Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 (2006)

Mariss Jansons' 1988 EMI recording of Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony with the Leningrad Philharmonic was surely one of the great recordings of the work. Not only was Jansons a protégée of Yevgeny Mravinsky, beyond all argument the greatest Shostakovich conductor of all time, but the Leningrad Philharmonic was the heir of the orchestra and the city to whom the work was dedicated, and together their performance provided the unbearably moving and overwhelmingly affecting interpretation the huge work needs to succeed. How ... Read More

Mariss Jansons' 1988 EMI recording of Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony with the Leningrad Philharmonic was surely one of the great recordings of the work. Not only was Jansons a protégée of Yevgeny Mravinsky, beyond all argument the greatest Shostakovich conductor of all time, but the Leningrad Philharmonic was the heir of the orchestra and the city to whom the work was dedicated, and together their performance provided the unbearably moving and overwhelmingly affecting interpretation the huge work needs to succeed. How does Jansons' 2006 recording of the "Leningrad" with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra stack up to his 1988 recording? Musically, it's certainly in the same league. The Concertgebouw is one of the great orchestras of Europe and it plays here with its typical supreme technical ability and consummate musicianship. No matter how hard the music -- and the "Leningrad" is one of the longest, loudest, and most demanding scores out there -- the Concertgebouw is totally on top of it. And... Read Less