Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphonies Nos. 6 & 12 (Vasily Petrenko)

Information

Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

1. Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54: I. Largo
2. Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54: II. Allegro
3. Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54: III. Presto
4. Symphony No. 12 in D minor "The Year 1917", Op. 112: I. Revolutionary Petrograd (Moderato) -
5. Symphony No. 12 in D minor "The Year 1917", Op. 112: II. Razliv (Adagio) -
6. Symphony No. 12 in D minor "The Year 1917", Op. 112: III. Aurora (Allegro) -
7. Symphony No. 12 in D minor "The Year 1917", Op. 112: IV. The Dawn of Humanity (L'istesso tempo)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko, conductor
Date: 2009 (4-7), 2010 (1-3)
Label: Naxos
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572658

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

The Twelfth is not Shostakovich’s best symphony, but it’s not as bad as its detractors would have us believe. The first two movements in particular are effectively structured and, respectively, cinematically exciting and quite atmospheric. The finale, especially its coda, is so telling an example of Socialist Realist triumph that it can only be accepted as a parody; and played without apology, as here, it works very well. Indeed, Vasily Petrenko leads a first movement that beats just about everyone in terms of sheer excitement, and the same holds true of the transitional third movement, “Aurora”. As for that problematic finale, it has an appealing lightness (before the coda) that avoids any impression of facile note-spinning. If you don’t like this symphony, give this performance a shot. It may change your mind.

The Sixth is far less troublesome, but Petrenko’s vision is no less probing. At nearly 20 minutes the first movement is very slow, but wholly gripping. Petrenko takes the scherzo dazzlingly fast, but paces the finale moderately to give it the necessary weight (without sacrificing the music’s irony and wit). Through it all the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic plays splendidly, and is excellently recorded. This Shostakovich series is shaping up as one of the best, make no mistake.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.classical-music.com/review/shostakovich-symphonies-nos-6-12
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/shostakovich-symphonies-nos-6-12
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Oct11/shostakovich_6_12_8572658.htm
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs72658a.php
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/oct/20/shostakovich-symphonies-review
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalcdreviews/8813016/Shostakovich-Symphonies-Nos-6-and-12-CD-review.html
http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Review/288815,shostakovich-symphonies-nos-6-12-royal-liverpoolpo/petrenko.aspx
http://www.allmusic.com/album/shostakovich-symphonies-nos-6-12-the-year-1917-mw0002216180
http://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.572658&languageid=EN
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovich-Symphony-No-12/dp/B005KNOE3G
http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Symphonies-Nos-Year-1917/dp/B005KNOE3G

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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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Vasily Petrenko (born 7 July 1976, Leningrad, USSR) is a Russian conductor. Petrenko studied conducting principally under Ravil Martynov, also learning from Mariss Jansons, Yuri Temirkanov and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Since 2006 he has been principal conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and is chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra since 2013. He is noted for his recordings of Shostakovich symphonies on Naxos and Rachmaninov on EMI.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasily_Petrenko

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