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Track Listings
| 1. Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65 (1943) |
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Review
He has inbibed the St Petersburg tradition like mother's milk. the RLPO's recording is a valuable mordern alternative. --Andrew Clarke,Financial Times,24/04/2010
Having seen and heard Vasily Petrenko's work in Liverpool almost from the beginning, I can testify to his dramatic impact,which this issue amply confirms.I cannot imagine any of the RLPO's previous conductors getting such long sustained lines from the strings from the opening pages-so crucial to setting the tone and the scale of Shostakovich's wartime epic-or such weight of tone and idiomatic articulation in the second movement,such bite in the third,and such tense inwardness in the following passaglia.The way Petrenko follows the finale's course away from it's central confrontations towards its exhausted,wary truce rings as true as in any recorded version I can recall. Clearly recommendable --Gramophone,Aug 2010
''A magnificent, penetrating performance of the Eighth. Instalments in this series are now eagerly anticipated..Petrenko inspires the RLPO to a manner of playing and a level of emotional involvement of extraordinarily potent atmosphere, strength and poignancy...the performance is gripping and has all the hallmarks of a best-seller.'' --The Daily Telegraph CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK
One of the TOP ALBUMS OF 2010 --Sunday Times
''A magnificent, penetrating performance of the Eighth. Instalments in this series are now eagerly anticipated..Petrenko inspires the RLPO to a manner of playing and a level of emotional involvement of extraordinarily potent atmosphere, strength and poignancy...the performance is gripping and has all the hallmarks of a best-seller.'' --The Daily Telegraph CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK
Having seen and heard Vasily Petrenko's work in Liverpool almost from the beginning, I can testify to his dramatic impact,which this issue amply confirms.I cannot imagine any of the RLPO's previous conductors getting such long sustained lines from the strings from the opening pages-so crucial to setting the tone and the scale of Shostakovich's wartime epic-or such weight of tone and idiomatic articulation in the second movement,such bite in the third,and such tense inwardness in the following passaglia.The way Petrenko follows the finale's course away from it's central confrontations towards its exhausted,wary truce rings as true as in any recorded version I can recall. Clearly recommendable --Gramophone,Aug 2010
''A magnificent, penetrating performance of the Eighth. Instalments in this series are now eagerly anticipated..Petrenko inspires the RLPO to a manner of playing and a level of emotional involvement of extraordinarily potent atmosphere, strength and poignancy...the performance is gripping and has all the hallmarks of a best-seller.'' --The Daily Telegraph CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK
One of the TOP ALBUMS OF 2010 --Sunday Times
''A magnificent, penetrating performance of the Eighth. Instalments in this series are now eagerly anticipated..Petrenko inspires the RLPO to a manner of playing and a level of emotional involvement of extraordinarily potent atmosphere, strength and poignancy...the performance is gripping and has all the hallmarks of a best-seller.'' --The Daily Telegraph CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK
About the Artist
Vasily Petrenko has been awarded male artist of the year at the Classical Brit awards 2010
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is the third instalment in the Petrenko cycle of Shostakovich symphonies, and follows a much-praised public performance the month before this recording was made, in March 2009.
The 8th Symphony of 1943 is the more abstract, and arguably greater, companion to the 'Leningrad'. The long first movement is an arc of sound in which the tension inexorabkly mounts to an almost unbearable climax, then unwinds slowly into an uneasy calm. Then follow two hard-driven scherzi, and a slow movement that forms the emotional heart of the work, ending with the unnerving judder of flutter-tongued flutes. The finale, following on without a break, offers a new dawn, dying away until a shift to a major key allows a tentative expression of optimism at the end.
The composer challenges the mettle of orchestral soloists, with many passages calling for great expression as well as virtuosity: a long cor anglais solo in the dying fall of the first movement; the piccolo in the scherzi; and a violin solo in the finale can be picked out from many in this visionary score. The RLPO principals are up to this challenge, with playing of great eloquence and refinement.
This is a performance which will greatly enhance the growing reputation of the RLPO and its young Russian conductor, and sits comfortably alongside the now classic versions of Mravinsky and Previn. It has the added advantage of superior modern sound to capture the extreme dynamic range of this symphony. As usual, Naxos provide excellent programme notes and the bargain price that is a feature of the company.
The 8th Symphony of 1943 is the more abstract, and arguably greater, companion to the 'Leningrad'. The long first movement is an arc of sound in which the tension inexorabkly mounts to an almost unbearable climax, then unwinds slowly into an uneasy calm. Then follow two hard-driven scherzi, and a slow movement that forms the emotional heart of the work, ending with the unnerving judder of flutter-tongued flutes. The finale, following on without a break, offers a new dawn, dying away until a shift to a major key allows a tentative expression of optimism at the end.
The composer challenges the mettle of orchestral soloists, with many passages calling for great expression as well as virtuosity: a long cor anglais solo in the dying fall of the first movement; the piccolo in the scherzi; and a violin solo in the finale can be picked out from many in this visionary score. The RLPO principals are up to this challenge, with playing of great eloquence and refinement.
This is a performance which will greatly enhance the growing reputation of the RLPO and its young Russian conductor, and sits comfortably alongside the now classic versions of Mravinsky and Previn. It has the added advantage of superior modern sound to capture the extreme dynamic range of this symphony. As usual, Naxos provide excellent programme notes and the bargain price that is a feature of the company.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Cool and sleek, the playing of the RLPO has nothing in common with the driven, desperate, Soviet orchestras by any means, and so cannot be compared to Kondrashin (still my top choice overall) or Rozhdestvensky. As an alternative to Haitink (formerly my top western choice) on Decca, Petrenko and the RLPO provide it, and possibly beat it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
A youthful, insightful and exuberant Shostakovich 8th
12 July 2010
Format:Audio CD
A youthful, insightful and exuberant Shostakovich 8th
Shostakovich is a giant of a composer, arguably the greatest composer of the 20th century, certainly one of them. When one considers that his entire creative life was spent under the crushing oppression of the Soviet system, his achievements are doubly impressive.
The 8th Symphony is a magnificent, intensely dramatic work composed during World War II. Why this work is rarely to be found on concert programs in lieu of yet another performance of the Beethoven or Brahms symphonies is incomprehensible to me. Yes, it is a bit more difficult to program a 62 minute work, but as in the case of Mahler's great symphonies, it can be done.
This NAXOS CD with Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is, in a word, outstanding. Petrenko captures the angst, the hysteria, the tragedy, and the hope of this war inspired music brilliantly. And the orchestra is more than up to the task.
Whether you are new to the Shostakovich 8th Symphony or you already have this symphony in your collection, this modestly priced CD is a must. It is a first rate performance of a great work.
Shostakovich is a giant of a composer, arguably the greatest composer of the 20th century, certainly one of them. When one considers that his entire creative life was spent under the crushing oppression of the Soviet system, his achievements are doubly impressive.
The 8th Symphony is a magnificent, intensely dramatic work composed during World War II. Why this work is rarely to be found on concert programs in lieu of yet another performance of the Beethoven or Brahms symphonies is incomprehensible to me. Yes, it is a bit more difficult to program a 62 minute work, but as in the case of Mahler's great symphonies, it can be done.
This NAXOS CD with Vasily Petrenko conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is, in a word, outstanding. Petrenko captures the angst, the hysteria, the tragedy, and the hope of this war inspired music brilliantly. And the orchestra is more than up to the task.
Whether you are new to the Shostakovich 8th Symphony or you already have this symphony in your collection, this modestly priced CD is a must. It is a first rate performance of a great work.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
very Mravinsky-like in terms of structure and shape
12 Jun 2010
Format:Audio CD
Shostakovich's greatest war period symphony has been lucky on disc clear since its premiere recording, given by Yevgeny Mravinsky decades ago. From those earlier years, Kondrashin and Svetlanov have given better than serviceable accounts as well. Recent additions from Andrew Litton (Dallas Symphony/Delos) and Mariss Jansons (Pittsburgh S.O./EMI) have exploited the sonic potentials of the work. All this brings forward to this latest contender from Vasily Petrenko.
I won't go as far as to say that Petrenko is a throw-back to Mravinsky, but he does imbibe the piece with the same strong emphasis on structure and form that was very much the hallmark of the great Russian maestro. As Dave Hurwitz from Classicstoday put it, Shostakovich symphonies can often times sound like a series of, quote, "hair-raising climaxes interspersed between acres of nothingness". That doesn't happen here. But that's not all: Petrenko acquires the same sort of tangy, appropriately Russian flavor from his Liverpool woodwind section, as well as a heavy yet intense vibrato from his strings where appropriate (Norrington, this ain't). Even the almost Mariachi-like trumpet solos in the Tocatta (third movement) sound as though they're played on old-fashion Bb trumpets, instead of the slimline sounding C trumpets that are so much in favor these days. Perhaps perception is everything. Regardless, the results are marvelous and thoroughly idiomatic. Even amongst a crowded discography, this one pushes its way towards the front. Given Naxos' bargain basement prices, it's pretty much a steal.
I won't go as far as to say that Petrenko is a throw-back to Mravinsky, but he does imbibe the piece with the same strong emphasis on structure and form that was very much the hallmark of the great Russian maestro. As Dave Hurwitz from Classicstoday put it, Shostakovich symphonies can often times sound like a series of, quote, "hair-raising climaxes interspersed between acres of nothingness". That doesn't happen here. But that's not all: Petrenko acquires the same sort of tangy, appropriately Russian flavor from his Liverpool woodwind section, as well as a heavy yet intense vibrato from his strings where appropriate (Norrington, this ain't). Even the almost Mariachi-like trumpet solos in the Tocatta (third movement) sound as though they're played on old-fashion Bb trumpets, instead of the slimline sounding C trumpets that are so much in favor these days. Perhaps perception is everything. Regardless, the results are marvelous and thoroughly idiomatic. Even amongst a crowded discography, this one pushes its way towards the front. Given Naxos' bargain basement prices, it's pretty much a steal.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
A searing performance!
14 July 2010
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
A beautifully paced and emotionally harrowing performance. The orchestra performs magnificently and the recording quality is exemplary. Balances are near perfect and orchestral details emerge as never before. Petrenko does full justice to one of Shostakovich's true masterpieces. At a bargain price, this recording goes right to the head of the class.
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