Love the 7th symphony (Leningrad). There was a TV programme about this symphony a while ago and I was hooked.

My recording is

RLPO

Vasily Petrenko

Have a whole set by the above orchestra & conductor so I have the Leningrad twice!

 

Thanks Judith. That is one of the sets that has intrigued me. Any thoughts about it as a whole?

 

Listened to the 10th and again , fiery and full which is typical of them. Just listened to those two in the set so far, but love Petrenko and RLPO on the whole. Have most of the Tchaikovsky works performed by them with Petrenko and saw them all live a year and a half ago. One of the best concerts I had been to!

 

I loved hearing Bernstein's 1959 version with the New York Philharmonic of the 5th symphony.

 

I have a very good collection of complete sets. IMO the Petrenko set is easily in the running for top place, both for the performances and for the sonics.

But there are some extraordinary performances of the individual symphonies that can't be passed up. Bernstein's 1959 5th has been mentioned. Petrenko goes for the massive, intense, 70mm technicolor version with some incredibly slow tempi. It works. But Bernstein's is like an unstoppable express train. Don't get in the way!

Another is the remarkable Bernstein/Chicago SO performance of DSCH's 7th. It's not a performance, it's an experience.

 

My favorite is #10. This performance by the Helsinki Philharmonic under James De Preist and engineered by the legendary John Eargle is first rate in performance and production.
This youtube video will give you an idea of the performance. The production quality must be heard on CD.

I do not have a box set of Shostakovich symphonies, so no recommendations there.

 

If you want a jump-start I'd go with his fourth as this was the one Shostakovich really put a lot of time and effort into and was keen to unleash before well-documented circumstances allegedly deterred him from doing so.

Soviet era - Kondrashin on Melodiya or Rozhdestvensky on Olympia. Neither are live so you don't get that quintessential Belomorkanal cigarette-induce spluttering when you least want it.

Otherwise, Haitink on LPO holds its own very well from a Western perspective (but that's the only one I've got - I've read good things about Petrenko and Previn, too)

 

Great topic - Shostakovich symphonies are major components in the symphonic repertoire,and are receiving lots of live performances at present.

some favorites of mine - [I've heard many, many Shostakovich performances, and have performed his symphonies many times, as well]

Sym #7, and Sym #1 - Bernstein/Chicago Symphony/DG - perhaps the finest symphony recordings I've ever heard. Bernstein's #7 is cosmic, a great performance - the first mvt crescendo is terrifying, and the finale is indescribable - one of the great sound spectaculars of all time. Wonderful performance of Shostakovich's 1st symphony. a remarkable work that already shows the genius of its creator.

Sym #5 - I go for Bernstein/NYPO/1959. a classic performance, recorded in Boston Symphony Hall, after the orchestra had returned from its European/Russian tour. I've heard some/played some really fine versions, since then, but I'll still go back to LB/NYPO/59.

Sym #8 - really heavy-duty piece - dark, foreboding, this is not happy music!!
Solti/CSO is terrific. so is Mravinsky/LenPO - [9/60 BBC] - great recording - really gutsy.

Sym #9 - Best ever - Kurtz/NYPO - 1947 - in remarkably good sound - classic performance.....but may be hard to find...Kondrashin/MoscowPO is really good, so is Solti/Carnegie Hall Project Orch - hand-picked orchestra for Solti's special program....very good - terrific solo work,crucial in #9.

Sym #10 - great piece - the best recordings, IMO, may be hard to find -
Stokowski/CSO live concert 3/66 - nothing like it!! [CSO archival set "Chicago SO - First !00 Years"]
Mitropoulos/NYPO c. '54. wonderful - with superb solo work by NYPO.
These may be hard to locate -
Solti and Mravinsky have fine recordings of this major work.

Sym #11 - lots of choices -
Stokowski/HoustonSO is a long-time favorite.
Mravinsky/LenPO is a top candidate as well.

I've not yet heard them, but I would expect [from live performance experience] that some of the Nelsons/BostonSO recordings would be high recommendations, in very good up-to-date sound. Maybe not at the peak of the pyramid, but very fine accounts nonetheless. I plan to check them out....
Hope this helps....

 

Sym #8 - really heavy-duty piece - dark, foreboding, this is not happy music!!
Solti/CSO is terrific. so is Mravinsky/LenPO - [9/60 BBC] - great recording - really gutsy.

Sym #10 - great piece - the best recordings, IMO, may be hard to find -
Stokowski/CSO live concert 3/66 - nothing like it!! [CSO archival set "Chicago SO - First !00 Years"]
Mitropoulos/NYPO c. '54. wonderful - with superb solo work by NYPO.
These may be hard to locate -
Solti and Mravinsky have fine recordings of this major work.

I must second these choices. Mravinsky worked closely with Shostakovich, who for a time considered him the foremost conductor of his works, the one who understood them best. Solti also does Shostakovich well. Actually, all performances I have heard so far of these symphonies have suited me fine.

 

From left field: Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra does DSCH's 10th at the Proms back in 2007. A tremendous performance! Maybe someday Gustavo will do a complete cycle...

 

I heard him conduct it with the New York Phil about a decade back - Not quite as loud as the double orchestra he employed with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, but a creditable effort nonetheless.

 

I can't do a set of recommendations but I can recommend a set...the Haitink referred to with the LPO and ACO. The 11th is my favourite symphony but I find the hall acoustics on the Haitink work against this symphony so i also have the Petrenko/RLPO, the Wigglesworth/NRPO (stunning BIS sound) and Semyon Bychkov/WDRO which you can hear on Youtube. He takes the attack sequence too fast IMO, but everything else is great, with good sound.

I also have Petrenko's 5th, 9th and 10th, also very good.

 

If you are looking for complete set recommendations, you can't really do better overall than Barshai with the WDR Sinfonieorchester on Brilliant Classics, recorded in the 1990's. There are two main reaons for this; the overall sound quality is very good (as is the orchestra - especially for this composer), and the set can be bought for very little outlay when comparing just how good it is. For me it beats the oft-cited Haitink set because it sounds so much more 'Russian', but with wonderful sonic quality.
That being said, not all of the performances on the Barshai set are the best you'll find: I'd opt for another No.7, and another No.11 (Berglund with the Bournemouth SO on EMI Classics is superb in both), and my preference for No.5 is the recent Petrenko / Royal Liverpool recording on Naxos which has an absolutely terrifying (though very controvertial) ending taken much, much slower than just about any other recording. However, with the Barshai set you won't find a better recording of No.13 or (for my ears) No.10, and Nos. 9 and 6 are among the very best too.
I agree with you about the harsh sound on many of the Russian stalwart recordings; these might be top-notch peformances but that is so often lost when the sound is so poor.

 

Start with the 5th and the 10th.
Petrenko is a top modern choice, but I also love Nelsons' 5th with BSO.

 

For complete sets I second Techniquest's recommendation of Barshai with the WDR Sinfonieorchester — got it for like $20. I would prefer having Kondrashin if I had another $200 to spend. I especially like his 6th. Haitink I like too.

 

For complete sets I second Techniquest's recommendation of Barshai with the WDR Sinfonieorchester - got it for like $20. I would prefer having Kondrashin if I had another $200 to spend.

My thoughts exactly.

 

Barshai is really good. For a supplement use Karajan's 10th

 

The Kitaenko cycle, hard to ind, is not only superb but in SACD sounds stunning.
Barshai made a fantastic cycle earlier with the same Orchestra

 

Shostakovich runs hot and cold for me. I have two complete sets: Rostropovich on Warner is "good enough" in most everything. Slovak on early Naxos is better than a lot, but the sound is not top notch. For individual symphonies I pick carefully, and I wouldn't get them all. Some of the symphonies are just not that good.

1: Bernstein with NYPO on Sony. Nothing to complain about.
4: Chung with Philadephia on DG. Sensational performance, maybe best ever. Of course my previous favorite was Ormandy.
5: Honeck with Pittsburgh on Reference. Swept away some old favorites. Dazzling, energetic and angry. Great reading.
6: Ormandy with Philly.
7: Bernstein with NYPO, cuts and all. This is not a great symphony in my opinion. Over-hyped for sure.
8: Previn with London Symphony on EMI. 40 years later still my favorite.
9: Bernstein NYPO on Sony. They play it like Lenny wrote it.
10: Karajan with Berlin on DG. Deserves every accolade it gets.

And that's all the symphonies I really care about. I despise 2 and 3, but then so did the composer. Can't understand or appreciate 15 to save my life. Shostakovich's best work are in the string quartets, one opera, several ballets, and the concerti.

 

5: Honeck with Pittsburgh on Reference. Swept away some old favorites. Dazzling, energetic and angry. Great reading.
.

Totally agree. Like everything Honeck has done with Pittsburgh it's superb. Playing it in the car yesterday.

 

I also recommend the Barshai. Don't like Haitink at all. But for me, the essentials are the hardest and priciest - the Kondrashin and Rozhdestvensky sets on Melodiya - both are amazing - and the All Symphonies on Melodiya has some great stuff in it.

 

I have the Barshai and would also recommend it. If you want a really thrilling great performance of the 8th, I agree that the Mravinsky live in London is excellent but the sound is poor. In better sound and almost as good is Previn/LSO.

 

My two favourite symphonies are #8 and #10, Previn/LSO and Kondrashin/MSO respectively. In addition to the usual suspects (#5, #7, #11) I would also highly recommend #6, particularly the last movement, which contains one of DS's most thrilling climaxes!

 

Bernstein's DG Chicago SO 7th is a favorite of mine. I saw Bychkov conduct the New York Philharmonic through the7th a few years ago and it was an awesome performance. I have not heard his recording of it though.
The 4th and 10th Sony twofer led by Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra is a jewel for sure. Great classic performances. I enjoy Previn's early LSO 5th and DG 8th. Haitink's 6 and 12 are good.
As far as complete sets go, Haitink's Decca traversal is impressive. I have heard and read good things about Kitaienko's Cappricio complete set.
I like many that have been mentioned in previous posts. I have not heard Petrenko yet. I want to remedy that!

 

whichever set you wish +: Mitropoulos/NYPO/#5 - Bernstein/CSO/#7 - Karajan/BPO/#10

 

whichever set you wish +: Mitropoulos/NYPO/#5 - Bernstein/CSO/#7 -......

The Mitropoulos/NYPO Shost 5 is really excellent - I only have it on LP...Bernstein/CSO #7 is one of the greatest recordings produced of ANY symphony...really amazing....wish I could have heard the live performances!!
Heard Nelsons/BSO perform it last season - really excellent - very exciting.

 

I have a hard time listening to non-russian Shostakovich most of the time, so that is where most of my recommendations are going to be from.
I really like Kondrashin's box set of all the symphonies. However, I also have other preferences for some of them.
5: Mravinsky
8: Mravinsky
9: Bernstein
10: Karajan's earlier live recording
13: Kondrashin, but a different recording than the one in the box set
I don't feel like I have found a really good recording of the suite on Verses by Michelangelo that Shostakovich seemed to consider his 16th symphony, so any recommendations are appreciated.

 

I am not equally keen on all the Shostakovich symphonies; of those I like best my favourite recordings are:

1 Wigglesworth
4 Previn, Chicago SO
6 Mravinsky, Leningrad PO live in 1965, issued on an HMV/Melodiya LP in 1972 and reissued on CD
13 Previn, Petkov, LSO
15 Maxim Shostakovich, Moscow RSO on 1972 HMV/Melodiya LP - the premiere recording and the first to reach the UK (a week or two prior to the fine Ormandy version), and never reissued on CD to my knowledge - an astonishing omission

 

Today I watched an old silent film of some importance: The Battleship Potemkin. One of Eisenstein's legendary movies. Very absorbing and moving. What really made it work was the soundtrack: all Shostakovich, mostly from the symphonies. Crudely edited and played sometimes, but what a combo - Eisenstein and Shostakovich. If you have any interest in Soviet history and like Shostakovich, I highly recommend this film.

 

Haitink is indeed more a Mahler conductor than a Shostakovich one ...

 

Whom I really miss here are Kondrashin and Rozhdestvensky, who else than really Russian condutors for Shostakovich?
Kondrashin is pure, raw, also due to the recordings! But wonderfull.
Rozhdestvensky is just fenomenal!

 

Yes, Kondrashin would be my first choice - if only I could afford him. I especially love his 6th.