Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10 (1924-1925) [32:03]
Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 14 ‘To October’ (1927) [20:02]
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 20 ‘The First of May’ (1929)
[27:51]
Netherlands Radio Choir
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Mark Wigglesworth
rec. October 2006 (No. 1), October 2010 (Nos. 2 & 3), Music Centre for
Dutch Radio & Television, Studio MCO5, Hilversum, The Netherlands
Pdf booklet with sung texts included (Cyrillic and English)
Formats: MP3, 16- & 24-bit lossless
BIS-SACD-1603 [81:13]
Could this be a glimpse into the future of recorded music? BIS have begun
to offer downloads of their new releases, giving collectors the chance to
hear them without delay. For instance I was able to access and start reviewing
Kalevi Aho’s three chamber symphonies and the Flor/Malaysian Philharmonic
Dvořák Seventh within minutes of them appearing at eclassical.com. And
although these downloads can be had as basic mp3s, BIS now routinely offer
them in lossless 16- and 24-bit form as well. I tend to opt for the highest
resolution, and that’s what I’ve done here. You can also download booklets
and inlay cards.
Those who download music on a regular basis may wish to skip this preamble,
but for those who are still sceptical I’d suggest that at the very least downloading
music is a valuable adjunct to collecting the discs themselves. In some cases
– Universal’s trial of high-res downloads via Linn’s website, for instance
– vintage recordings are being restored to the catalogue in superbly remastered
form. The downside is that one needs the right equipment to play these files
– there are free media players available on the web for both PC and Mac –
and perhaps a stand-alone DAC to crunch the numbers before your hi-fi takes
over.
There’s no substitute for the physical product, though, and while I applaud
BIS and others for offering us tantalising new choices I hope the silver disc
stays with us for a good while yet. But in the spirit of this new venture
– and mindful that many people now listen to music on their computers – I
downloaded this new Shostakovich album within a few hours of its release and
decided to review it on an iMac using the free Songbird media player feeding
the signal into the very portable HRT Headstreamer, an asynchronous-USB DAC
capable of handling files up to 96kHz. Plug in a decent pair of headphones
and we’re ready to go.
Before we do, just a reminder about Mark Wigglesworth’s Shostakovich cycle
so far. The earliest discs in the series were recorded with the BBC National
Orchestra of Wales, but more recently he’s switched to this Dutch radio orchestra,
whose playing in Nos. 4, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13 – all SACDs – has set new standards
for these works. As for the interpretations, I’m happy to say Wigglesworth’s
Shostakovich is deeply satisfying, shedding new light on works we think we
know so well. How, I wondered, would he tackle the first three symphonies,
the patriotic crowd-pleasers – Nos. 2 and 3 – often derided as Shostakovich’s
weakest.
The First Symphony, written when the composer was just 18, has been fortunate
on record. Apart from Kondrashin’s legendary cycle for Melodiya we have fine
versions from the likes of Haitink, Barshai, Rostropovich and Sanderling.
Haitink is a long-time favourite of mine, so I chose that as my comparative
version. Certainly, he has the benefit of the LPO in terrific form, the first
movement woodwind passages as perky as one could wish for. Rhythms are beautifully
sprung and there’s a freshness and spontaneity to the playing that I’ve always
admired.
Firing up the Wigglesworth I was immediately struck by the more equivocal
nature of his reading; true, there’s that same alertness but it’s not quite
so innocent, the bass-drum grumbles more of a portent than usual. The playing
of the Dutch orchestra is full of unexpected colour and nuance, and the recording
has enormous range and impact. There’s also a delicious edge to the percussion
and a general spaciousness that makes Haitink sound a little close and bright
by comparison. But the real thrill is that Wigglesworth digs so much
deeper than most, and sometimes it’s as if we’re hearing this music anew.
It’s a defining characteristic of his other recordings in the series and augurs
well for the rest.
It’s swings and roundabouts in the remaining three movements, the scurrying
LPO strings and mercurial piano part in the second most impressive. By contrast
Wigglesworth is far more engaging, the quieter moments freighted with more
feeling, the piano less immediate by no less infectious. There’s also an element
of slapstick that Haitink underplays. Both are splendid in the bitter-sweet
Lento, but the mahogany richness of the BIS recording invests the music with
a warmth and lustre I’ve not heard before. And the epiphanies don’t stop there,
structures more rugged and progress more implacable than ever. The fourth
movement is no less eventful, Wigglesworth’s phrasing and pace designed to
extract the most from this multi-layered finale.
I wouldn’t want to be without Haitink in the First, but Wigglesworth’s is
by far the more intense and forensic reading; he’s helped in no small measure
by a sophisticated and hugely satisfying recording that’s easily on a par
with the other SACDs in the series. The final bars, with those muscular drum
thwacks, are simply glorious. And glory – in part at least – is what the Second
Symphony is about. A hymn to the 1917 Revolution it has the potential to be
a banal piece, but Mark Elder’s BBCSO version – recorded live at the Royal
Festival Hall in 1996 and subsequently issued as a freebie with the BBC
Music Magazine – changed all that.
I listened to this and the Haitink version, the latter very well played –
almost too well – but lacking the elemental joy and raw energy that
Elder finds in the second – choral – segment. That said, the first part is
most sensitively shaped and atmospherically recorded. Oddly, the deep rumble
at the start of the work isn’t quite as arresting in Wigglesworth’s hands,
but once again there’s an airiness to his reading that seems to reveal so
much more of the music. I’ve rarely heard this symphonic edifice built so
carefully, brick by brick, but the effect is utterly compelling. The stereo
spread in the BIS recording is very convincing and individual instruments
are easy to locate in the soundstage; it certainly has the finest, most throat-grabbing
sound of all.
The second section of Elder’s reading is hard to beat – it sounds pretty good
too, even though it’s live – and here I must disqualify Haitink, whose singers
are much too close and aggressive for my tastes. Wigglesworth’s siren is very
well caught and the Dutch choir sing idiomatically and with a palpable sense
of occasion. The joyful antiphons are crisp and clear and the work builds
to a most thrilling – and tasteful – climax. But then that’s Wigglesworth’s
way; he really does know how to balance out the banalities in Shostakovich
and get the mood of this music just right. Would I take his Second over Elder’s
uniquely gripping one? Probably not, but I’d be loath to part with either.
Not surprisingly, Wigglesworth’s liner-notes are a model of clarity and good
sense, and he draws attention to the fact that Shostakovich intended the Third
Symphony to be a token of support for workers the world over. Thinly disguised
propaganda or just honest fellow feeling? I’ll leave that for others to decide.
In any event Haitink brings a bright, festive air to the piece that seems
entirely apt, the LPO trumpets, trombones and percussion in scintillating
form. He’s also more urgent and visceral here than he is in the Second, the
recording weightier and more comfortable as well. Goodness, I’d quite forgotten
how good this version is, but then one of the joys of reviewing is that it
leads one to reappraise – and rediscover – forgotten recordings.
So how does Wigglesworth fare in this symphony? He’s certainly not as unbridled
as Haitink, nor are his players as individually virtuosic, but he instructs
where his rival entertains. Wigglesworth shades dynamics more finely and mixes
his colour palette to create more subtle hues. But that’s not achieved at
the expense of momentum, the music moving swiftly – and with plenty of animation
– towards its choral finale. As always the recording impresses with its fidelity
and range, making it hard to believe it’s a humble 44.1kHz original. The side
and bass drums are played with great gusto, that darkly resonant tam-tam thrillingly
caught. Ditto Wigglesworth’s transported chorus, which brings the symphony
to a jaunty, spirited close. And goodness, how easy it is to hear the words,
and how authentic they sound; Ilia Belianka, the language coach, must take
a bow at this point.
If I were reviewing this album for Brian Wilson’s Download Roundup I’d have
no hesitation in nominating it a Download of the Month. There’s just so much
to engage with – and marvel at – in these performances that I must do the
same here. Even in what might seem less than optimal reviewing conditions
the artistic and sonic virtues of this new recording simply blaze forth. It’s
a triumph for all concerned and proof, if it were needed, that Wigglesworth’s
almost complete Shostakovich cycle is one of the finest – and most consistently
satisfying – in the catalogue. Onward the 15th!
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
A triumph for all concerned.