Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Brighton Festival Chorus, The Bach Choir, Nikikai Chorus Group, Vladimir Ashkenazy - Shostakovich: The Symphonies (2007)

Tracklist

CD1
01. Shostakovich: Symphony No.1, Op.10-1. Allegretto-Allegro non troppo
02. Shostakovich: Symphony No.1, Op.10-2. Allegro
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.1, Op.10-3. Lento
04. Shostakovich: Symphony No.1, Op.10-4. Lento-Allegro molto
05. Shostakovich: Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.54-1. Largo
06. Shostakovich: Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.54-2. Allegro
07. Shostakovich: Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.54-3. Presto

CD2
01. Shostakovich: Festive Overture, Op.96
02. Shostakovich: October-Symphonic Poem, Op.131
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.2 in B major, Op.14-"To October"
04. Shostakovich: Song of the Forests-Oratorio, Op.81-1. When the War was over
05. Shostakovich: Song of the Forests-Oratorio, Op.81-2. The Call rings through the Land
06. Shostakovich: Song of the Forests-Oratorio, Op.81-3. Memory of the Past
07. Shostakovich: Song of the Forests-Oratorio, Op.81-4. The Pioneers plant the Forest
08. Shostakovich: Song of the Forests-Oratorio, Op.81-5. The young Communists forge onwards
09. Shostakovich: Song of the Forests-Oratorio, Op.81-6. Walk into the Future
10. Shostakovich: Song of the Forests-Oratorio, Op.81-7. Glory

CD3
01. Shostakovich: Symphony No.12 in D minor, Op.112 "The Year 1917"-1. Revolutionary Petrograd (Moderato-Allegro-Più mosso-Allegro)
02. Shostakovich: Symphony No.12 in D minor, Op.112 "The Year 1917"-2. Razliv (Allegro. L'istesso tempo-Adagio)
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.12 in D minor, Op.112 "The Year 1917"-3. Aurora (L'istesso tempo-Allegro)
04. Shostakovich: Symphony No.12 in D minor, Op.112 "The Year 1917"-4. Dawn of Humanity (L'istesso tempo-Allegretto-Allegro-Moderato)
05. Shostakovich: Symphony No.3, Op.20-"1st of May"-1. Allegretto-Allegro
06. Shostakovich: Symphony No.3, Op.20-"1st of May"-2. Andante
07. Shostakovich: Symphony No.3, Op.20-"1st of May"-3. Allegro-Largo
08. Shostakovich: Symphony No.3, Op.20-"1st of May"-4. Moderato: V pervoye Pervoye maya

CD4
01. Shostakovich: Symphony No.4 in C minor, Op.43-1. Allegro poco moderato
02. Shostakovich: Symphony No.4 in C minor, Op.43-2. Presto
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.4 in C minor, Op.43-3. Moderato con moto
04. Shostakovich: Symphony No.4 in C minor, Op.43-4. Largo
05. Shostakovich: Symphony No.4 in C minor, Op.43-5. Allegro

CD5
01. Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 In D Minor, Op.47-1. Moderato
02. Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 In D Minor, Op.47-2. Allegretto
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 In D Minor, Op.47-3. Largo
04. Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 In D Minor, Op.47-4. Allegro non troppo
05. Shostakovich: Five Fragments, Op.42-1. Moderato
06. Shostakovich: Five Fragments, Op.42-2. Andante
07. Shostakovich: Five Fragments, Op.42-3. Largo
08. Shostakovich: Five Fragments, Op.42-4. Moderato
09. Shostakovich: Five Fragments, Op.42-5. Allegretto

CD6
01. Shostakovich: Broadcasts From Besieged Leningrad In 1941
02. Shostakovich: Symphony No.7, Op.60-"Leningrad"-1. Allegretto
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.7, Op.60-"Leningrad"-2. Moderato (poco allegretto)
04. Shostakovich: Symphony No.7, Op.60-"Leningrad"-3. Adagio
05. Shostakovich: Symphony No.7, Op.60-"Leningrad"-4. Allegro non troppo

CD7
01. Shostakovich: Funeral & Triumphal Prelude, Op.130 (In memory of the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad)
02. Shostakovich: Symphony No.8 in C minor, Op.65-1. Adagio
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.8 in C minor, Op.65-2. Allegretto
04. Shostakovich: Symphony No.8 in C minor, Op.65-3. Allegro non troppo
05. Shostakovich: Symphony No.8 in C minor, Op.65-4. Largo
06. Shostakovich: Symphony No.8 in C minor, Op.65-5. Allegretto
07. Shostakovich: Novorossisk Chimes (The Fires of Eternal Glory), Op.111b

CD8
01. Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony, Op.110a-1. Largo
02. Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony, Op.110a-2. Allegro molto
03. Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony, Op.110a-3. Allegretto
04. Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony, Op.110a-4. Largo
05. Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony, Op.110a-5. Largo
06. Shostakovich: Symphony No.10 in E minor, Op.93-1. Moderato
07. Shostakovich: Symphony No.10 in E minor, Op.93-2. Allegro
08. Shostakovich: Symphony No.10 in E minor, Op.93-3. Allegretto
09. Shostakovich: Symphony No.10 in E minor, Op.93-4. Andante-Allegro

CD9
01. Shostakovich: Symphony No.11 in G minor, Op.103 "The Year of 1905"-1. The Palace Square (Adagio)
02. Shostakovich: Symphony No.11 in G minor, Op.103 "The Year of 1905"-2. Ninth of January (Allegro-Adagio)
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.11 in G minor, Op.103 "The Year of 1905"-3. Eternal Memory (Adagio)
04. Shostakovich: Symphony No.11 in G minor, Op.103 "The Year of 1905"-4. Alarm (Allegro non troppo-Adagio-Allegro)

CD10
01. Shostakovich: Symphony No.13, Op.113"Babi Yar"-1. Adagio-"Babi Yar"
02. Shostakovich: Symphony No.13, Op.113"Babi Yar"-2. Allegretto-"Humour"
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.13, Op.113"Babi Yar"-3. Adagio-"In the Store"
04. Shostakovich: Symphony No.13, Op.113"Babi Yar"-4. Largo-"Fears"
05. Shostakovich: Symphony No.13, Op.113"Babi Yar"-5. Allegretto-"A Career"

CD11
01. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-1. De Profundis
02. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-2. Malagueña
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-3. Loreleya
04. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-4. Samoubiytsa
05. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-5. Na cheku
06. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-6. Madam, posmotrite!
07. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-7. V turme Santé
08. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-8. Otvet zaporozhskikh kazakov konstantinopolskomu sultanu
09. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-9. O Delvig, Delvig!
10. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-10. Smert poeta
11. Shostakovich: Symphony No.14, Op.135-11. Zaklyucheniye

CD12
01. Shostakovich: Symphony No.9 in E flat, Op.70-1. Allegro
02. Shostakovich: Symphony No.9 in E flat, Op.70-2. Moderato
03. Shostakovich: Symphony No.9 in E flat, Op.70-3. Presto -
04. Shostakovich: Symphony No.9 in E flat, Op.70-4. Largo -
05. Shostakovich: Symphony No.9 in E flat, Op.70-5. Allegretto
06. Shostakovich: Symphony No.15, Op.141-1. Allegretto
07. Shostakovich: Symphony No.15, Op.141-2. Adagio-Largo-Adagio-Largo
08. Shostakovich: Symphony No.15, Op.141-3. Allegretto
09. Shostakovich: Symphony No.15, Op.141-4. Adagio-Allegretto-Adagio-Allegretto


Twenty years in the making, this 2007 cycle of the complete symphonies of Shostakovich marks a milestone in the career of Vladimir Ashkenazy. The Russian émigré pianist turned conductor began the cycle with the Royal Philharmonic in 1987 with the Fifth and followed that with the First and Sixth in 1988, the Second and Ninth in 1989, the Tenth and Fifthteenth in 1990, the Eighth in 1991, and the Third and Twelfth in 1992. He shifted to the St. Petersburg Philharmonic for the Eleventh in 1994 and the Seventh in 1995, and then to the NHK Symphony for the Thirteenth in 2000, and, finally, the Fourth and Fourteenth in 2006. Whatever the orchestra and whenever the date, Ashkenazy's fundamental approach to the composer remained unchanged: this is Shostakovich played big, bright, brawny, and above all heroic. There's passion in his First and pathos in his Eighth, rhetoric in his Second and Third and realism in his Eleventh and Twelfth, but above all there's courage in his Fifth, bravery in his Seventh, triumph in his Tenth, strength in his Thirteenth, and against-all-odds victory in his Fifthteenth. The Fourth and Fourteenth, the last recorded symphonies, are leaner in texture, darker in tone, and sterner in manner then the rest but no less persuasive. Each orchestra's playing is highly individualistic -- the English Royal Philharmonic is warmly colored, the Russian St. Petersburg Philharmonic is strongly rhythmic, and the Japanese NHK Symphony is brilliantly virtuosic -- but each plays with consummate musicality and obvious affection for Ashkenazy. Considering the variety of venues, Decca's lush digital sound is remarkably consistent. Compared with Barshai's ardent authenticity, Mravinsky's grim austerity, Kondrashin's urgent advocacy, and Rozhdestvensky's violent irony, Ashkenazy's direct approach may seem too straightforward for some listeners, but his honesty, sincerity, and efficacy cannot be denied. By the way, the NHK Fourth is a new recording. Ashkenazy first recorded the work in 1989 with the Royal Philharmonic. And for the record, the earlier performance is bigger, brighter, brawnier, and more unambiguously heroic than the later performance.

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