Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10 (1926) [35:12]
Symphony No. 14 in G minor, Op. 135 (1969) [49:15]
Symphony No. 15 in A major, Op. 141 (1971) [48:03]
Chamber Symphony in C minor, Op. 110a (arr. Rudolf Barshai, 1960) [24:52]
Kristine Opolais (soprano) Alexander Tsymbalyuk (bass)
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Andris Nelsons
rec. live, February 2018 (14), November 2018 (1), April 2019 (15) and
January 2020 (Chamber Symphony)
Reviewed as a 24/96 press download
Pdf booklet includes sung texts (transliterated Russian & English)
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4860546
[83:15+74:07]
If previous instalments of Nelsons’ Shostakovich are anything to go by,
this cycle could just become the one to beat. Indeed, even a cursory glance
at my reviews of:
No. 10;
Nos. 5, 8 & 9; and
Nos. 4 & 11
should give readers a hint of why I think that. Of course, there will
always be dissenting voices. For instance,
David McDade
wasn’t overly impressed with the album under review, although, to be fair,
he did have good things to say about the Fourteenth.
When this Boston project is completed – Nos. 2, 3, 12 and 13 are
still outstanding – it will be up against Kirill Kondrashin’s classic set,
recorded in the 1960s and early 1970s (Melodiya), not to mention more recent ones from Rudolf Barshai and the
WDR Sinfonieorchester (Brilliant Classics)
and Dmitri Kitaienko, with the Gürzenich Orchester Köln (Capriccio). There are two even newer sets – well-received on these
pages – one with the Dresdner Philharmonie conducted by Michael Sanderling (Sony), the other with Alexander Sladkovsky, with the Tatarstan National
SO (Melodiya). Also, I’ve just reviewed the long-awaited Mark Wigglesworth
box, released at the end of June 2021 (BIS).
Nelsons’ account of the composer’s maiden symphony – a remarkably polished
and prescient graduation piece – gets off to a good start. It’s delectably
sprung, the bassoon and trumpet solos attractively done, the pizzicato strings firm and full-bodied. As expected, this is a
shapely and refined reading, very different from Barshai’s loose-limbed,
rather boisterous one. Both are very engaging, although it’s Nelsons who
finds the most colour and detail here. Then again, he has the considerable
advantage of engineer Nick Squire’s ear-tweaking, ‘hear-through’ recording.
(Indeed, he deserves high praise for his sterling contribution to the
series as a whole.)
The second movement has all the brio, bounce and wit it needs, the
slapstick piano no less effective for being more discreet than usual. This
aversion to excess is a reminder that such a comparatively ‘straight’
approach to these symphonies often makes for a rounded, more rewarding
musical experience. As for the dark-hued third, it finds conductor and
orchestra at their eloquent and communicative best, the oboe and cello
solos feelingly done. Not only that, Nelsons reveals a keen ear for the
shapes and sonorities that would become a staple of the composer’s later,
greater works. (Wigglesworth is similarly gifted.) Nelsons’ incident-packed
finale – almost a symphony in itself – is a treat, timps, bass drum and
tam-tam thrillingly caught. In short, this is a very fine First that could
easily rub shoulders with the best in the catalogue.
One of the pleasures/perils of reviewing is that it allows one to reassess
earlier recordings in the presence of newer ones. This is a risky process,
for while it may reaffirm faith in old favourites, it can also see them
consigned to Room 101. The latter fate befell my much-admired version of
Shostakovich’s Fourteenth Symphony, with Bernard Haitink, the Concertgebouw
and big-name soloists Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Julia Varady (Decca).
I’ve come to realise the Dutchman’s singers are not ideal, their vocal
shortcomings exaggerated by a recorded balance that puts them too far
forward. Also, the sound now seems very bright, verging on fierceness at
times. There are much better versions of the piece out there, but, alas,
Nelsons’ isn’t one of them. His vocalists, Alexander Tsymbalyuk and
Kristine Opolais, certainly start well, with pretty decent accounts of ‘De
profundis’ and ‘Malagueña’ respectively, but, taken in toto, their
responses to these bleak, unflinching texts are far too generalised for my
taste. I much prefer Barshai’s Alla Simoni and Vladimir Vaneev, who bring a
dramatic intensity to the piece that matches the conductor’s view of the
score. (Goodness, he and Kitaienko make their German orchestras play this
music as if to the manner born.) By contrast, Nelsons’ performance feels
strangely static and uninvolving. As for the recording – narrowly focused
and rather airless – it’s very disappointing indeed.
Shostakovich’s final symphony, by turns witty, equivocal and profoundly
moving, is a perfect distillation of all that’s gone before. From the
outset, it’s clear Nelsons has the measure of this piece, the opening
movement crisp and animated. At the same time, the composer’s extremely
lucid, pared-down writing demands – and gets – virtuoso playing from
soloists and ensemble alike. Also, the sound is wonderfully aerated, with
individual instruments precisely placed and so easily heard. Really, this
is an ideal alignment of talents – a masterly score, world-class
musicianship and Squire’s exceptional engineering. (Now, if only the Boston
Fourteenth had been similarly endowed...) Timbres are well caught,
especially those of the louring, superbly blended brass and stoic lower
strings in the second movement. This, the finest section of the symphony,
also finds orchestra and conductor at their most inspired. There’s a rare
and sustained sense of communion here, something that one associates with
the most indelible musical encounters. But the composer modulates to the
key of whimsy in the third movement, the players making the transition with
disarming ease. As for the finale, I’ve never heard it done better, or
perceived its inner workings so clearly. All of which makes this not only a
highlight of the cycle to date, but also one of the most perceptive and
penetrating performances of this masterpiece that I’ve ever heard.
The Op. 110a Chamber Symphony, Barshai’s arrangement of
Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8, is not a work I return to very often.
That’s probably because I never warmed to the Yuli Turovsky/I Musici de
Montréal recording, which was the only one in my collection for years.
Revisiting it for this review, I soon remembered why it never appealed to
me. The strings are just too overbearing, the sound over-bright, and the
performance is frankly underwhelming. Neither of those things can be said of
Nelsons’ version, which is sumptuously played and recorded, the Largo
movements especially beautiful. That’s hardly surprising, as this is the
string section of a great orchestra at the top of their game. The problem is
that it’s all too sleek, too corporate. I prefer the emphasis to be more on
the ‘chamber’ and less on the ‘symphony’, which is why my current go-to
version of the piece features the Dmitri Ensemble, conducted by Graham Ross.
(John Quinn
made this Harmonia Mundi release a Recording of the Month in August 2015.)
What a relief to discern shape and texture, and to hear music-making of
such poise and passion. Even more pleasing is a sense of scale and
intimacy, which suits the music very well indeed. There’s also a surprising
spin-off, in that one is made much more aware of the distinctive
Shostakovich sound, and reminded what a good job Barshai did here.
The HM recording is rather good, too.
A fine First and an exceptional Fifteenth; otherwise, a disappointment.
Dan Morgan
Previous reviews:
David McDade ~
John Quinn
