Repertoire: The BEST Shostakovich 5th Symphony

[@timbakerbartholomew]

I experienced Shostakovich 5th at London's Barbican conducted by Rostropovich. I burst into tears during the last four or five bars and was sobbing uncontrollably - to the embarrassment of my wife - all through the initial applause. I was able to restore myself to some decorum until Rostropovich came back on for a second bow, picked up the score and kissed it. I was gone again.

[@RModillo]

Mravinsky gets the ending right. He knew what was going on.

[@smoerup7955]

Kurt Sanderling conducted this symphony about 30 years ago with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra. It was broadcast on TV along with the rehearsal. He talked a lot about the music. He told, how the audience at the premiere looked at each other thinking: Are we going to be shot (for witnessing this “answer to justified critique” where according to Sanderling it was obvious the word justified should be crossed out. Sanderling said that the repeated A’s in the finale represents beating the people to cheer. Also the second movement is a satirical take on a show at a party conference including a bass choir and a little girl presenting Stalin flowers while stuttering a little speech (the solo violin). He explained to the orchestra that nothing should sound beautiful in the Scherzo: Everything was so rehearsed and delivered as with no feeling as you could imagine at a 1930’s communist party conference. I recorded the rehearsal and performance on VHS but the tape is long gone unfortunately.

[@smoerup7955]

P.S.: David, could you add the Michelangelo Suite when you are done with the numbered symphonies? Much prefer this to symphonies 2 & 3, by the way

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Sure. With pleasure.

[@minquino]

I remember that fascinating broadcast! I also remember Kurt Sanderling conducting the symphony in The Odd Fellow Palæ in Copenhagen (a marvelous concerthall that unfortunately later burned down). Not knowing the symphony ahead, I was, however, captivated from start to end. And the impression from the hauntingly beautiful and icy largo still lingers on til this day. So Sanderling, absolutely!

[@mgconlan]

The most famou9s Russian opera of all time, Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov," also begins with a crowd of ordinary Russians being rounded up and forced to cheer on cue. Whether it was the Czars, the Communists or Putin, Russia seems condemned to be ruled by vicious autocrats (unlike Germany, which was able to overcome its authoritarian past and become a functioning democracy since 1949).

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@mgconlan And Shost 5 coda quotes from that scene.

[@gavrosaurus]

This is SUCH a great video! So much true, honest love given to music, to Shostakovich, to Шостакович. A true musical masterpiece and it had its due with this awesome video. Thank you so much, Dave!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@odyssorpheus3230]

It is rather DSCH a great video!

[@samuelg.feinbergcomposer5452]

I never knew about the fake happy ending of the finale... and I know this symphony pretty well! This video is beyond amazing!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you!

[@sansumida]

Well this such an iconic work I got into this at 15 years old. I remember being a very enthusiastic classical geek and carried an LP over to my parents Hungarian expat friend's house party. I think it was the Karel Ancerl version this was back in 1973, I think the irony was lost on the grown ups drinking creme de mente and palinka! These were the successful emigres from the 1956 uprising making a new life in England, without fear of being shot or having your property expropriated. At school our cohort were totally amazed that we had such great relevant living composers in our midst. The Cold War was still going on and every new piece was greeted with keen interest. For years I had the Haitink version on cassette, I also had the 5th as part of the Barshai box set. Thanks for the discussion, the 5th spoke to me as a Hamlet like, very personal confessional monologue.

[@JackBurttrumpetstuff]

The 3rd movement is the loneliest music I can think of... so sad...

[@malcolmxfiles]

Hooray! The return of Shostakovich! Thanks for your insight, valuable as always. Can't wait to hear your take on 2 & 3...although more on 3 than 2. I think No. 3 is actually quite interesting, especially towards the end and you can hear the origins of Symphony No. 4.

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Dave playing in orchestra: "Maestro, let me tell ya what ya did wrong, bub."

[@bobflagg8917]

Great description of the music. The Ormandy RCA captures the qualities you mentioned: existential, agonized and yet triumphant with searing string playing throughout within an overall excellent recording (remastered in the 20th Century Ormandy box).

[@davidsilverman1741]

I remember a performance of the NSO conducted by Rostropovich in the 1980s - I think it was in Los Angeles - where he had all the violins stand up at the end to underline his take on Shostakovich's conclusion. It was very powerful.

[@richardarnold4437]

The finale of the Sanderling actually brought a tear to my eye

[@Tungusqa]

Finally a Repertoire and in one of my favorite symphonies!! Thanks David!!

[@fredblogs6704]

Such a great video Dave, very informative. I'm learning SO much thanks to you.

[@GastonBulbous]

A really illuminating lecture, Dave, and I agree completely about Sanderling. A crown jewel in a tremendous cycle. But now you have me excited about your upcoming talk about the 2nd and 3rd. Maybe Rozhdestvensky might finally make it into one of your Shostakovich surveys. No one (except perhaps Bernstein) had a better feeling for the mordantly funny elements of Shosty’s symphonies, and Rozh was particularly good in the more avant garde ones. Rozh’s version of the 15th is one of my “Faves” and surely no one has bettered Rozh’s version of the oddball 2nd. Please give it another listen when you are preparing your talk.

[@fred6904]

Dear Mr Hurwitz! Thank you so very much for making this talk about the recordings of Mr Shostakovich's 5th symphony. It was as usual very interesting and entertaining. Best wishes Fred 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪

[@lucbenac9756]

Listening multiple times to your presentations on the symphonies (all except the choral/vocal), I started with Neeme Jarvi (RNSO plus 15th), Petrenko (still not binding but 10th and 9th definitly growing on me) , Berstein (NYP and CSO for the seventh) and landed in my happy place with Kurt Sanderling 5th and 15th (have not listened to the others yet). The interpretation is just right and grabbing and the sound quality on remastered 192/24 is excellent. Thank you for pointing out some tips to listen to the works and helping me spend my money on downlaods and discs 🙂

[@scottweaverphotovideo]

I am so relieved that you liked the Haitink becuz it's my fav. His finale, that last minute is the best. When the bass drum suddenly makes its appearance it is devastating. It is HUGE and thunderous. When I first heard it I imagined an enormous tank rolling in, appearing in front of me! I played it for my friend who had never heard the work. He said his hair stood on end. But Decca screwed things up, darn it. They quickly cut off the ambient sound after it ends and you get that dead "digital silence' after three seconds. It's such a shame. A few years later the other recording companies stopped doing that, thankfully. I look forward to hearing some of these performances you praise.

[@b1i2l336]

Your choices are stellar, as always. I missed your choosing one of the Mravinskys. Mravinsky, as you know, conducted the first performance. I also recommend the first American recording, Artur Rodzinski with the Cleveland Orchestra, plus the Constantin Silvestri/Vienna Phil. for a compellingly different take. I just listened to the Sanderling and am a puddle on the floor. "Holy Mackerel," indeed! Overwhelming.

[@danieldroppa3170]

i also thought of Constantin Silvestri. And Solti, maybe?

[@odyssorpheus3230]

Dear Dave, I never thought I would be so thankful to Theodore Currentzis, not for his recordings (God forbid) but for bringing me to your channel. You have awakened my love for recorded music in a way that has been dormant for years. I discover so much and recover a sense of sanity by watching your videos. Among other things I bumped into a marvellous rendition of DSCH 5 by Alexander Dmitriev and the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra. Keep up the good job!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you!

[@dennisschwartzentruber3204]

I was introduced to this great symphony through the efforts of Karl Ancerl and the Czech Philharmonic of which I highly recommend ! I use this version as a measuring stick against other versions i experience and it stands up very well !

[@anthropocentrus]

the bernstein recording sounds soooo gooood (both performance and audio quality)

[@masonb9788]

The Lenny 5th was my very first CD. 💿

[@alexchristopher221]

My favorite recording of the 5th has been the one on the Decca label with Vladimir Ashkenazy and the RPO. When I purchased the CD, the Penguin Guide gave this one its highest recommendation, if I recall correctly, (5 Stars with an asterisk). The 5th and the 10th Symphonies are my two most favorite of Shostakovich.

[@b1i2l336]

I forgot to include Ormandy and the Philadelphians' searing account. It has terrific tension and forward motion in the musical line, and also is probably the best played as well. Why is Ormandy so generally overlooked or underrated? He had a better orchestra than anyone.

[@sppolly81]

What a wonderful video that was.! Your passion for this symphony really comes over and I can tell how much love for it you have. Shostakovich is a tough musician to empathise with because of the sheer difference of the times he lived through. I feel fortunate to be distant from this emotional world, but he speaks to me even despite that distance. A real composer of and for the people who spoke for a collective but could do so by being dangerously personal. He really doesn’t get enough credit for how great he was, in his best works at the very least. And how many 20th century composers were as excellent across so many different genres? Some; yes, but not many? Thanks for communicating this so effortlessly

[@eamonnmorris-q2x]

Thank you for this. A true learning experience. Thank you very much indeed.

[@JesusLovesYou9999]

The Petrenko is very impressive as is all of his Shostokovich work . I , personally favour the Haitink . The Jarvi is also marvellous as is Shostokovich's son's . The Sanderling is also outstanding .

[@TheSutov]

Haha, antepenultimate However, Semi-However. Your broad and deep insight into music is such a treasure, thank you! The Fifth was on the desk with my professor of composition. When I heard the Second theme, I felt it was the other coin of the same reality, so important.

[@playandteach]

Sanderling, said, during a rehearsal of this piece that the repeating note throughout the climax represents Shostakovich shouting ME, ME, ME over the top of the music. He got this from Shostakovich directly. It's a fabulous insight. I agree that we don't need to know these things in order to get the music, but I do find this one particularly striking. I really liked working with Sanderling, and found him gentle (on the surface) but unbending in his interpretations. In any discussion with soloists within the orchestra, he not only got his way, and without hissy fits, but also left a taste of his justifications without having to ram them home.

[@tomdixon113]

I learned the 5th as a kid with the first Bernstein recording. To this day, all other finales seem slow to me. It goes like a bat out of hell!

[@sharonaltschuler8454]

Re the finale: Rodzinsky in the '40s beats Lenny to the finish handily. On the slowest side, there's a plodding (or courageous) finale from Masur (w/ #1 on SACD) that takes a whopping 13+ minutes. Talk about risking utter stasis! Well, worth hearing them once!

[@lotusholder]

For the audiophile-inclined, there's now a Japanese release of a hybrid CD / SACD set of Sanderling's versions w/ Berlin of Shostakovich's 1st, 5th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 15th- his version of the 15th w/ Berlin being a true great among peers, along with his 5th w/ Berlin, and the others being no slouches at all either! It's also bit of a sonic upgrade from the original cd release. Another great 5th and recent favorite of mine (also happening to be in great sound) is Honeck's/Pittsburgh's live rendition (also on hybrid cd/sacd).

[@stephenkeen2404]

I'll add a pitch for the recent PSO/Honeck recording. I don't know that its special (although the second movement really dances), but they don't muck around and the sonics are terrific. The Largo tends towards the longer end.

[@james.t.herman]

I hope you'll do a top ten records video for Kurt Sanderling. I've discovered him through this channel and what I've heard so far - his Brahms symphonies, Bruckner Seventh, and Shostakovich Fifth - is very much to my taste.

[@sanjosemike3137]

David, thank you so much for explaining your logical and emotional analysis of this magnificent work. Living under Stalin was the very definition of terror. Many of Shostakovich's friends and associates were "arrested" and never returned. Any reasonable person would have to think "they will be next." How do you balance/manage terror and fear in great music? I surely do not know. But Shostakovich somehow managed to do it. It is not surprising that this is his most popular work. During the process, listening to it forces one to think: "How would I live under this terror?" Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)

[@hamidrezahabibi8111]

Thank you 🙏🏼 for this wonderful informative video. Your ancient fan from Tehran Iran 🫡💎

[@ondrejsedo8659]

An interesting self-quote can be traced in the middle (silent) part of the Finale. It seems to be derived from the first part of Shostakovich Op. 46 - Romances on Poems: Pushkin poem "Renaissance" about a beautiful painting destroyed by a barabrian.

[@waynewallace9972]

The Bernstein recording he held up was recorded, according to legend was done in one take, all 4 movements.

[@mikepower5861]

Just attended a performance by the Liverpool Phil under Domingo. Real wow. Even if Vassily wasn't there, the orchestra hadnt forgotten how to play it. Truly fabulous.

[@EddieJazzFan]

My fav has always been the stereo Ormandy/Philly on RCA

[@mikelaarman5670]

Fantastic video, thank you

[@flowsouth8496]

Thank you for doing this talk Dave, it's much appreciated. I don't know if there were any sleepers this time (maybe Mackerras?), but sometimes it's nice to confirm what you already know. I enjoyed your comments about the Haitink recording the most, that is one to check out. Let's move on to Tchaikovsky's fifth!

[@masonb9788]

There’s a great video out there of Rostropovich performing the 5th with the National Symphony. I was lucky enough to record it, probably from PBS.. sometime in the late 80s. Before the performance they ran a little interview with Slava and he stated that in 100 years Shostakovich would be seen like Beethoven.. let’s hope so!

[@dvorakslavenskiples]

The Mackerras recording was the first one that i heard. It was also the first time that i heard a complete Shostakovich symphony. I also love the recording of Jansons with the Vienna Phil on EMI/Warner. The coda of the finale in this recording is really brutal.

[@LeonFleisherFan]

Sanderling's emotional rollercoaster is my favorite (although, as for most great works, it's hard to pick just one), and for those who care, it can be had in great sound in a high-resolution PCM remastering and, even better, a recent analogue remastering transferred directly to DSD for the (Japanese) SACD release. Who'd thunk there's a market for such a release, but apparently there is, isn't that wonderful?!

[@robertdandre94101]

for the popular movie ''the battle of bulge'' ( 1965) ...the composer benjamin frankel was really inspired by the finale of shostakovitch 5 in the opening and ending theme of the movie

[@blokkadeleider]

Entertaining and informative once again. Kurt Sanderling was awesome on Shostakovich. Rostropovich I'd say is also really good. And still a big thank you for pointing out his version of the 8th, which I did not know. Kondrashin? Obviously! Always! Even if the recordings aren't exactly that great. The issue with Mravinski you pointed out. It's just when you come to Haitink that I feel that there is a bird sitting on the line. 😇 The only name missing is Jansons.

[@cristianseres1353]

Hannu Lintu will conduct the 5th in Tampere, Finland in November 2024 and I will be there. I hope it will be a spectacular performance. I'll try to count how many A's there are in the finale.

[@TheScottishoats]

So well done! Thank you!

[@eamonnmorris-q2x]

thanks for this - appreciate it

[@DavidJohnson-of3vh]

Those Liverpool sample were GREAT!!. Thank you. I have always enjoyed Mitropoulos/NYPO is good. Very slow finale. I had to search it out and finally got it on French Sony. Bernstien finale is riotus fun.

[@fred6904]

Hello Dave. For the record I just want to say that Ormandy's 2nd recording of Shostakovich's 5th symphony on RCA was released 1975. Best wishes Fred from Kristianstad

[@maximisaev6974]

Ah Dave, you so nailed it when it comes to describing Sanderling's recording. You know from the first note that this conductor actually lived through "The Strakh" (CTpax), that fearful time when Stalin's "Black Maria's" could show up on your doorstep unannounced in the middle of the night. I once read an interview Sanderling gave, translated in English, where he said he and his first wife slept with poison pills under their pillowcases, such was the fear of being dragged off into the night never to be seen again. Is it any surprise that his Shostakovich Fifth literally "speaks from experience?" May I also suggest another recording? There's a Mravinsky live KZbin performance, but forget about the visuals. The actual live performance recorded on CD is on "Audiophile Classics" I believe that sounds note for note the same as the KZbin performance. I only mention this because it looks to me as if the live performance was in Minsk in 1983, and the recording is white hot and intense as all Hell and very well recorded. And in it Mravinsky takes the ending of the last movement slower than he usually did and delivers the goods, much as Sanderling does. When you got the old Leningrad Philharmonic out of that dreary cave like hall of theirs and recorded them elsewhere, OH MY GOD were they amazing! Yet even as good as that recording on Audiophile Classics is, nothing, and I mean nothing, brings you to the absolute edge of your seat, especially in the ending of the finale as the Sanderling does. Sorry to run on so long Dave, but like millions of others out there, I believe this symphony and the Sibelius Fifth are THE two very greatest symphonic expressions of the 20th Century. Thank you so much Dave for taking the time to reacquaint us old timers with the sheer genius of this monumental work. Outstanding appreciation video!

[@jan-olofpohlin8667]

The Previn and L.S.O. intepration of the 5th in the 60.s went straight to my heart. It's my favourite.

[@mickeytheviewmoo]

Yes, I agree it's my fav as well.

[@psono429]

I agree I have that one as well and 8th Emi. my dad and I saw the 8th with Rostropovich the week the master died with my dad and good friends. saw Previn twice with LSO and Pitts

[@mgconlan]

Thank you for re-introducing me to the Shostakovich Fifth! I remember the first time I heard the work via an RCA Victor LP by Howard Mitchell conducting the National Symphony of Washington, D.C. and it wasn't at all what I'd expected from the stories about how it was written to get Shostakovich back in Stalin's good graces and away from the Gulag. Aside from the martial theme that opens the last movement, there was. nothing it I could imagine someone whistling on their way to work (Stalin's famous definition of "socialist realism" in music). Though not as dark and angst-ridden as the Fourth Symphony, it's still a very gloomy piece of music (especially the slow movement) and hardly the upbeat, celebratory work one would have expected given what Shostakovich was hoping for when he wrote it - and, amazingly, Stalin and his bureaucrats took it at face value, loved it and left Shostakovich alone for at least the next decade.

[@michaelhartman8724]

Note to Pax Paxart, and others. I'm person #2 of 10 that owns the recent Sanderling Shostakovich symphonies--easy to get confused, this is MICHAEL Sanderling, ALSO a son of THE Sanderling. This box is now apparently available again on Amazon--not cheap, but worth it. No more excuses about availability Dave, you need to talk about the significance of this set. just listened to the 5th again--positively dynamite. best sound Sony's ever put out, hair raising clarity and impact...bass drum and piccolo are weapons of mass destruction I'd characterize the ending as totally ambiguous (think Tchaikovsky 5): triumphant and ironic at the same time--only the medium of music can pull off this kind of effect Sanderling's tempos in much of the cycle a hair slower than normal for purpose--maybe another genetic characteristic. Dave: Brahms comparison a really original revelation.

[@johnoconnor683]

I am really pleased that Kondrashin got mentioned. I think his 5th is wonderful. But it's often dismissed as too quick. I can see why some think so, but Kondrashin makes it work. His way of doing it brings out the guts in Shostakovich's writing. Kondrashin makes the music reflect something of the horror out of which the music came. Sanderling does that brilliantly too, albeit in a very different way.

[@perryengstrom2225]

But inside the fake, l hear a defiant "Don't tell me what to write!" I listen in tears every time.

[@discipulussimplex]

so many great recordings, yet I was imprinted by Nelsons and BSO and am surprised to see it missing. I know it's fashionable to hackle Nelsons, but for that disk? Impossible!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Watch me.

[@SCAudiophile]

You've cited many of the great recordings of the 5th, and once again, this is another great episode on an all-time favorite YT channel! Thank you for the excellent content and all the hard work! Like the last poster, I also like the Nelson/BSO 5th and others from that cycle. Could you let us know why you would shoot down that 5th ?

[@wienerbonbons5197]

came here searching how to really hear and understand the symphony, by just have heard Nelsons BSO and Petrenko’s RLPO wich i like cause the sound quality, and also came cause makela just released 4th-6th with the oslo philharmonic and see if anyone has already heard it and can recommend it. Also wanting to actually discover shostakovich which some works have really impressed me

[@JackBurttrumpetstuff]

Is there any standard piece that ends with such different tempi? What is your opinion on the different tempo markings at the end of the Finale? The Kalmus edition @ Rehearsal 131 (the coda), asks for “quarter note = 220”, and the Sikorsky asks for “eighth note = 220”…. An obvious misprint, one or the other, right?… Many conductors have started to follow the Sikorsky, which, as a brass player, I find ungodly slow, and dangerous and cruel. It's torture... The cruelty makes the point, to some people, I guess. A student of mine wrote a paper about the vastly different tempi taken by various conductors…. No piece ends with such a wide array of tempo choices… Here are some examples of the tempi, @ Reh. 131 (Coda) of the Finale. From fastest to slowest: Bernstein (1959) Q = 220 Solti (1993) Q = 200 Gergiev (2019) Q = 135 Dudamel (2018) Q = 110 Nelsons (2016) Q = 108 Gatti (2012) Q = 100 Gardiner (2010) Q = 94 Sokhiev (2014) Q = 92 A difference of 128 beats per minute, between Bernstein and Sokhiev!

[@larsbagger7840]

I just realised from watching Paavo Järvi's performance on KZbin, that the symphony is actually written for two harps. The score has one harp part, but with "sempre a2" written. Some performances are happy with just one harp (most, I guess...?), but some actually play it with both harps (Solti is another one). Perhaps not a bit difference, but interesting!

[@StinkinGoodAle3241]

Late in life Shoshtakovich cut the tempo of the coda of the last movement in half. More recent performances follow this - and man does it rip your heart out.

[@hendriphile]

After reading this very enjoyable review, it just occurred to me… one of the 20th century‘s symphonic masterpieces, yet it seems it was never recorded by the “Generalmusikdirektor of Europe.“ Strange, no?

[@cappycapuzi1716]

The Fifth was my first Shostakovich a hundred years ago as well (with the Haitink which I prefer to Bernstein's). I've listened to it countless times of course and never realized that the first movement was mono-thematic. Other analysis I read compared to the opening bars to Beethoven's Grosse Fuge. It also described the Largo as the crown of the symphony saying that the Largo showed Shostakovich having a big advantage his contemporaries, namely the gift of melody. Thanks for another of your speshul Shostakovich chats.

[@cfibb]

In my teens I was given the live Bernstein recording (one of those “Great Performances” reissues by CBS where the cover looks like the front page of a newspaper) as a gift. I found the work impenetrable from the outset because of Lenny’s excitement and exaggerations. Luckily I was given the receipt along with a blessing to return the CD and find a workable version. Haitink was highly recommended by the record store’s staff and I got to know the work through that excellent version.

[@JamesCello]

Wikipedia once told me the ending of the Leningrad symphony is similarly fake, but from the first time I heard it I felt nothing but overwhelming joy and triumph over evil-no matter what form that evil takes, fascist or communist.

[@TCFFR]

Lovely review of some of the best versions. One footnote: having played this symphony, I remember that the low brass does appear in the Scherzo in a supporting role.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You're right.

[@johnmarchington3146]

Sorry, but I'm afraid I cannot listen to a performance where the end of the finale takes a week to unfold. I heard a live recording of the work two or three years ago that took the finale that way and I really wondered if it was ever going to get to the end, I thought it was awful! Give me Lenny every time. Both of his recordings are wonderful. I do have the Previn/LSO as well and love the way he performs the Largo but I find much of the rest on the slow side. Early on I got to know the work through an old Artur Rodzinski recording but did not realise until later that he made a cut in the finale - a lovely section involving the violins, mainly - and that tended to put me off the performance after that.

[@bolemirnoc604]

All brass instruments appear in the scherzo as well.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

My bad! Thanks for correcting me.

[@lesgoe8908]

I'm sure many of us would love to hear your thoughtful take on Alfred Schnittke's symphonies.

[@pauloqueiroz9611]

Hi Dave! You never mention the Dmitrij Kitajenko Shostakovich cycle with the Gürzenich Orchester Köln! Can you comment shortly on it? Thanks!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Not worth the trouble.

[@jfddoc]

My favorite coupling of 5 and 9 in modern sound is Kreizberg on Pentatone.

[@steveschwartz8944]

I'd like to thank you for this talk. I was considering buying another Shost 5th (because I wanted one), mainly because I was interested in the conductor, but your observations on the first-movement climax put me off, because it was such a textural mess that I couldn't hear the "battle of the themes." I already have your recommendation.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You're welcome!

[@kittydukakis]

Great story. At least you got to save the day.

[@craigkowald3055]

I performed the 5th twice in one week with two different orchestras on two different horn parts. That was an intense week.

[@olinwilliams]

Excellent presentation! Since you mentioned that there is no inherent "meaning" in the music other than what we, the listeners, come up with, here is my completely subjective comment: the second theme in the first movement, has, since the very first time I heard it, conjured up an image of a car racing along a coastal highway, as viewed from an aerial perspective, It is an odd, counterintuitive response to the calm lovely music. I bet no one has ever heard it in such a manner, and I completely get that. I know it sounds nuts, but how do you get an image out of your head once it has taken root? Even when I was about five and went to the dentist, the ether put me out, but I hallucinated that I could see the notes and patterns of the music playing in the office. Weird huh?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Not at all!

[@rogergersbach3300]

My fav 5th is by Yakov Kreizberg and the Russian National Orchestra coupled with a brilliant 9th. There are almost too many good ones to say there is a "best" 5th.

[@ErlendBLygre]

Do you heard the recording of this symphony made in 27. march 1938 in Leningrad/St. Petersburg Worl Premier recording. I have that recording, Wery few have heard about that recording! Even fewer have listings on that! Sorry for my English! From Norvay, Mayby only one in Norvay have it on CD! DO YOU??

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No, I don't have it.

[@ErlendBLygre]

You can find that on KZbin

[@TimSwensen]

Haitink's Concertgebouw 5th is very fine. It's one noticeable problem, to my ears, is a thoroughly winded trumpet player at the end of the finale. Still, a fine recording.

[@themanitoueatery1543]

I lived under a Communist regime as a child. I got the message right away ... this symphony feels like that world ... full of hope and triumph. I felt that Shostakovich was making fun of Stalin, knowing he would not understand it.

[@igorgregoryvedeltomaszewsk1148]

Looking SO much forward to enjoying this epic talk to the end but just cannot restrain myself from pre-stating: "BERNSTEIN 1959" which will remain one of my Desert island discs till the end of time. Everything about that performance is simply ideal (to avoid using the word "perfect" which doesn't go well with Lenny).

[@krozjr5009]

Even the ending? Oh boy there’ll be a “nice” “civil” “debate” (read: bitter angry screaming argument) on this one.

[@EntelSidious_gamzeylmz]

@@krozjr5009 the ending is fun lmao

[@igorgregoryvedeltomaszewsk1148]

The thrill of Bernsteins take on the last movement is very well described by Maestro Hurwitz @@krozjr5009. I think any reading that seeks to infuse unmistakable tragedy into the finale misses the point of ambiguity; the music has to be delivered "mechanically" with a dehumanized frenzy and in this respect Bernstein drives the point home as few (or no) other interpreters.

[@krozjr5009]

@@igorgregoryvedeltomaszewsk1148 See, I’d personally disagree. I hear the finale as deliciously sarcastic. There’s the endless pounding of the repetitive 252 A’s and the out-of-key notes from the brass (everybody else is in D Major; the brass don’t fully get the memo and play dissonant notes borrowed from D Minor). It’s unpleasant in the best way possible. I find that if it’s done too fast, these delicious dissonances pass by too quickly and wind up coming off as a passing thought as opposed to a critical point. Similarly, by slowing it down, the repetitive strings lines become almost monotonous, furthering the sheer force-edness of the ending. Play it fast, and the brass fanfares simply become just that - simple brass fanfares over a triumphant ostinato. I prefer it slower as I think it really brings out the bitterness in the finale.

[@igorgregoryvedeltomaszewsk1148]

Good response@@krozjr5009 and that's what I love about threads like these! I'll give it a relisten. Have the Sanderling and the Haitink 5th. Positively biased towards Sanderling as I experienced him (at least) twice live. Mabye I'll agree with you, but I believe Bernstein's got a point intrepretationwise even if the dissonances are eschewed.

[@deadfdr]

Love your analyses but wish you referred to actual keys and chord sequences. My favorite youtube channel. Namaste

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I don't do that because (a) I'm really not qualified and don't know how, and (b) the information is (in my opinion) meaningless to anyone but music theorists. It could be that my feelings about (b) are the direct result of (a), but there it is.

[@johnfawcett4260]

I am wondering if you have worked in radio, thinking your channel content would make a GREAT radio show (I grew up listening to McGlaughlin's Exploring Music, among others). I suppose you would have to format some things differently, but along same lines. Enjoy the commentary especially. RE 21:00, I much prefer antiphonal string seating, works very well in Beethoven all the way up to Mahler (composers of this tradition are always playing around with antiphonal effects between violins). Too bad that would be a logistical mess here!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I did radio for years.

[@jonnlennox4176]

Dear David Is the recording that you have rated so well not up to the standard of this selection? I am referring to Kreizberg, who I have not yet had the pleasure of listening to, that is why I am asking. I love the selection you have made, especially Sanderling Previn and Rostropovich Best regards

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Sure it is.

[@scuunjieng]

Finally! Thanks

[@scuunjieng]

I truly enjoy your talks and became a classics today insider. This is by far the talk I was waiting for the most and it is the most interesting and riveting one. I also learned so much more about my favorite music of all

[@paulmiller5205]

I do like the early Bernstein and I'll have to listen to the Rostropovich. I have to admit that I'm not a fan of bringing extra-musical ideas to the performance. How much credence should we put in Volkov and how much should we look exclusively to the score? It seems that more and more often I've heard conductors apply the brakes as the symphony comes to a close and it just doesn't work - in fact, it often colors my perception of the whole performance up to that point.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Volkov is not the source of that information as regards the Fifth. Shostakovich's circle was unanimous about it.

[@richardadams9122]

I admire Bernstein (1959), Ormandy, Silvestri, Honeck on CD and have heard Rostropovich in St. Petersburg 1996 do 5, (as well as 9). I am just discovering Kurt Sanderling thru his Sibelius cycle. His approach does resonate with me and I must sample his Shostakovich cycle. Any opinion on the Kitayenko Shostakovich cycle? The sound is very good to spectacular, but his Fifth does not stand out. His Eighth is excellent!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

You answered your own question.

[@steveeliscu1254]

The rape of the second theme??? Well, Dave...I think you just lost all your female fans. Lol BTW: I really like your comparisons between Brahms and Shostakovitch.

[@dvorakslavenskiples]

Why he would lost the female fans?

[@steveeliscu1254]

@@dvorakslavenskiples Thou shalt not rape the second theme! (A joke, of course.)

[@EntelSidious_gamzeylmz]

even if you are joking it actually is the worst allegory you can possibly use

[@steveeliscu1254]

@@EntelSidious_gamzeylmz You talking to me? Or Dave?

[@EntelSidious_gamzeylmz]

@@steveeliscu1254 to hurwitz