Search - Franck, Shostakovich, Golschmann :: Symphony in D Minor / Symphony 5

Winging through the years

11/10/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I knew Golschmann when he retired from St. Louis and took over the old Denver Symphony. We knew his readings of these works in Denver and the the two old releases that make up this disc were big sellers here.The Franck is a little heavy-footed, somewhat like the Monteux-Chicago from 1960, but it is deeply felt. The Shostakovitch is one of the great readings, and while the SLSO was not up to its present standards in '53, it wasn't exactly a scrub-team either (that one was in Denver). Of course, in both there are sloppy moments, but who cares? Golschmann lays out his considerable art for all to enjoy since this is an easy CD to find and afford.I wouldn't rate this as the best Franck--for that you have to go to Paul Paray on Mercury--but the Shosty, with its blinding intensity and honest emotion, its wide range and spiritual delicacy is as good as you're going to get.A fine testment to a truly great artist."

They don't conduct 'em like this anymore!

Diogenes_in_VA | Fredericksburg, Virginia | 05/31/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vladimir Golschmann was a prolific conductor in the studios, but little is left of his recorded legacy save examples of him taking the back seat to soloists such as Glenn Gould. Why the world needs another Franck D Minor and Shostakovich Fifth is a valid question. The answer is in the blazing intensity of these recorded performances, which come from 1953. Golschmann's dramatic conducting turns Franck's symphony into inspired silent movie music --- I was thinking of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." No emotion is too extreme for Golschmann, but poignant tragedy is uppermost, even in the finale. The Shostakovich is saved from over-familiarity by the conductor's passionate belief in the music (which, let us remember, was only 16 years old when this recording was made). The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is rough and ready, and the engineering, in spite of the monaural sound, is splendid and well-balanced. This is one of the hidden treasures in the Capitol FDS series that the American branch of EMI Classics has been releasing for the past several years."