Shostakovitch 6

The 6th and 9th symphonies by Shostakovich are absolute gems. Jansons has both coupled on an EMI CD, now deleated but can be picked up on Amazon etc. Reiner (deleated) is also excellent. Avoid Previn in Shostakovich and Jarvi doesn't quite get the humour of the 6th. The 1st, 4th and the 15th are also excellent. Put them alongside the 5th, 8th and 10th symphonies, but avoid the 3rd, 7th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th. (the 2nd is interesting, just not sure in a musical sense)

Alice, don't go to the extreme, again. If you wish, you may avoid whatever you don't like, approve or whatever, but you cannot suggest that Symphonies, which have been established themselves in the repertory and in the History of Symphonic Music, are to be avoided. Some of the ones you mentioned have reached the level of the monumental (7th, 14th), and some at the very high level of the memorable ones (11th, 13th).

Contrary to his String Quartets, which look alike to a great extent, his Symphonies are like separate "pictures" of his life and his musicianship, full of different colours, shades, riddles and multiple layers of musical writing and manifestation.

Parla

Parla, I love Shostakovich, but the 11th is film music (for a poor film) and the 7th is pop music. Bartok said everything that needed to be said about the 7th.

Alice, just for the record: The 11th is a great "film" score (without the film, anyway). We have witnessed plenty of superb film music in the history of this business. Immediacy and simplicity, if combined with great and complex orchestration along with an extended form, are not disadvantages but the opposite. I have attended this Symphony in a live performance with the Atlanta S.O. under the late Kreizberg; it was one of the most memorable concerts I have ever witnessed. However, the amazing thing was that an american audience was moved and stood in awe as well.

The 7th, if it's pop, then, let the pop culture to celebrate: a very large scale 70 minute long complex, heavily orchestrated symphonic work is a bit too much even for the pop world. Of course, I admit it's somehow difficult to appreciate the inner character of the music, the broad narrative or the overly expressed emotions. If Symphonic coherence or craftsmanship are the goals, yes, maybe the 7th is not the best example. However, its emotional and direct musical tone is evident and direct to people much beyond Russia.

As for Bartok, with all due respect, before he "spoke" or quoted and alluded (the march theme of the First movement of Shostakovich's 7th in his Intermezzo of his Concerto for Orchestra), he had to consider he didn't wrote even one proper Symphony.

Parla

Have you got to the joke yet.

Glad you enjoyed Boult's performance. I have no idea what the current license holder of Everest recordings is thinking, issuing such short CDs. The original CD release, as I mentioned above, also contained the 9th Symphony. It was issued by the Omega Record Group in New York City. Among other Everest recordings in their catalouge was the Hindemith Symphony with Boult and the LPO and, on the same CD, the Violin Concerto by Hindemith with Joseph Fuchs and the LSO conducted by Goossens. The current CD available has just the Symphony, a 30 muinute CD.

Speaking of Boult and Shostakovich, in 1962 he was asked to conduct the BBC Symphony in a concert at the RFH. The BBC picked the program: VW's Tallis Fantasia, Beethoven's 4th Symphony, Bach's Double Violin Concerto, and Elgar's Falstaff. He refused, telling the BBC it was nothing but a list of pieces they couldn't persuade other conductors to do. He won the contest and on November 28th gave the first London performance (and probably only the second performance outside of Russia - the first was at the Edinburgh Festival a few months before) of Shostakovich's 12th Symphony. The other works on the programme were Beethoven's 8th Symphony and Bach's Third Brandenburg Concerto. This info is from Michael Kennedy's biography of Boult. I happened to find a CD of the Shostakovich on The Classical Society label (made in Italy). While I have never heard another performance of this work I find Boult's reading to be, using your words, "splendid, vital and powerful." The CD also has a live performance of the Serenade No. 1 by Brahms with the BBC Symphony. I have not been able to trace the date or venue of that one, but I like his EMI studio recording a little better.

33lp - Even if you do find the Everest CD of Job issued by the Omega Record Group the sound is problematical. It was recorded, for some reason, at the RAH and the engineer failed to get the balance right. It's a fine performance but the brass dominates more than it should. The original Everest CD also has the overture to The Wasps conducted by Boult and Arnold's Four Scottish Dances conducted by the composer. The Wasps overture is not an Everest recording but sounds to me like Boult's last EMI recording, altho no credit as such is given.

While on the subject of Job, and I think I mentioned this in another post some months ago, my favorite Boult performance is the one he gave at the VW Centennial Concert at the RFH on October 12, 1972. It was issued on an Intaglio CD along with On Wenlock Edge from the same concert. The sound is excellent. The timpani in Job especially stands out. The other work on the concert was the 8th Symphony and that, along with Job, has been issued on a DVD by ICA Classics. I prefer the sound on the Intaglio but that is no doubt due to better playback equipment.

Yes, I do have the Everest VW 9th on both Everest and Decca. Actually there are very few of Boult's recordings that I don't have. Back in the 1940's I purchased Boult's 78 of the Fingal's Cave Overture and that started it all!!