply incredible and the strings are lush and moving. I second the other guy... stop reading and buy this recording now. This equals the CSO/Bernstein recording of Shostakovich's 7th symphony!

Unbelievable! This recording gave me goose bumps during the entire hour of the 11th symphony. The Philadelphia Orchestra is at its best! Jansons and the orchestra truly make the listener re-live the experience of that cold morning of January 9th, 1905. How Dramatic! Words cannot describe...buy this, now! Stop reading this review and buy it! Five stars is an understatement!