Dmitri Shostakovich - Chamber Symphonies (Rudolf Barshai)

Information

Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich; Alfred Schnittke

CD1:

1. Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (orch. Barshai): 1. Largo -
2. Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (orch. Barshai): 2. Allegro molto -
3. Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (orch. Barshai): 3. Allegretto -
4. Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (orch. Barshai): 4. Largo -
5. Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (orch. Barshai): 5. Largo
6. Shostakovich - Symphony for strings, Op. 118a (orch. Barshai): 1. Andante
7. Shostakovich - Symphony for strings, Op. 118a (orch. Barshai): 2. Allegretto furioso
8. Shostakovich - Symphony for strings, Op. 118a (orch. Barshai): 3. Adagio -
9. Shostakovich - Symphony for strings, Op. 118a (orch. Barshai): 4. Allgretto - Andante
10. Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony, Op. 83a (orch. Barshai): 1. Allegretto
11. Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony, Op. 83a (orch. Barshai): 2. Andantino
12. Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony, Op. 83a (orch. Barshai): 3. Allegretto -
13. Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony, Op. 83a (orch. Barshai): 4. Allegretto

CD2:

1. Shostakovich - Symphony for strings & woodwinds, Op. 73a (orch. Barshai): 1. Allegretto
2. Shostakovich - Symphony for strings & woodwinds, Op. 73a (orch. Barshai): 2. Moderato con moto
3. Shostakovich - Symphony for strings & woodwinds, Op. 73a (orch. Barshai): 3. Allegro non troppo
4. Shostakovich - Symphony for strings & woodwinds, Op. 73a (orch. Barshai): 4. Adagio -
5. Shostakovich - Symphony for strings & woodwinds, Op. 73a (orch. Barshai): 5. Moderato
6. Schnittke - Prelude in Memoriam Dmitri Shostakovich
7. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 15, Op. 141 (arr. Viktor Derevianko & Mark Pekarsky): 1. Allegretto
8. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 15, Op. 141 (arr. Viktor Derevianko & Mark Pekarsky): 2. Adagio - Largo
9. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 15, Op. 141 (arr. Viktor Derevianko & Mark Pekarsky): 3. Allegretto
10. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 15, Op. 141 (arr. Viktor Derevianko & Mark Pekarsky): 4. Adagio - Allegretto

Kremerata Musica (CD2 7-10)

Gidon Kremer, violin & conductor (CD2 6-10)

Chamber Orchestra of Europe (CD1, CD2 1-5)
Rudolf Barshai (CD1, CD2 1-5)

Date: 1989-1991 (Barshai), 1995 (Kremer)
Label: Deutsche Grammophone
http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4775442

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 9

Rudolf Barshai created these arrangements of Shostakovich’s Quartets Nos. 3, 4, 8, and 10, and while his performances have been equalled in some instances (notably in an excellent series from BIS), they have not been surpassed. As a Shostakovich conductor, Barshai’s credentials are second to none. He led the premiere of the Fourteenth Symphony, and his complete symphony cycle on Brilliant Classics remains one of the glories of the composer’s large discography. Barshai’s conducting has an aristocratic elegance that never becomes fussy or fails to plumb the music’s emotional depths. Even in the transcription of the Eighth Quartet (Op. 110a) he manages to combine poise and anguish in a way that bespeaks superior musicianship all around. The playing of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe is outstanding in every respect, and the sonics are equally vivid. Only in the most heavily-scored climaxes of the Fourth Quartet (transcribed for winds and percussion as well as strings) is there a hint of congestion. Otherwise this is essential listening for all fans of the composer, made only more so by the interesting arrangement of the Fifteenth Symphony, as well as the Schnittke, both also exceptionally well done by Gidon Kremer & Co. A stunning collection.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Chamber-Symphonies-Dmitri/dp/B0007DHPQM

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Dmitri Shostakovich (25 September 1906 – 9 August 1975) was a Russian composer and pianist, and a prominent figure of 20th-century music. Shostakovich achieved fame in the Soviet Union, but later had a complex and difficult relationship with the government. Shostakovich's music is characterized by sharp contrasts, elements of the grotesque, and ambivalent tonality; the composer was also heavily influenced by the neo-classical style pioneered by Igor Stravinsky, and (especially in his symphonies) by the post-Romanticism associated with Gustav Mahler.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitri_Shostakovich

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Rudolf Barshai (September 28, 1924 – November 2, 2010) was a Soviet and Russian conductor and violist. Barshai achieved fame as a musical interpreter and arranger of Shostakovich's and Prokofiev's music. He is particularly noted for his arrangements of Shostakovich's string quartets for chamber orchestra. In 2000, Barshai produced a performing version of Mahler's Tenth Symphony. He recorded a number of Shostakovich's works, among which was the widely praised world premiere recording of the composer's Fourteenth Symphony. Many of his recordings earned critical acclaim and won international awards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Barshai

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