Search - Shostakovich, Vasily Petrenko, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra :: Symphony No 8

Very Mravinsky-like in terms of structure and shape

B. Guerrero | 06/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

A youthful, insightful and exuberant Shostakovich 8th

Leonard Bogat | Philadelphia, PA USA | 07/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Petrenko, Liverpool: Shostakovich Sym 8: An outstanding read

Dan Fee | Berkeley, CA USA | 05/30/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The old, former Naxos series of Shostakovich symphonies had Ladislav Slovak as their experienced, knowledge-able conductor. His readings were engaged and serious, hampered perhaps only by relying on a less than first-rate regional band?



Now Naxos looks to be radically enhancing their catalog via an ongoing Shostakovich symphony cycle from no less than rising Russian star conductor, Vasily Petrenko, and his Liverpool band. The previously released fifth, ninth, and eleventh symphonies were plenty treasure in their way, and the current eighth symphony keeps all the composer's banners flying high.



A compelling chemistry seems operative, among the composer, the band, and the conductor. To tell the truth, I wouldn't have necessarily predicted that the next alluring round of a complete Shostakovich symphony set would arrive from Liverpool. But Petrenko has them playing as well as many competitors in these works, and the inspiration is hot, palpable. Each instrumental department is very strong, with the strings showing an intense discipline and precision. The recording venue is the band's home hall in Liverpool, and so far it is also serving the music well.



Petrenko and company do very nicely at melding and balancing the narrative core strength of the composer's characteristic musical voice with its subterranean codes, obscurities, tortures, mysteries. Lights and dark darks are deftly contrasted and integrated. The threads of manic-crazy despair are not slighted, though lament also rings out, true. Those infamous middle fast movements have more than enough brutality to go round, and then some. In the midst of bludgeoning tyranny, forward motion still carries us into some kind of somewhere else where hope is not quite yet, completely and finally extinguished. The concluding Largo is chilling, consonant, and impersonal enough - we survivors do not yet comprehend very much of all that it means and can mean, to have survived.



Nary a cheap shot moment, then, across all the movements of this odd and remarkable modern symphony. Petrenko as guest conductor has been taking his reading of the eighth on the road, with spectacular concert reviews published in Baltimore, San Francisco, and by now, probably elsewhere. Fortunately, if you missed one of these outings with the eighth symphony, you still have this new disc, the third so far released by Naxos in an ongoing cycle.



If Petrenko and Liverpool can keep this sort of high quality Shostakovich up, they might just achieve one of the most compelling and consistently well-played complete sets. Okay, then, grab this one as soon as possible. The disc really ought to be nominated for something."