recommended recordings

·     Opera ·     Orchestral Shostakovich: Symphonies 1 & 7 / Bernstein, Chicago SO Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich Conductor: Leonard Bernstein Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Orchestra Uni/Deutsche Grammophon - #27632 / November 14, 1989 Click here for more information One of the most thrilling musical experiences of my life was seeing Leonard Bernstein and the Chicago Symphony play Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony live. As Bernstein wrung every last ounce of pathos from the slow movement, I found it incredible that anyone could ever have thought this less than great music. The ending was so loud you could hardly even hear the cymbals! Happily, every bit of that experience--including the full dynamic range--has been captured on this recording, along with a...Read more Shostakovich: Symphony no 8 / Rostropovich, National SO Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich Ensemble: Washington, D. C. National Symphony Wea/Atlantic/Teldec - #74719 / September 8, 1992 Click here for more information When the Soviet Union finally collapsed, allowing Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife Galina Vishnevskaya to return to their homeland for the first time since their citizenship was stripped from them in 1972, he brought with him his Washington orchestra and this symphony. No one was closer to the composer than Rostropovich and his wife, and no one interprets his symphonies with greater fidelity to the letter and spirit of the scores. As if understanding the importance of the event, the National...Read more Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies / Rostropovich Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich Performer: Nicolai Ghiuselev, Mark Reshetin, et al. Ensemble: National Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, et al. Wea/Atlantic/Teldec - #17046 / January 13, 1998 Click here for more information Mstislav Rostropovich was a friend of the composer, and his performances of the 15 Shostakovich symphonies are uniquely authoritative. It's true that as a conductor the great cellist has had his ups and downs, but unlike so many far less musical personalities, he has only recorded the music that he feels most passionately about, and the results have been generally impressive. His performances of Symphonies Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are really among the best ever, and there isn't...Read more Prokofiev, Shostakovich: Violin Concertos no 1 / Rostropovich, Vengerov Composer: Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich Performer: Maxim Vengerov Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra Wea/Atlantic/Teldec - #92256 / November 8, 1994 Click here for more information With his brilliant tone, flawlessly centered intonation, jaw-dropping technique, and exquisitely beautiful phrasing, Maxim Vengerov is ideal in this repertory. His sparkling account of the Prokofiev conveys the music's mercurial shifts of color and mood with great élan, and turns wonderfully evocative in the ethereal pages. The interpretation of the Shostakovich is equally fine--strongly characterized and imaginative, haunting in its beauty. The young soloist is ably partnered by Mstislav...Read more

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