[blondheim]

The first set I heard and became familiar with was the Kondrashin. It is expensive but absolutely worth it. I doubt we will ever hear another complete set like this. I prefer mono and early stereo so the sound is perfect for me. I like a dry mix. And its importance as a historical document can't really be contested. Short of early Mravinsky, this is it. While I enjoy Barshai's set very much, the Kondrashin is in a league of its own.

 

[starthrower]

Barshai is fine for me since the Kondrashin set is out of print. Petrenko's 10th is a good one. There is another older Russian conductor I like but his name escapes me. I don't think he recorded the whole cycle.

 

[wkasimer]

Barshai is fine for me since the Kondrashin set is out of print. Petrenko's 10th is a good one. There is another older Russian conductor I like but his name escapes me. I don't think he recorded the whole cycle.

Rozhdestvensky, perhaps?

 

[blondheim]

Rozhdestvensky, perhaps?

That was my guess.

 

[starthrower]

Rozhdestvensky, perhaps?

Good guess! I like him too but I'm thinking of someone else. It's Mravinsky.

 

[KenOC]

I have quite a few cycles and like (among others) the Caetani cycle. I hadn't heard of Oleg Caetani, so I looked him up in Wiki and got a surprise: "Caetani was born the son of the conductor and composer Igor Markevitch and his second wife Donna Topazia Caetani (1921—90), who is descended from a very old aristocratic Roman family that included the early 14th-century Pope Boniface VIII. Caetani has chosen to use his mother's family name to continue its lineage."

 

[elgar's ghost]

Good guess! I like him too but I'm thinking of someone else. It's Mravinsky.

It's regrettable that Mravinsky never recorded the 4th - I'm intrigued to think what he'd have done with it.

 

[blondheim]

The Fourth is my favorite as of now, though I am not as familiar with this repertoire as I should be. I plan on doing a deep-dive and fixing that soon.

 

[MatthewWeflen]

I was curious about this Sanderling set myself. What are the interpretations like?

I find them quite exciting, with exceptional detail. You can find a fair number of them on YouTube:

Presto Classical also has high quality excerpts on their site:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8619684--shostakovich-symphonies-nos-1-3
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8619686--shostakovich-symphonies-nos-5-6
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8619689--shostakovich-symphonies-nos-9-12

 

[KenOC]

I find them quite exciting, with exceptional detail. You can find a fair number of them on YouTube:

Actually the entire Michael Sanderling cycle is on YouTube, every symphony and movement, uploaded by Sony. I have no idea why the labels do this -- it would seem to cannibalize their media sales.

 

[MatthewWeflen]

Actually the entire Michael Sanderling cycle is on YouTube, every symphony and movement, uploaded by Sony. I have no idea why the labels do this -- it would seem to cannibalize their media sales.

I think they do receive a portion of ad revenues, and they probably view it as advertising for other delivery methods besides. Presumably the accountants have some formula for working out which approach makes more money.

 

[dubai2000]

I also like the M.Sanderling cycle a lot - great sound - and in comparison to the Petrenko I find it emotionally more involving - the Rozhdestvensky and Kondrashin are -obviously-also very good indeed.

 

[Ravn]

I prefer Askenazy, but I am not sure whether it qualifies as a cycle since it is done with three different orchestras. It is a really hard-hitting cycle, though! Strange that no-one has mentioned it yet.

 

[blondheim]

I have always been uncertain of conductors who used to be famous soloists. I know all conductors had to have studied at least one instrument, but when someone became so famous doing one thing for so long, I feel it can't help but lend an odd bias towards or against a certain kind of interpretation. I know I am probably very wrong about this overall, but it is a feeling I have had a hard time shaking.

 

[wkasimer]

I prefer Askenazy, but I am not sure whether it qualifies as a cycle since it is done with three different orchestras. It is a really hard-hitting cycle, though! Strange that no-one has mentioned it yet.

You're correct that it's rarely mentioned, but I believe that I mentioned it quite early in this thread.

 

[wkasimer]

I have always been uncertain of conductors who used to be famous soloists. I know all conductors had to have studied at least one instrument, but when someone became so famous doing one thing for so long, I feel it can't help but lend an odd bias towards or against a certain kind of interpretation. I know I am probably very wrong about this overall, but it is a feeling I have had a hard time shaking.

If you're talking about Ashkenazy, I think that he's a better conductor than an instrumentalist. And I would say the same of Casals and Menuhin.

 

[blondheim]

I am not knowledgeable enough about pianists to have an informed opinion here, but I will check out his conducting, I love Rachmaninoff and I know he has a set with the Concertgebouw that gets reviewed well. Piano is the one instrument that I actually think could benefit a conductor very much and I enjoyed his piano playing when he performed under Andre Previn doing Rachmaninoff concertos. I admit that I haven't heard enough interpretations to weigh them against one another well. I have made it a mission to listen to more concertos this year for this reason.

 

[KenOC]

I have always been uncertain of conductors who used to be famous soloists. I know all conductors had to have studied at least one instrument, but when someone became so famous doing one thing for so long, I feel it can't help but lend an odd bias towards or against a certain kind of interpretation. I know I am probably very wrong about this overall, but it is a feeling I have had a hard time shaking.

It seems to me that a soloist claiming to be a conductor is like a person who had been operated on claiming to be a surgeon.

 

[Neo Romanza]

Favorite Shostakovich symphonic cycles: Kondrashin, Rozhdestvensky and Haitink.

 

[blondheim]

It seems to me that a soloist claiming to be a conductor is like a person who had been operated on claiming to be a surgeon.

Hahaha. I am glad I am not the only one with reservations. I gave Barenboim a chance with 3 Bruckner cycles, I think that's plenty.