Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 / Piano Quintet,
$14.84
This recording is being released this fall to coincide with the major release of Disney’s Fantasia 2000. Pianist Yefim Bronfman’s performance of Shostakovich will be featured in Disney’s Fantasia 2000 extravaganza sight and sound.,
Additional information
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Product Dimensions | 5.62 x 4.92 x 0.33 inches, 3.84 ounces |
| Manufacturer | Sony Classical |
| Original Release Date | 1999 |
| Run time | 1 hour and 12 minutes |
| Date First Available | November 23, 1999 |
| Label | Sony Classical |
| Number of discs | 1 |
28 reviews for Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 / Piano Quintet,
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C Dub –
I had previously not found much to enjoy in Shostakovich’s music. I tried some symphonies, some string quartets and his first violin concerto. While I do like the 8th string quartet, I didn’t really enjoy anything else, and had pretty well given up on Shostakovich. However, I recently heard the middle movement of the 2nd piano concerto on Pandora, loved it, and picked this disc up on a whim (I was also intrigued by the feature part for the trumpet in the first concerto).
The music on this disc has made me re-evaluate Shostakovich. I really, really like the 1st piano concerto. To my ear, it sounds a bit neo-Romantic. There’s a lot of visceral emotion in it (happy, sad, peppy, funny, ironic, etc), though it is definitely in the idiom of the early 20th century, with some of the discords you typically get from that era. However, it’s quite lyrical at times, and some of the sections are really demanding for both the trumpeter and pianist and make for fun listening. On the whole, it’s very expressive, sometimes melodious, and just a great piece of music. In my opinion, it’s also at bit more conservative (read: less harsh sounding) than music from the same period (e.g., Prokofiev’s 3rd piano concerto).
The 2nd piano concerto isn’t quite as good. While I like the slow middle movement, and find it to be very beautiful, the two outer movements don’t seem to have much heft. The liner notes suggest that Shostakovich wrote it more as an exercise than as a real artistic piece. Perhaps that true–it sounds like a number of passages are quite hard to play–but I felt that it wasn’t very coherent, and certainly not as good as the other concerto on the disc. I’m still glad to have it in my collection, if only for the middle movement.
All that said, I have agree with some other reviewers that the real star of the album is the piano quintet. It’s a great, great chamber work. It is sometimes sad, sometimes agitated, sometimes hopeful, and mostly beautiful and powerful. I think it surpasses the (superb) 8th quartet. If you like chamber music, it’s a must-have.
Overall, the sound quality is very good on all the tracks on the disc, and the price is also good (about 9 bucks at this writing). I am not otherwise familiar with these works, so unfortunately I can’t compare them with other available recordings. However, I think the fact that this disc is good enough to cause me to re-evaluate a composer I had more or less written off as not worth my time speaks for itself.
C E Tratt –
Excellent
VonStupp –
The sound of Shostakovich is of a modern-sounding, 20th Century musical world, but often approachably so, as in this program of his two piano concertos and Piano Quintet. I find Shostakovich’s sound in the faster movements to be stark; his use of octaves and extended chords, along with an orchestra with no winds in the 1st Concerto are, accompanied by the many descriptions of sunshine, wit, and rhythmic vitality, a pleasantly approachable, yet dissonant and stark, modern sound. Shostakovich is also capable of consonant, Romantic sounds, as in the 2nd Concerto’s second movement, which could be easily deposited into a cinematic world. This mélange of compositional ideas keeps the listener on their toes and could be a great discovery or starting point for those who have not heard Shostakovich before (along with Shostakovich’s sensual and lighthearted Jazz Suites). Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet contains a few more crunchy harmonies than the concertos, especially in the fugue movement, but it displays the same acerbic wit and minor-key moodiness afforded the other works. It seems there is less sass and further personal intent in the Quintet, but its more substantial inner workings, in addition to the sunnier concertos, is greatly appreciated.
Personality is the name of the game in these concertos, and Yefim Bronfman has plenty to spare in these harum-scarum concertos. Bronfman’s not-too-delicate approach makes sure we get to see the dichotomy between both the lithe, finger-twisting and gregarious, rollicking nature of these works, all of which adds to the drama along with a significant trumpet partner in the first concerto. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra under Salonen are more “in your face” than normal and traverse the arduous, rhythmical symbiosis required between piano and conductor with aplomb. The sound from this 1999 recording is full and vibrant, the orchestra plush, and the piano center stage in the soundscape, although neither the piano nor the trumpet are obnoxiously or unnaturally forward. Feel free to compare this record to the very serious interpretation by Valery Gergiev, the older Leonard Bernstein, or the newer Petrenko on Naxos. Whether as an introduction to Shostakovich or an old hand at these works, this recording is highly recommended for its impetuosity of playing, with excellent, modern sound, good liner notes, and at a decent price.
Frank –
If your acquaintance with Shostakovich is largely confined to some of his symphonies, you’ll be delighted by this CD, which displays his mercurial skills of both composition and mood-changing at their most accessible. While mostly witty and mischievous, these pieces also encompass sardonic, darker undercurrents that are redolent of the man and his troubled times.