Search - Bernard Haitink, London Philharmonic Orchestra :: Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10 / Symphony No. 9 in E flat major, Op. 70 - London Philharmonic Orchestra / Bernard Haitink

Excellent 1st and 9th

James Rockhill | Michigan, USA | 02/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have always regretted the way London/Decca rearranged the Haitink performances: the 1st and 9th complement each other perfectly, and this original pairing of the 9th (otherwise paired with Haitink's drab and soulless rendition of the 5th) with an equally fine performance of the 1st (now paired with the intermittently interesting but ultimately merely quaint 3rd) is a delight. The playing and acoustic of the Philharmonic is not as glorious as that of the Concertgebouw in some of Haitink's other Shostakovich recordings, but they acquit themselves quite well, capturing equally the light and the gloom, playfulness and tragedy, lyricism and satire that run through these both works."

The best of Haitink's Shostakovich, in superlative sound

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Haitink was very proud of his second orchestra, the London Phil., and as captured here you would think they were the best in the world. The woodwind playing in the Shostakovich First Sym. is nimble and saucy, fully alive inside. Haitink believes in this work, which he plays for high spirits and youthful brio. The entrance of satiric trombone smears in the first movement and sad lyricism in the Largo is prefectly judged--if only Hiatink would be this unfettered more often. Decca provides sonics that match the best I've ever heard, an amazing feat in the early digital era (1985). The listener is brought face to face with every instrument.



In its day the Ninth Sym. earned Shostakovich another round of persecution from the hidebound Soviet apparatchiks--something heroic and nationalistic was expected after his two monumnetal war symphonies, #7 and #8. Instead he returned to the modest proportions and good humor of his first symphony. The two works make a natural pair. The 9th can be played for satire, even political impertinence toward Stalin, but Haitink is sunny in the fast parts until he surprises us with a profound, emotionally slow movement, one of the most expressive in all of Shostakovich. We are mostly in the same emotional world as the First, however, a place the composer must have yearned to return to in his dark days.



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