Search - Dmitry Shostakovich, Sergiu Celibidache, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad"

Challenging and Revealing

D. J. Zabriskie | Park Ridge, NJ USA | 05/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, be warned: there are some problems with this CD.
An engineering glitch early in the first movement creates a "bump" in the first statement of the famous (or is it infamous?) march theme, that I'm sure neither the conductor nor
the orchestra intended. Secondly, the sound is late 40's hi-fi
monorual; it's a "live" recording and there is some distortion,
particularly with the fortissimo's in the final movement. That
said, this is a pretty marvelous recording for a couple of reasons.The Shostakovich 7th, the centerpiece of his 3 "war" symphonies,
is a piece of daunting complexity and subtlety, despite its reputation for being over-long and bombastic. Overpraised after
its initial performances during the war, a critical reation to
this soon set in, focussing on its flaws rather than its strengths. As was the case with many performances of Mahler
(whose influence on Shostakovich is pretty plain here), the critical reaction had more to do with interpretive shortcomings
by conductors, rather than the music itself. Although this piece was programmmed for "political" reasons in post-war Berlin,
Celibidache clearly understood that this symphony was about the
devastation wrecked by modern warfare on the civilian population,
and that the only real victory is survival.As usual, Celibidache has a unique understanding of the music as a whole and in its detail, and a gift for communicating how those
details craft the big picture. He understands both the musical
references to Ravel's "Bolero" in the first movement, and the irony of the two-sided monotony of totalitarianism it is meant to imply. He also sculpts this repetitive march theme with a
respect, and even a lyricism, that is quite stunning. The middle
movements are portrayed exceptionally well, and Celibidache gives
us a finale which is stunning in both its emotional impact and its lack of "bombast."If you are a fan of this neglected masterwork, there are better
subsequent recordings of it (most notably Leonard Bernstein's with the Chicago Symphony), but if you just getting introduced, or have had some problems digesting it all, this recording is quite remarkable for the way it handles and meets all the challenges contained in the music. It will help you to LOVE this
symphony, in all its complexity, subtlety and length."