Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9

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Leonard Bernstein's performances of Shostakovich were almost as highly regarded as his Mahler. This performance of the Fifth Symphony was the highlight of his celebrated tour of the Soviet Union with the New York Philharmonic in 1959. The composer himself attended the performances and approved of Bernstein's interpretation, which is the exact opposite of the traditional Russian one. Rather than take the finale ponderously, Bernstein flies through the music at a frantic pace, carrying it forward with irresistible momentum. The Ninth Symphony is the composer's lightest and most carefree. Bernstein walks the fine line between humor and seriousness with acrobatic skill. It is not surprising to find Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic in such good shape in these Shostakovich symphony recordings. Rarely has this music so clearly shown its debt to Mahler as in these performances by committed Mahlerians. Under Bernstein's amazingly lively baton, the 5th Symphony reaches a perfect balance between irony and painful introspection. The Allegretto abounds in wit and humor, while the following Largo conveys a deep feeling of sorrow and desolation through the intense playing of the strings and the lunar pallor of the woodwind solos. In the finale, Bernstein allows just the right amount of loudness and vulgarity from his musicians (what a demonic brass section!), in order to translate the fake optimism of the music. Though infinitely lighter than the 5th, the buoyant 9th--Shostakovich's own "Classical Symphony"--receives the same passionate treatment, in turns pungent, meditative, or brisk when needed. Woodwinds offer a special feast here, thanks to their numerous musical dialogs, and Bernstein knows like (almost) no other conductor how to build up a climax--even when the music is as fat-free as this. In brief, these exciting, ageless performances have everything one could wish from a Russian orchestra and conductor--only better played. The sound recording (1959 and 1965) is a pure delight, with true depth, clear spatial definition, and good old stereo separation opposing violins and basses in the most expressive way.

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Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer: Manuel Zegler
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra/Ensemble: New York Philharmonic

Tracks

01 - Symphony 5 - Moderato
02 - Symphony 5 - Allegretto
03 - Symphony 5 - Largo
04 - Symphony 5 - Allegro Non Troppo
05 - Symphony 9 - Allegro
06 - Symphony 9 - Moderato
07 - Symphony 9 - Presto
08 - Symphony 9 - Largo
09 - Symphony 9 - Allegretto

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Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9

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