Recommended Shostakovich?

Don't forget the chamber works as well -- quartets, sonata for viola and piano, and piano trios. My favorite Shostakovich piece is the Piano Trio No. 2, particularly the Beaux Arts Trio version.

I also like the Kitajenko set of symphonies as well as the Haitink set.

FWIW, as a recommendation for an excellent recording, as well as two symphonies that don't attract much attention, I recommend Jesus Lopez-Cobos' performance of the 1st and 15th Symphonies on Telarc. Shostakovich's first and last.

But for some 'easy listening' I really enjoy 1)Five Ballet Suites by Jarvi on Chandos, 2) Jazz Music (ala Shostakovich) as well as his 1st Piano Concerto, by Chailly on London, and 3)The Dance Album by Chailly on London. I have also enjoyed "The Limpid Stream" by Gennady Rozhdestvensky on Chandos.

thanks for all the excellent suggestions

Try the Hanssler Classics recording Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues performed by Jenny Lin. It's a 2009 recording. performance and recording are a cut above.

This is a great thread.

A couple years ago I began to appreciate classical music so I am quite the novice. I searched through many of the more famous composers and after many trials discovered my connection with Shostakovitch. He has since become my favorite. I have many different recordings but I really like the complete symphonies by the Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi on Chandos. There are also his concertos on Chandos. Recordings are outstanding too. Ironically, the cover artwork is also some of my favorite ever.

As mentioned, I am a novice so take this for what its worth. I have no idea if these are popular recordings of his work or not but I love them. For his piano works, I like the complete works by Boris Petrushansky on Stradivarius.