Shostakovich Symphonies

[DarkAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayG /img/forum/go_quote.gif DA - Now that you love the Kondrashin set and other madcap type interpretations so much, will your MS/Barshai/Jansons sets get any listening time? Is the sound quality difference enough to make you reach for one of those conductors every once in a while?

Great sound quality is nice to have but I value the performance much higher, don't mind listening to average sound recordings.

Kondrashin remains my favorite and will get heavy rotation, but others will get some play and useful as references. Sometimes overtime you can change your mind or have new perspective on things.

There are comments several pages back in this thread about Kitajenko set, can't remember who purchased this........wait is was Doc Sarvis, search will turn up a couple posts if anyone wants more info.

 

[JayG]

Indeed. I value performance over sound quality every time. I think listening to an inferior performance because of superior sound quality is like drinking Bud Light over Old Speckled Hen (or insert your favorite beer here) because you like Bud's label and box better.

I was just wondering if you liked Barshai/Jansons/MS etc. enough to keep them around or if they were sale-bait.

-Jay

 

[Doc Sarvis]

I've had the KItajenko for a while now (paid MUCH more for it than it goes for today!!!), and I think it's definitely a worthwhile set. Sonics are second to none, and for that reason it's worth having. It remains for me a good middle of the road interpretation, especially when I want to show off my system! At today's amazon.de prices I would not hesitate.

 

[eyeresist]

Re: keeping secondary sets -

I find it useful to have several performances of anything I like, to stop my favourite becoming imprinted on my brain as "The One Performance" and automatically biasing me against alternative viewpoints.

 

[Tyson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeresist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Re: keeping secondary sets - I find it useful to have several performances of anything I like, to stop my favourite becoming imprinted on my brain as "The One Performance" and automatically biasing me against alternative viewpoints.

I agree with this, multiple versions enrich my understanding of a given work. For that reason I like the versions I own to be pretty far apart, interpretively.

 

[DarkAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyson /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree with this, multiple versions enrich my understanding of a given work. For that reason I like the versions I own to be pretty far apart, interpretively.

ha ha.......if we only needed one version of everything then all these long threads are futile exercise.

Litton/Delos 10,6 2CD set
These are pretty good, as good as Jansons, and the 6th is actually very good one of the best. Really got these to hear great sound quality which they do deliver, selling cheap used at Amazon.......Shosty fans should not hesitate, this is one of those classicstoday 10/10 rated Cds. There is also a Litton 8th but did not get that (yet)

Delos label has some of the best sound around, if you have the Litton Mahler 2,3 you know what they deliver.

 

[BAwig05]

Litton's 5th and 10th are supposed to be execllent as well.

 

[JayG]

I don't have any of Litton's Shostakovich, but I've had a couple of his discs on my wish list for a while. I haven't heard much from Litton that I haven't liked.

-Jay

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif ha ha.......if we only needed one version of everything then all these long threads are futile exercise. Litton/Delos 1,6 2CD set These are pretty good, as good as Jansons, and the 6th is actually very good one of the best. Really got these to hear great sound quality which they do deliver, selling cheap used at Amazon.......Shosty fans should not hesitate, this is one of those classicstoday 10/10 rated Cds. There is also a Litton 8th but did not get that (yet) Delos label has some of the best sound around, if you have the Litton Mahler 2,3 you know what they deliver.

Are you sure it's the Litton Shosty 1/6 that you have? I can only find a reference to the 6th and 10th on Delos with a 10/10 rating.

Does anyone know anything about the Shosty piano concertos? That recording also seems to have garnered the 10/10 and it's also SACD/hybrid.

 

[DarkAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you sure it's the Litton Shosty 1/6 that you have? I can only find a reference to the 6th and 10th on Delos with a 10/10 rating. Does anyone know anything about the Shosty piano concertos? That recording also seems to have garnered the 10/10 and it's also SACD/hybrid.

That is the one I meant, 2CD Delos 10 & 6
(have corrected my original post)

 

[BAwig05]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you sure it's the Litton Shosty 1/6 that you have? I can only find a reference to the 6th and 10th on Delos with a 10/10 rating. Does anyone know anything about the Shosty piano concertos? That recording also seems to have garnered the 10/10 and it's also SACD/hybrid.

I like the piano concertos very much. Shostakovich himself plays them both on an EMI CD, on of his VERY few recordings. As far as i know, this recording pictured above is very good indeed, although I really like the pieces in general, and they're pretty hard to mess up

 

[JayG]

I'm not sure I would agree that Shostakovich's PCs are pretty hard to mess up. They might not be as easy to bomb as his symphonies or string quartets, but I think DSCH in general is one of the easiest major composers to get wrong. And performers very frequently do.

-Jay

 

[Doc Sarvis]

I have the Litton 8th, and it is a sonic marvel. It is bettered sound-wise only by the Kitajenko in terms of versions I've heard.

 

[DarkAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc Sarvis /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the Litton 8th, and it is a sonic marvel. It is bettered sound-wise only by the Kitajenko in terms of versions I've heard.

Since I liked the Litton 10,6 and the 8th was only $4 used at Amazon I grabbed one.......thanks to the little push from DS

I have a nice little Ancerl collection of Shosty now I really like:
-Supraphon Gold 1,5
-Supraphon Gold 7
-DG Originals 10

Very much in the Kondrashin/Mravinsky camp as far as tempo and intensity goes.........the 7th is 1958 recording with somewhat thin lightweight sound but the others have good sound for Supraphon.

 

[eyeresist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunnyears /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does anyone know anything about the Shosty piano concertos? That recording also seems to have garnered the 10/10 and it's also SACD/hybrid.

A quick perusal of MusicWeb shows a very positive review of the recording in question, but note the striking way the reviewer describes the contrast with the companion Shchedrin concerto!