Shostakovich...WHOA

Get the Barshai set. It is well known to be one of the best values in classical music. The price here is absolutely no indication of quality. It was recorded on a bargain label, but this conductor can be far more interesting than many of the major label conductors. Plus, he is known to be a bona-fide expert on Shostakovich.

As for Shostakovich, I figure him to be an absolute genius but is among the most elusive composers in classical music. Where did he get this stuff, and what does it all mean? It boggles the mind.

For a cheap thrill ($7.98 at most), pick up Naxos 8.550953 which includes both the chamber symhony version of Shosakovich's 8th Quartet and another chamber symphony by Myaskovsky (their spelling).

Congratulations, Kubla. You've stumbled onto some of the greatest music ever composed (in my opinion).

The 8th string quartet is actually a musical autobiography of Shostakovich's life. The four opening notes of the quartet (d, e-flat, c, b) comprise Shostakovitch's "musical signature," and is a dominant theme throughout the piece. The first time he heard the quartet played for him, Shostakovich wrote in his journal that the tears streamed down his face "like piss from a man from having drunk too much beer."

The second movement of the quartet was intended to represent the schizophrenic and tumultuous nature of Shostakovich's world under Stalin and the socialist regime in power at the time. As mentioned above, counter-revolutionary music was a big no-no at the time, and Shostakovich and Prokofiev were (at various times) on the hit list. So, Shostakovich had two catalogues of music going. One which went to Stalin and his censorship boys, and the other which stayed in his desk drawer. Another thing to listen for in the third movement... the two sets of three very abrupt chords are meant to represent the KGB knocking on the door.

I would also recommend that you try listening to the cello concerto. You will immediately recognize the theme of the first movement (it's identical to a passage in the third movement of the quartet, i believe). Anyway, it's a fantastic piece. The second movement is spine-tingling and erie! Rostropovich has recorded it several times (it was composed for him), but my favorite is his recording with Seiji Ozawa and the London Phil. Also on that disk is the Prokofiev Symphonie Concertant (also a phenomenal piece of music!). As a Yo-Yo fan, I would also recommend trying out his recording. It's coupled with an interesting recording of the 5th Symphony. It may just turn you back on to Yo-Yo!

The symphonies are also terrific. Heck, everything is terrific. I once played in an orchestra conducted by Shostakovich's son, Maxim. We played the 5th and 9th symphonies, and to hear Maxim talk about his father, his father's life, and his father's music is something I will always treasure.

Happy listening, Kubla. There's a lot of great music out there!

-Eric

Hey Eric, GREAT information. With classical music I always think I luckily 'stumbled upon' a rare example of something I actually like but it's been happening more and more so maybe I should finally admit I dig classical music.

I mentioned Yo-Yo because he seems too technical for me but I certainly can't recognize the finer points of personality in classical music yet because I'm not at all familiar with the jumping off point. When I told someone my feelings on Yo-Yo Ma's Bach they gave me a copy of Anner Bylsma performing Bach's cello suites and that was indeed more my style...he (or she?) plays Bach like later Coltrane playing Rodgers and Hammerstein - with manic, hysterical irreverence. It's the only Bylsma I have though so who knows...

I read your comments on your system and it seems like we have similar tastes: small jazz ensembles, solo cello, sting quartets, opinion on ML speakers...

How fortunate are you to have experienced playing Shostakovich in an orchestra? Talk about being engaged with the music.

What instrument do you play?

For the symphonies on CD, I'd recommend Rostropovich and the National Symphony on Teldec for the 4th, 5th and 8th symphonies, and Bernstein on DG (of all things for me to recommend!) for the 1st and 7th. Gregm, thanks for the string quartet recommendation, that's the version I was thinking of.