Search - Dmitry Shostakovich, Riccardo Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra :: Shostakovich: The Jazz Album

Shostakovich the Jazz Guy

Brett A. Kniess | Madison, WI | 10/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If Shostakovich had decided to write in the Russian folk idiom, this CD would probably be the best glimpse into that genre.



Intending to raise the level of Soviet jazz, we now have two jazz suites scored for orchestra, but featuring instruments used in a way we don't normally hear in Shostakovich. Using xylophone, twangy guitar, accordion, harmonica, and saxophones, we are treated to various "dance forms" such as waltzes, polkas, foxtrots, and marches. Shostakovich goes from the militant, to the humorous, to the sensual, each with an engaging and "catchy" Russian melody and unusual orchestration. He also orchestrates the famous "Tea for Two" into a short fantasia, which is rather whimsical.



The 1st piano concerto is a kind of odd fit on this CD in my opinion. More in the vein of what we are used to hearing from mainstream Shostakovich, he is rather melodic and often quotes from other works. The bare bones orchestration of piano, trumpet, and strings gives this work a very transparent feel. The first movement has an ominous opening theme. The slow second movement is very exciting in its own right with its sense of drama, rarely dwelling in lugubriousness, carrying the sense of dread from the first movement. The third movement is a sort of recitative to the last movement. The last movement has an unusual string mode mixture, the piano goes into a dance feel and the trumpet has some fanfare licks. Both piano and trumpet work together very well as separate soloists in this movement. He ends in a fury with piano and string poundings, the piano has some raucous quotes, and the trumpet ends with fanfares.



Overall, the performances are stellar. The jazz suites have natural Russian flair, the slow with great sumptuousness, the fast never taking itself too seriously and never careening out of control. The piano concerto doesn't fit the program in my opinion, but a very fine performance indeed. This CD is a must for any collection and an easy introduction to the lighter side of Shostakovich."

High spirits from a composer known for melancholy

Bruce Hodges | New York, NY | 06/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's too bad that Riccardo Chailly and the Concertgebouw haven't recorded more Shostakovich (perhaps because Haitink did), since this project is pretty winning. As several other reviewers have noted, however, the term "jazz" here is a bit of a misnomer. Some of the music is lighter than usual for the composer, but anyone expecting to find even as much as what Bernstein created in his "jazz moments" is likely to be a bit disappointed. But never mind, the recording is superb. Shostakovich's "Piano Concerto No. 1," for piano, trumpet and strings, is one of his most wittily engaging works, and Ronald Brautigam (piano) and Peter Masseurs (trumpet) sound wonderful. The final movement is fairly hilarious, despite a somewhat introspective middle movement that precedes it. The second of the two "Jazz Suites" has the dark little waltz made famous by its appearance in Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut." (This is the very recording used in the film.)As if all this weren't enough, the concert closes with the composer's hilarious take on "Tea for Two" called "Tahiti Trot." Its sparkling insouciance is a gentle reminder that despite the composer's anguish and pain, he still had wit to spare. Terrific playing, terrific sound, and lovely cover art, too. One of Chailly's best, most imaginative recordings with this orchestra."

Neither typical Shostakovich nor jazz, but recommendable

deepcore | Copenhagen, Denmark | 05/11/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"- in fact that should have been very recommendable, but I ran out of space... Just like Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 has been eternally linked to "Elvira Madigan", the second waltz from the Jazz Suite no. 2 risks being eternally linked to "Eyes Wide Shut". Eventhough this might not be all bad - "Eyes Wide Shut" is an excellent film - it is not fair, because the Jazz Suites are so much more than just Waltz No. 2. As other reviewers have said, this is far from the Shostakovich most known - in fact, the music, in particular the waltzes (which all have a certain likeliness to no. 2), makes me associate to Strauss and Vienna rather than to Shostakovich and Russia. The Jazz Suites are cheerful, with tones of solemnity, making the piano concerto stand back a little like "just an ordinary piano concerto", not because it is not good, but because it lacks the spirit of the suites... And eventually, just a small warning. You should not buy this album if you want to buy a jazz album - it certainly isn't. But you should definitely consider buying it, anyway."