Russia celebrating Shostakovich's 100th (as should everyone else, he was born September 25, 1906)

AP - Yahoo ^ | September 19, 2006 | Jim Heintz

[EveningStar]

...Shostakovich's music stands as a sharp contrast to that of this year's other celebrated musical birthday boy, Wolfgang Mozart, whose hummable strains have drenched the airwaves in observance of the 250th anniversary of his birth. Though Shostakovich's oeuvre isn't without merriment, his most noted works can be forbidding — with dissonances, sometimes-jagged rhythms and flirtations with avant-garde techniques — and they are awash in the troubles that plagued the man and his native land...

[EveningStar]

He's the Beethoven of the 20th century. He composed 15 symphonies, 15 string quartets, operas, film music. He was at odds with the Soviet government.

[EveningStar]

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[EveningStar]

He got lost in the shadow of Mozart's 250th birthday celebration but most of us who have heard his music realize that he is a true great.

[Pharmboy]

When I was in high school (during the 60s), I could not get enough of this rendition of his 5th symphony:

About 10 years ago, I bought the cd. Unlistenable. Just my opinion--I guess I outgrew him.

[EveningStar]

Bernstein did his own version of the Shostakovich 5th. I liked it but it was not the only version. I never outgrew him.

[Pharmboy]

Please tell me the best version...I will purchase the CD.

[ecurbh]

My favorite Shostakovich recording:

Those last few minutes of Symphony No. 7 are just earth-shattering. When the entire brass section comes in, and the bass trombone is blaring away... wow. Just wow.

[Cyclopean Squid]

I agree--many criticize the 7th, at least the first movement, but I consider it an out-an-out masterpiece.

[Republicanprofessor]

I will quibble about some of the statements in that article. For my source, I quote Robert Greenberg from the Teaching Company and his series of CDs on Shostakovich (which I highly recommend).

The 7th Symphony is, yes, about the oppression of Hitler and his Fascism, and about other kinds of oppression as well (read Stalin and Communism) but Stalin was too dense to get it. The mundane theme in the first movement that is repeated for about 15 minutes, getting louder and louder until it is overpowering, is all about Communism. Shostakovich began this symphony even before the Leningrad seige.

I love his work for that hidden tension in it that resists Communism. Shostakovich carried a toothbrush and cake of soap every time he left the house. You never knew who might seize you and where you'd end up. Many of his friends were killed by Stalin. It was a terrifying era.

Thanks so much for the post.

[GadareneDemoniac]

I'd like to put in a plug for Symphony number 11, "The Year 1905" - the first movement is especially haunting.

I have more recordings of Shostakovitch in my collection than any other composer except Beethoven and Mozart.

[Colonel Kangaroo]

The 7th Symphony is, yes, about the oppression of Hitler and his Fascism, and about other kinds of oppression as well (read Stalin and Communism) but Stalin was too dense to get it. The mundane theme in the first movement that is repeated for about 15 minutes, getting louder and louder until it is overpowering, is all about Communism. Shostakovich began this symphony even before the Leningrad seige.

I believe the party line (both literally and figuratively) was/is that it refers to the approach of the German army. But that doesn't really make sense. I believe you hit the nail on the head describing it. It perfectly expresses Stalin's regime of insanity and terror in general and maybe particularly the madness of th "Great Terror".

And that's not to say that even when not "Great", Stalin's terror was anything but terrible.

[EveningStar]

I'll toss in some kudos to the 11th, too. I've got a couple recordings of it, including Stokowski's, and I've also seen a live performance of it, with the San Francisco Symphony.

[Argh]

I was at a party, standing beside a palm tree drinking a cola. A woman I disliked came up on my blind side and yowled, "Whatcha drinkin' there, Sam?" I jerked away, stabbing my elbow into a palm frond, and said, "Dummy tree! Shasta Cola, Bitch!"

OK, OK, I'm leaving...

[kesg]

He's the Beethoven of the 20th century. He composed 15 symphonies, 15 string quartets, operas, film music. He was at odds with the Soviet government

Exactly. In fact, he is my second favorite composer after Beethoven. His 4th Symphony may be the greatest symphony ever written by someone not named "Beethoven." And don't forget his E minor piano trio and G minor string quintent -- arguably two of the greatest works in classical chamber music.

[EveningStar]

Please tell me the best version...I will purchase the CD.

I cannot make a recommendation. Hopefully someone else here can. The best version I heard was a live one with Carl St. Clair and the Pacific Symphony.

Bernstein's original recording was controversial because he took the beginning of the 4th movement at a noticably faster tempo than Shostakovich had marked.

[Cyclopean Squid]

Another great Soviet composer is Gavriil Popov. His first symphony is awesome. Later on he became more conformist to socialist realism and he wasn't as good, but truly a genius who was crushed under Stalin's boot, unlike Shostakovich who flourished.

I had a Popov CD but some fiend stole it from my car, along with some Scriabin and Handel (and my Megadeth and Smashing Pumpkins). Hopefully the thief enjoyed it--now I can't find a new copy anywhere.

[Rane _H]

That took me while, Argh. Hehe, dummy tree. :)

On my favorite CD site they had one Popov CD, Cyclo. If you're looking for another I guess.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/albumList.jsp?name_id1=9619&name_role1=1&bcorder=1

[Cyclopean Squid]

Cool, thanks. I had the Olympia recording that included his second symphony, I think. It was entitled "From the Motherland" and despite being somewhat propagandistic was still great. I hadn't heard his other works but they were heavily criticized for conformism.

Very powerful, very loud music. The best classical music is the most epic and stentorian, in my opinion. That's why I'm more into Mahler than Vivaldi.

[EveningStar]

I hope this is only the first of many Shostakovich threads.