Search - Dmitry Shostakovich, Eliahu Inbal, Vienna Symphony Orchestra :: Dmitry Shostakovich Symphonies Nos. 1 & 15

Best I've heard on these two symphonies

Stephen J. Snyder | Lancaster, Texas United States | 01/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The 15th is often an overlooked symphony, seeming so light and short, coming after a series of hour-plus symphonies.



But it deserves a full listen on its own, reflecting themes from some of Shostakovich's later string quartets.



Inbal gives a good, clean performance that seems to reflect this symphony's heritage."

Comparative Review v. Jansons

Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 08/07/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In comparing a couple of Nielsen recordings a few reviews back, I began my remarks by whining about how I had quickly come to be disappointed by the music contained on those disks, and how that made it difficult to bear down on the critical task at hand. With this music, however, I can happily report that the more I listened to these two disks, the more I enjoyed the music--and the recordings--making this much more a labor of love than a burden of duty.



Indeed, I enjoyed both these recordings so much that I find it difficult to recommend one over the other. A factor that made comparing the two rather difficult is that the recording levels are quite different, with the Jansons EMI recording having significantly higher output compared to the Inbal/Denon. I should point out that for this comparison, I took advantage of having a remote-control preamplifier in for review, and used the remote preamplifier to switch back and forth between the selections from the comfort of my chair. But every time I switched, I also had to adjust the volume level, and no matter how careful I was, I always had the suspicion that the EMI disk was being played a little bit louder.



At any rate, my overall impression is that these are two really fine performances and recordings of the score. The Denon is recorded more distantly, and as I mentioned above, the output level is lower than the EMI. Both are excellent recordings, with the EMI getting the slight nod from me because of its little bit of extra detail and its slightly greater immediacy. Again, though, I would stress that both recordings are exemplary.



In terms of performance, it is again hard to choose between the two. I found that I liked the slower, more expressive tempo of Jansons's performance of second movement Adagio, but in the fourth movement, I preferred the slightly quicker tempo chosen by Inbal. Both orchestras sound in top form, with a splendid time being had by all.



What will most likely steer a potential purchaser to one recording or the other will be the other music packaged on the disk. The Inbal comes with an excellent performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No.1, an exuberant work that is always a delight to hear. The diskmates on the Jansons disk are the Piano Concerto No. 2 and a short orchestral suite taken from his opera, The Gadfly. For my money, I would rather have the two symphonies, and for the listener new to the music of Shostakovich, I would recommend the Inbal disk, on the grounds of more musical bang for the buck. For the collector who already has a favorite recording of the Symphony No. 1 and is interested primarily in obtaining a top-flight recording of the Symphony No. 15, I would recommend the Jansons.



Overall, then, the bottom line is this: I prefer the Jansons (EMI) recording of the symphony, but I prefer the Inbal (Denon) CD. I recommend both CDs, then, but for different reasons to different prospective purchasers."