Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shostakovich with a Difference, 15 Nov 2005
First, I must say that the sound on this CD, recorded live in concert in 2004, is spectacular in both its SACD and plain vanilla formulations. Rich deep lows, precise highs, mid-range clear and present. Considering this was recorded in Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank, that's saying something. Someone has figured out how to get lifelike sound in that hall. And the London Philharmonic is in great form with its newish music director, Kurt Masur. As to the performances, they are different from any I've ever heard and at first I wasn't sure I liked what I was hearing, but repeated listenings have led me to revise my opinion upward. I still have some quibbles -- for instance, in the First Symphony, Masur seems to lose his conception of the form of the piece in the third and fourth movements, and things tend to meander. And I have rather mixed feelings about how he ends No. 5. The concluding several minutes of the fourth movement seem to be going for monumentality and majesty rather than brio and excitement. I was brought up on Bernstein's spine-tingling finale and that still seems the way to go -- and most other conductors seem to agree with that -- but one must commend Masur for having his own ideas on the matter. And you have to give him and the orchestra credit for bringing it off. The tempo of those last pages is slower than I've ever heard them and sometimes seems to be grinding to a halt. The timpani seem to be in the room with you, and those final timp strokes at the end literally rattled my windows. Wow! In the first movement of the Fifth there are some muddled inner voices that I would prefer to hear more clearly. In the first movement of the First Symphony there is a delicacy -- along with the sarcasm -- that is quite winning. Strangely this effect is absent in the two Lento introductions to III and IV. The Allegro molto of the First's Finale, though, regains the clarity and delicacy of the first movement and all ends well. And may I just gape in wonder at the mastery of the 18-year-old Shostakovich who wrote the symphony in order to gain entrance into the graduate program of the Leningrad Conservatoire? This CD has several things going for it: Masur's clearly personal ideas about the works, the fabulous playing of the LPO, the generally wonderful recorded sound. One could certainly do worse than have this recording. But I think I still prefer Haitink and Järvi in the First, and Bernstein and the old Stokowski in the Fifth. Scott Morrison
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good, but still not the first choice for SACD recording of those works, 28 Jul 2009
This is 4.0 (in SACD terms - front left/right and back left/right, no subwoofer and no central channel) live recording of two separate concerts, and judging by the amount of stage and audience noise, I'm pretty sure that both are unedited (unlike LSO Live series, which are mixes of final rehearsal and actual performance). As ever with similar projects, something is lost, something else gained, and in this particular case few rational compromises are outweighed with the drive, energy and excitement of the real event and feeling of `being there'. Personally, I'm more than pleased to have the opportunity to hear some of LPO's fine concerts in the comfort of my home. Their residence, Royal Festival Hall is not just the ugliest dwelling of South London, but definitely the worst sounding concert hall in those days I had misfortune to attend. Not that you can tell by this recording!
First of all compromises: minor untidy imperfections, few insecure entries and out of tune horns. And plenty of noise not just from the audience, but also from the conductor and players, especially in those tense moments after quiet build-ups, just before forte outbreaks. Breaks between the movements are not `cleaned up', you get all the coughs and chairs and the music more than once emerges out of them. But on the positive side, you get to hear all the subtleties of the long piano stretches, especially in the slow movement of the 5th symphony that are inaudible further than row 6 in the RFH.
Performance wise, main quality of this disc is the live element - I had the impression that I was there as the music unfolds. Masur observes every detail and nuance of the score, and the orchestra most of the time responds accurately. Few imperfections in timing and being together are not a big deal, but can be annoying on repeated listening. Fast (and loud) music works better, there are some momentary lapses in concentration in slow sections, but as a whole, energy and momentum, so crucial in symphony number 5 are all there. Performance of the 1st symphony is good, but not as energetic and exciting as the 5th. Masur was conducting for superficial effects on quite a few places, which doesn't necessarily always work for repeat listening.
Recording quality is a winner (having in mind where it was made), it must have been a living hell to place the microphones in such a dry and unflattering acoustics. There isn't much of reverb and space, orchestra is a bit forward placed, but it has more depth and perspective than some Channel Classics studio recordings. Lack of the central channel is more obvious during the quiet sections, but with the orchestra in full swing the gap disappears. There is a plenty of bass and few impressive bangs from gran cassa. Dynamics are big and natural, especially in the finale of the 5th, Masur and LPO will literally blow your mind (and your Hi-Fi if you play it too loud).
Overall star rating is reduced for imprecision (performance), non musical noises and just that extra bit missing in a big realistic sound picture (recording). Apart from all reservations, I still prefer a vital live recording bursting with energy than a perfect but lifeless one made in the studio. But this is not a first choice for a single recording of either 1st or the 5th symphony.
PS. Yes, it sounds better and more natural than LSO's 11th with Rostropovich whose recording is unnaturally dynamic with no depth at all and glued to the front speakers.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
It's relatively good., 5 Mar 2008
I'm only commenting on the 5th Symphony as that's the Symphony I know best of the two.
This is a live recording, as demonstrated by the applause at the end of the symphony, and as such, is a warts and all recording - although when I say warts, I mean coughs etc. As a live performance, it seems relatively good. However, compared to the regular CD version I own, it is obviously flawed. The most notable flaw is the apparent inability of the orchestra/ conductor to keep time - some sections of the orchestra were clearly late at certain points and sometimes simply out of sync.
As for the tempo of the movements, the first three seem to be close to what I'm used to. (Oddly, I find that all recordings of the second movement seem to sound more or less the same.) As for the fourth movement, it goes pretty much similar as others except that the closing finale is rather slow. And I say slow not in comparison with the blistering tempo used by Bernstein, but with the averagely-brisk tempo of the recording I'm most familiar with. If you are unfamiliar with a slow finale, I suggest that you choose a different version, especially if you've been brought up on Bernstein. Otherwise, it's ok.
A note on the 5.1 arangement. I found it to be quite conservative considering that this, at times, is a very dynamic and dramatic symphony. Most of the music comes from the front L and R speakers. The rear speakers, it seems to me, have been incorporated as an afterthought; almost as if the recording engineer had nearly completed the mix in stereo before remembering that it is supposed to be in 5.1 and hastily diverted some music to the rear. Until I hear a better 5.1 mix of any SACD, I continue to say that Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds hybrid SACD is the best that there is. The daring and dramatic mix is a fantastic match to Wayne's daring and dramatic music.
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![Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 5 [Hybrid SACD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41cI0o1qABL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
