This is another one
of those discs, which you can understand
being recorded and made available but
not on the international full priced
CD market. It is not that this is a
poor recording, it is just not good
enough to stand comparison with professional
performances of this work made by full-time
professional orchestras. I am absolutely
certain that this performance made its
impact in performance, and that is largely
down to the composer, and many if not
all of the audience may wish to have
a memento of the evening, slips and
all. The sleeve says that this was a
one performance recording, and I am
not sure whether patching sessions were
made available after the event; if they
were, then the orchestra is in worse
shape that I originally thought.
There are numerous
passages of poor co-ordination and downright
bad ensemble, some of which might have
been eliminated with later attention.
The rushing string passage in the middle
of the first movement for example is
only a very approximate attempt at what
the composer wrote. When one compares
this with alternative performances (mine
were from the Philadelphia Orchestra
under Eugene Ormandy and Myung-Whun
Chung), one can hear the difference
immediately. Just in case you might
feel that the comparison is unfair using
an ensemble such as the Philadelphia,
I could have used any number of alternatives
to achieve the same result. This does
not mean that I am knocking the current
performance – it has a place, as a memento
of an exciting although perhaps not
too accurately played concert.
In all other respects,
this issue is excellent, with full details
of the recording venue and equipment
used, photographs of the artists and
a more than respectable set of notes.
In the notes there is an apology for
traffic and audience noise. Although
it is evident, I did not find this particularly
distracting. We are also given the full
complement of players in the orchestra.
Withdrawn from performance
in the mid-1930s whilst in the midst
of initial rehearsals for its first
performance, this symphony languished
unperformed in the composer’s possession
until Stalin’s death the artistic atmosphere
in the USSR had thawed somewhat. It
received its first performance by the
Moscow Philharmonic conducted by Kiril
Kondrashin on 30th December
1961, and was recorded later by Melodiya
(this recording is well worth looking
out for).
When Shostakovich withdrew
the work in 1936 he told friends and
colleagues that he would need to modify
the score to make it more acceptable
to the authorities. However, when it
was finally performed in 1961 it had
not been altered in any way. Shostakovich’s
initial inspiration still speaks loudly
and clearly to us even today, and the
brutality inherent within the score
comes over loud and clear. This is true
even in this performance with its very
attractive spontaneity which sometimes
gets the better of the players.
So, to sum up, I cannot
give this disc a recommendation unless
you want it as a memento of the concert
in London on 8th November
2003. In that case go ahead but be aware
of the shortcomings.
John Phillips
DUNELM RECORDS:
LIST OF SHOSTAKOVICH RECORDINGS: 2005
All made at St. Cyprian’s Church, Glentworth
Street, London
KHACHATURIAN: Suite No.2 from the ballet
‘Spartacus’ [21:48]
BARBER: Concerto for violin and orchestra
[24:08]
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No.6 in B minor,
Op.65 [30:56]
Adrian Varela (violin)
London Shostakovich Orchestra/Christopher
Cox
Recorded "live" 19 May 2001
DUNELM DRD0173 [77:19]
Reviews: C
H Loh, DSCH Journal http://www.opus147.free.fr/reviews16.htm
SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No.7 in C major [‘Dedicated
to the city of Leningrad’] [73:03]
London Shostakovich Orchestra/Christopher
Cox
Recorded "live" 18 May 2002
DUNELM DRD0184 [73:03]
Reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Feb03/1aFeb03-5.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Feb03/shost7dunelm.htm
SHOSTAKOVICH
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op.
102: (‘To Maxim Dmitrievich Shostakovich’)
[20:32]
Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op.103,
‘The Year 1905’ [67:27]
Marina Primachenko (piano)
London Shostakovich Orchestra/Christopher
Cox
Recorded "live" 9 November
2002.
DUNELM DRD0193 [2 CDs: 87:59]
Reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Jun03/shost11dunelm.htmhttp://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Jun03/1aJun03-5.htm
SHOSTAKOVICH:
Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op.103,
‘The Year 1905’ [67:27]
London Shostakovich Orchestra: Conductor:
Christopher Cox; Leader: Jonathan Lee
Recorded "live" 9 November
2002.
DUNELM DRD0193B [67:27]
SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No.4 in C minor, Op.43 [63:39]
London Shostakovich Orchestra: Conductor:
Christopher Cox; Leader: Louise Lee
Recorded "live" 8 November
2003
DUNELM DRD0216B [63:39]
Review:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Jun04/Shostakovich4_Dunelm.htm
SHOSTAKOVICH
Concerto for cello and orchestra No.1
in E flat, Op.107 [28:46]
Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.47 [55:33]
Jonathan Ayling (cello)
London Shostakovich Orchestra/Christopher
Cox
Recorded "live" 15 May 2004
DUNELM DRD0227 [2 CDs: 84:19]
Review:
BBC Music Magazine, November,
2004, 13, Number 3, p.63
SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.47 [55:33]
London Shostakovich Orchestra/Christopher
Cox
Recorded "live" 15 May 2004
DUNELM DRD0227B [55:33]
PRICES:
Single CDs: £10.95 (inclusive of postage
and packing in the UK)
Dual sets of 2 CDs: £16.95 (inclusive
of postage and packing in the UK)
London Shostakovich Orchestra/Christopher Cox