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| Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok [Hybrid SACD] | ![Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5; Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok [Hybrid SACD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5148mt93JTL._SL160_.jpg)
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| List Price: $18.98
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 2 reviews)
Sales Rank: 188591
Category: Music
Publisher: Ondine
Studio: Ondine
Manufacturer: Ondine
Label: Ondine
Format: Sacd
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 5 x 0.6
MPN: 11095
UPC: 761195110959
EAN: 0761195110959
ASIN: B0013LL01S
Release Date: March 11, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | I. Moderato--Allegro non troppo | | • | II. Allegretto | | • | III. Largo | | • | IV. Allegro non troppo | | • | I. Ophelia's Song | | • | II. Gamayun, Bird of Prophecy | | • | III. That Troubled Night... | | • | IV. Deep in Sleep | | • | V. The Storm | | • | VI. Secret Signs | | • | VII. Music |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
The latest newcomer in the successful recording series with The Philadelphia Orchestra and its Music Director Christoph Eschenbach features Dmitri Shostakovich's perennially popular Fifth Symphony. The Largo movement --one of the most heartrendingly beautiful slow movements written by the composer--and the bombastic Finale provide for an entrancing super audio listening experience with the world-renowned sound of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Officially viewed as "the practical creative reply of a Soviet artist to just criticism," this symphony was the Russian composer's mid-career coup--after his music had been politically attacked, he got back into the good graces of both communist officials and the public, who stood and cheered its premiere in 1937. As a special bonus, this disc also contains the haunting song cycle of Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok(1880-1921), making this unusual coupling a unique release with a strong sales point; Christoph Eschenbach performs on piano together with the acclaimed mezzosoprano Yvonne Naef and two members of the The Philadelphia Orchestra. This disc should build on the huge success of five previous releases under the "formidable Ondine/Eschenbach/Philadelphia partnership," which has repeatedly been praised in the international press
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| Customer Reviews:
Good in parts April 26, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
If you are familiar with Shostakovich's music the 5th Symphony will probably need no introduction, if you are not the 5th is a very good a place to start; a very accessible work of contrasts and exuberance.
The recording quality here is not in question, the sound is very good, but what of the playing? It is certainly a noble performance, but in this instance that is not always a good thing, perhaps for "noble" read slow. This works well with the largo, it certainly conveys requisite feeling of anguish, but the problem here is that this slow approach is extended to the rest of the symphony. This overall slow treatment results in a somewhat lack-lustre performance. The first movement comes across as ponderous; the last movement starts off with a rather plodding tempo; it does gain momentum, but fails to gain in excitement, and while the coda produces a great sound, it fails to move.
The Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok fair somewhat better, well sung rich and at times appropriately husky; there is some fine mournful playing too from the cellist Hai-Ye Ni and subtly from Eschenbach on piano. However it is an odd coupling with the Symphony, not perhaps what one would choose to listen after Shostakovich's 5th; it certainly makes a strange transition.
If it's Shostakovich's 5th you are after, there is no shortage of better performances available: Jansons on EMI, Haitink on Decca and at bargain price Rahbari on Naxos to mention a few.
Resplendant Sound but ... April 9, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
The Shostakovich 5th is one of my "desert island" pieces that sounds as fresh as ever over decades of listening to this piece. The SACD sound is simply gorgeous. How about the performance? Well if you consider an old Bernstein recording with the New York Philharmonic as the best of a large batch (as I do) this will disappoint you. The tempo is considerably slower than Bernstein's and lacks the crispness and ferocity that imbues Bernstein's recordings. If beautiful engineering along with a more romantic and languid conducting appeals to you then get this disk. It is, however, not my cup of tea.
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