Search - Litton Dallas Symphony :: Shostakovich: Symphony No.8

A Solid Peformance with Unbelievable Engineering

Doc Sarvis | 03/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being relatively new to the Eighth Symphony (but a longtime fan of Shostakovich), I haven't heard enough versions of this piece to know how this one compares in terms of performance; to my ears it is a wonderful, frightening, passionate reading.I purchased it because of its recommendation from audio publications and equipment manufacturers. In that department, my expectations were clearly exceeded. What an incredible recording! Whoever engineered this production needs to be commended...the sound, dynamics, and detils are nothing short of amazing. Thus, I recommended as a demonstration piece for your stereo system, and I leave it to others to comment on the performance itself."

Great Sound, So-so Performance

Timothy Dougal | Madison, Wi United States | 07/25/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As another reviewer points out, this Shostakovich Symphony #8 does sound great. Unfortunately, the performance doesn't meet the same high standard. Andrew Litton's interpretation IS solid, but he consistently fails to build any real tension to lead up to the tremendous climaxes, and no sense of resolution follows. Perhaps more importantly, the musical motifs that hold this hour-long piece together are by no means obvious, and the listener may wonder just WHY the notes say this is one of the greatest symphonies of the 20th century, since it frequently seems to be meandering in this CD. But the playing, like the sound is clean, and if you don't mind a lack of genuine musical drama in a war symphony, you can use it to test out your system!"