Thanks for your thoughts, M.o. I didn't mean to shock you in your very first TalkClassical poll. But, Milord...

My challenge in creating that poll was "15 to choose 9." I thought that 5/7/10/11 were the obvious adds, and my instincts (so far) appear to have been correct. I thought 2/3/12 were the obvious omissions. I think that 12 is better considered than it was a generation ago, and have some sympathy with Lisztfreak that there's enough baby in there to merit dealing with some of the spent bathwater. That aside, if I hear someone call it their favorite, it'll be the first time. That left 1/4/6/8/9/13/14/15... and I had to get rid of three. At the time I made the poll, there was some buzz around 15, as two of our more energetic posters had praised it highly. So it stayed, received no votes, and those posters are now a memory. I'm guilty of personal preference in adding 13, which I still consider to be absolutely riveting. Perhaps many agree, but cannot bring themselves to call it their favorite. (Love it though I do, it's not my favorite, either.) So, by a patina of latter-era association, I threw in 14 as well. It may have been a mistake. I didn't want to discard 1, which is on most people's short-lists of most creditable 1st symphonies ever. I was then left with 4/6/8/9, and could only keep one. I went with 9 (at least it was there for YK!)Of course, the more famous Wagner quotations in Shostakovich are in 15. Virtually all major symphonic composers of that time (with the possible exception of Stravinsky) knew their Wagner. Presence of quotations was not an accident.

I believe it was around the 9th symphony that he started to openly rebel against the communist regime in place. He became paranoid that after his death the government would remove his name from all of his music and use it as propaganda for their causes, and that didn't bode well since he had been rebelling against their control as long as his name had been known. It was in this time that the DSCH theme evolved, I think he hoped that at some point, if his name were to be stripped from his music, someone would eventually realize that this motive appeared in many of the propaganda music and would chalk it up to one man doing it, and in a way it would be recognized as Shostakovich's. Granted, nobody would know his name, but everyone would know his greatness and music. It was the same concept as Anonymous 4.

Anyway, the 9th symphony was supposed to be a mockery of what the soviets wanted as their propaganda music, and Shostakovich went over the top in making fun of the USSR's requested style of music. (sorry 9th symphony lovers...I know I'd be kinda mad to find out my favourite symphony was a joke).

Wow...that was a long explanation for that...sorry about that.

Anyway, the thing about the 5th symphony is the fact that it's so widely known, it's almost the same reason that everyone says that Beethoven 5 or Beethoven 9 are their favourite symphonies. Well, yeah, they're good pieces, but they aren't so much better than, say, 4 or 6 that they should have that big of a margin between them. They are written just as well, and I would go so far as to say that the 6th symphony made a bigger impact on the musical world than the 5th and at least as big of one as the 9th. It's just the fact that one world-famous conductor somewhere decided this was his signature piece and he wanted to perform it fairly frequently and record it a few times, and thusly it became very popular and standard in the orchestral world.

Anyway...I'm explaining things in too detailed a manner again.

My favourite has to be the 7th. I think it contains all the power and greatness that is in the 5th symphony but it does it in a much more intricate way. I can't explain how. I just think it's almost a second attempt at what he wanted the fifth to be (I know that's going to stir up some debate). I think that the one thing that Shostakovich does in the 7th symphony that he doesn't do in the 5th, or any other symphony really, is show his mastery of orchestration. And I'm not talking (exclusively) about the invasion theme section. I mean, the opening of the entire symphony is repeated again right before the end and has an extremely different feel to it just because of the orchestration. In the beginning it is in octaves in the strings. In the end it is all in the brass, and it is broken up into smaller phrases to emphasize certain notes with the entrances of other instruments. The same thing happens with a chorale-like figure at the end of the first movement. I honestly believe that, not only does this symphony have all the anger, angst, sadness, and every other emotion encompassed in all the others, it is also executed in a much more intricate design. I almost view it as a Mozart-like piece, in the sense that if one note were displaced, or one chord were changed or inverted differently, or if one phrase were orchestrated differently, there would be diminishment.

Since I have only heard his 5th so far, I had to go with that. I do enjoy it though and in the somewhat near future intend on owning it. As a matter of fact I am seriously considering:



Bernstein and New York Philharmonic - Shostakovich Symphonies No. 5 & 9.

I voted for the 13th. Very powerful music (and the more when you see the lyrics and know what it is written for), certainly the first part. But my second vote would go to the 8th. I really think you guys underestimate this symfonie. It's long but a very emotional and dramatic piece of music. Lastly I would vote for the 5th for the enormous bombastic in the 4th movement and the emotionally charged 3th movement.

Ive actually been meaning to get though the 13th, but haven't yet. If one thing's true, it's that it takes a while to really "dig" into the late Shostakovich symphonies (which is probably why many seem to prefer the earlier ones, ie 5-10)

I can understand people not wanting to vote for the 5th as it is his most well known. But is does seem to reach out to more people and there is nothing wrong with that. So despite what I think of the 7th or 11th, I voted for the 5th.

I like the 15th symphony its a pretty interesting piece, love the little quote of the William Tell Overture on the 1st movement. Shostie's music is alway a joy to listen to!

Symphony No. 10 here. Although I love the 7th, 5th, and 8th, the 10th is intricate. Every second of the movements are interesting .

I love the third. With its final chorus, it is a bit like an ode to the joy of communism. Like all Shostakovch works, it is ambivalent, and the joy may also be interpreted as slavery: "You villlll be happy!". The finale originally included a part for machinegun, but I've never heard a version with that.

I still like the 5th but if I could change my vote it would be from the 5th to his 7th "Leningrad". Awesome sauce.

Sam

I still think the reason half these people are voting for 5 is because it's the only one they've heard. IMO, 1, 7, 11, and 15 are all better than 5.

And 9! But I agree.

...no 12.....I forgot...its pretty dang good!

Well 8th is most definitely my favourite. I even made it my ring tone on my mobile lol
I really love the 3rd movement. I can't explain. Pure Awesomeness :P
I also really love 15th mostly because it has great percussion throughout the entire symphony. And anything sounds good with percussion
But I haven't heard all his yet. Only 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10 , 13, 15.

__________________
"The next few years of your life are going to be hard and miserable if you want to be good" - My percussion teacher..
Damn

That is a very neat piece!

You should hear Carl Nielsen's 4th and 5th and some of Bartok's orchestral works.