The famous Previn Shostakovich
5 is released in yet another budget
re-packaging from RCA. Its last reincarnation
was on the Navigator label with the
same coupling. It has long held sway,
in some quarters, as the most thrilling
non-Russian recording of this symphony,
though not everyone agrees. I well remember
the late Michael Oliver choosing this
version in a Radio 3 ‘Building a Library’
edition, cogently and intelligently
weighing up the pros and cons. Listening
again after some years has been an interesting
experience.
Competition is now
a lot fiercer in the budget and medium
price sector, but this was always one
of Previn’s best recordings from his
heyday with the LSO, matched only (in
my humble opinion) by his Walton 1,
Rachmaninov 2 and the Vaughan
Williams series. The qualities that
mark out those versions are here in
spades and obvious from the outset.
The way the strings trenchantly dig
into the first movement’s opening canon
has never sounded more arresting. His
tempi are mostly on the urgent side,
though never, to my ears, sounding rushed.
Illuminating details abound. The trotting,
dotted figure at 4’53 always seems to
me to work better at a bit of a lick,
and the way Previn pushes the orchestra
towards the brutal climax only makes
the delicate little duet for horn and
flute which follows it (13’37) sound
even more full of repose. The LSO brass
have a whale of a time with their ironic,
striding motif at 10’33, and I particularly
like Previn’s handling of the ghostly
coda, where the chromatic slitherings
of the celesta truly give the subtext
away.
The way the cellos
and basses tear into the Mahlerian scherzo
may seem a bit over the top to some,
but its visceral impact is undeniable.
Previn has always seen the great slow
movement as the heart of the work, and
his expansive reading strikes me as
near ideal. The broad and ripely romantic
pacing allows the climaxes to unfold
in true contrast, with his ear for detail
producing ravishing moments – the duet
for harp and flute at 3’31 is a good
example.
The fast and furious
pace of the finale may bother some,
though it is near the suggested metronome
marks. I know these are relative, and
it does make some of the accelerandos
a bit awkward to achieve, even with
the stunning virtuosity of the LSO at
their peak. But the mocking brashness
and sense of ironic grandeur are surely
there in this music, and no-one understood
that better than Previn. Make no mistake
– this is a formidable version of this
much-recorded piece, and can still hold
its own with the best.
The half hour filler
is also well worth having, even though
the scrappy strings at the opening just
serve to highlight the contrast between
workmanlike playing and a top orchestra
really on fire. Shostakovich’s love
of Shakespeare was lifelong, and this
Hamlet Suite contains much that
is inspiring and entertaining. I like
his orchestral effects in ‘the ghost’,
and the ‘arrival and scene of the players’
is a riot. It would have been nice to
have heard the LSO in this, as much
of it is not easy stuff to negotiate,
but there is some characterful wind
playing from the Belgian orchestra,
and Serebrier guides us through safely,
if a little stiffly.
The packaging appears
markedly cheaper than the Navigator
series, and I’m not sure the re-mastering
has improved the sound in the Symphony.
It seems that an effort to remove some
residual tape hiss has resulted in a
slight dulling of climaxes, and I heard
some very obvious rumble in parts of
the first movement. Still, the impact
of the interpretation and playing is
not seriously diminished, and with its
interesting coupling, this is a serious
contender for your shelves.
Tony Haywood
London Symphony Orchestra/André Previn
(Symphony) 