This bargain-priced
collection of the complete Shostakovich
concertos features recordings that span
a period of more than forty years. Clearly
the recorded sound varies enormously;
but the quality of the performances
– each of them – is such that the whole
enterprise can be enthusiastically recommended.
After the fifteen symphonies
and the fifteen string quartets, the
six concertos – two each for piano,
violin and cello – represent one of
the most important aspects of Shostakovich’s
creative achievement. While they are
not all known as well as they might
be, they are all masterly examples of
his strongly characterized art, at the
same time as varied in their natures
and contexts.
Brilliant Classics
has gathered these performances from
very different sources. The two cello
concertos were recorded in Moscow in
the autumn of 1997 and they sound particularly
well. Valeri Polyanski is one of the
best among today’s Russian conductors,
and he and his firm-toned soloist Alexander
Ivashkin always seem to choose the right
tempo. In music as direct as the opening
movement of the Cello Concerto No. 1
any miscalculation can be dangerous,
since everything will relate to the
opening bars. But these artists are
spot-on, and so it remains throughout
this strongly characterised piece.
The Cello Concerto
No. 2 is a more complex and dark experience
in every way. Some of the most penetrating
parts of the score rely upon the cellist
(originally Mstislav Rostropovich) to
command the attention by force of musical
personality. Ivashkin follows nobly
in the footsteps of his illustrious
predecessor. The lengthy finale is the
biggest challenge and it comes off particularly
well, making the ‘death-rattle’ ending
just as compelling as the composer surely
intended. Across the extremes of emotion
and technique the recorded balance is
exemplary.
David Oistrakh was
the dedicatee of both the violin concertos
and he features in both these recorded
performances. That of the Concerto No.
1 dates from the 1950s and frankly it
sounds fifty years old. However, this
Brilliant Classics transfer is a whole
lot better than the previous Chant du
Monde issue of this performance, which
sounded dreadfully dim. The problem
is the lack of lustre, particularly
in the orchestral string sound. Tuttis
have only limited impact, but even so
the evident strengths of Oistrakh’s
playing, supported by one of the great
orchestra-conductor partnerships to
have come out of Russia, make this a
special experience.
The Violin Concerto
No. 2 probably rates as the least known
among these six concertos; but it is
well worth knowing, and some listeners
may prefer it to the more famous Concerto
No. 1. It was written as a 60th
birthday offering for Oistrakh, but
Shostakovich got his sums wrong since
the violinist was only 59 when he gave
the premiere in 1967. This recording
was made the following year in Moscow,
and gets right to the heart of the matter.
For this is not merely a virtuoso showpiece,
but rather a deeply felt and penetrating
work, just like the Cello Concerto No.
2 of 1966. The meditation with which
the concerto begins sets the tone; Shostakovich
described this theme as the 'betrayal
motif', which was possibly a reference
to the harsh Brezhnev regime and its
treatment of dissidents who were in
many cases his friends. But soon the
despair of this lyrical meditation transforms
the motif into a frenetic, even grotesque,
rhythmic activity. These somewhat disconcerting
shifts of mood, which form a fundamental
aspect of the composer's style, recur
throughout. The sinister pantomime is
emphasised by the extremities of the
scoring: at one point the soloist shares
a competitive duo with beating tom-toms.
The central slow movement is more lyrical,
lading without pause into a lively finale
in which Oistrakh is able to confirm
his virtuoso credentials. This is an
extraordinary piece and it receives
an extraordinary performance.
If the string concertos
were written for the leading players
of the day, the two piano concertos
are family affairs. Shostakovich himself
introduced the Concerto No. 1 in 1933.
It uses the distinctive orchestral combination
of trumpet and strings, and does so
with the utmost imagination. This performance
was recorded in 1975 in Southampton
Guildhall, which was through the 1970s
and 1980s the favoured recording venue
of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
in their many successful projects for
EMI. This was one of them, not least
because the sparkling form of the pianist,
Cristina Ortiz, is matched by the BSO’s
then principal trumpet Rodney Senior.
The Second Piano Concerto
may date from the post-war era, but
it has become one of Shostakovich’s
most loved compositions. The outer movements
are notable for their vigour and pointed
wit, while at the heart of the piece
lies a warmly expressive slow movement
that is immediately lovable. The uncomplicated
manner of this concerto for the composer’s
son Maxim is its very strength. Cristina
Ortiz captures just the right tone,
and the (EMI) sound is atmospheric and
pleasing.
As a filler Ortiz plays
the three short Fantastic Dances that
the student composer wrote in 1922.
They too have an immediate appeal, and
serve as a welcome bonus to this strongly
recommended collection of concertos.
Terry Barfoot
for
details
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 7620 [3 CDs: 45:18
+ 64:46 + 64:41]
