Search - Dmitry Shostakovich, Leonard Slatkin, Yuri Temirkanov :: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8

Slatkin is ineffectual in this symphony, which he takes chee

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 02/22/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If anyone ever needs light comic relief for the Apocalypse, they should call upon Leonard Slatkin, who takes the Shostakovich 8th, a work of crushing tragedy and savage irony, as if it were a carefree promenade. The opening chords aren't the hammer blows of war that we are used to but mild exhortations to a pet funeral. The two savage scherzos have little bite. The last two movements of this massive work pose difficulties for even the best conductor, because the Largo in the shape of a passacaglia repeats the same theme twelve times almost without variation, and the finale seems like a deliberate attempt at anticlimax. It takes real commitment to argue on their behalf, but it can be done, as Mravinsky shows in the two great recordings he left behind. Slatkin skates over the two problem movements blithely, and that may be why this recording appeals to some reviewers here. It soft-pedals Shostakovich's grimness, making the music easier for listeners to live with. I can see no other reason to admire this glib run-through."