Repertoire: The BEST Shostakovich "Babi Yar" Symphony (No. 13)

[@Donaldopato]

“Someone’s coming!” “Don’t be frightened. These are the sounds of spring, spring is coming. Come to me, give me your lips quickly!” “They’re breaking down the door!” “No! It’s the ice breaking!” This passage, with the ghostly celesta in the background sends chills to this day, especially Kondrashin and Barshai!

[@MagnanimousDominion]

This is also a bit of very dark irony and macabre humour too, in that it’s two ideas of what is happening: 1. What one of the lovers believes, that it’s nothing, they’re ignoring reality; and 2. What is actually happening, which is the Nazis coming to arrest them both and presumably take them to be executed. Assuming it is a reference to Anne Frank, that is. I don’t actually know the full history so if I’m mistaken, but I know it is primarily about the massacre at Babi Yar, so was Shostakovich referring to both events as a means of metaphor? Either way, his thirteenth symphony is a brilliantly confrontational and courageous piece all round, where Shostakovich openly criticises and condemns not only Nazi Germany but also the authoritarianism in his own country. It’s amazing it was so successful, and to me this proves that music as protest is such an important tool to make people think and question their surroundings, and has never stopped being relevant.

[@swimmad456]

One of the great things to come out of these talks is that it forces you to revisit music that I either dismissed or didn't understand in my younger days. Hearing it again I am struck by what a staggering masterpiece this symphony is. Better late than never. Thank you Dave.

[@scuunjieng]

agree

[@danielo.masson353]

Great and humbling listening - thought all sort of morbid thoughts on this work, a little angry not to get it in haste, but that was just me. Ingratiated to you, Mr Hurwitz, for this introduction

[@josefnitervol6415]

yes, this is one I listen to once in the late 90s never to return but so wrong.

[@murraywhm]

I would give honorable mentions to Solti/CSO, Previn/LSO and Ormandy/Philadelphia. The poems are what make this symphony so difficult to frame. One can celebrate life but how does one deal with the abject horror of murder and oppression? For Kondrashin, it was raw anger, spitting back at those who committed the crimes; it what makes his interpretations first for me (I have both). For others, the angers dissipates into mourning and grief. I attended a CSO performance in 1979 with Rozhdestvensky conducting. I was still in college and the last row was what I could afford. Russians and East Europeans were all around me. During the performance, they were weeping, visibly pained throughout the symphony as though each note was a knife cutting into them. I was listening to it but they were reliving it, working through their grief. I've never forgotten that.

[@bbailey7818]

Alas, we are beginning to live it now and get a sense of what they went through.

[@jankucera8180]

Nice review, thanks a lot. So I have to get the Muti/CSO recording, the only one I do not know, yet... Some people might find the following two excerpts of the memoirs by Jan Petránek interesting. He was the Czech Radio correspondent in Moscow and was at the premiere: I got the ticket with the help my good friend Olga Selivanova of the Moscow radio, a great journalist with contacts in the right places. We went to the concert together. On 18 December 1962, the entrance to the hall was completely jammed by hundreds of people who had no luck in getting the tickets, yet did not want to leave. We walked around the building. On the rear side there was a fire ladder, embedded in the wall almost two meters above the ground. We climbed to the second floor on it and got in through a slightly open window -- into the corridor behind the upper balconies. We could not get to our seats anyway. People were sitting packed-up like sardines in the aisles, many seats were occupied by two, or one person on the knee of the other. There were mostly women.... ...I had to think out how I should formulate my report to Prague to the best effect. Once again, I felt myself like a grain of wheat that could be crushed by milestones. While in Moscow, I was afraid of the (ideological) ardor of Czech censors. The problem was, how to communicate the fact that the audiences went through something like a revitalizing ideological earthquake, in the Moscow State Tchaikovski Conservatory Hall. How to write it in such a sensitive way that the intelligent Czech listener would understand, yet the censors of HSTD (Main Direction of the Press Supervision) would not chuck the thorny news in the dustbin, just in case... Finally, I put a note at the end of the material, that the piece was appreciatively applauded by foremost officials of the Moscow Communist party who were sitting in the first row. At the same time, I sent a note for the shift editor who was ordering the news for the broadcast: "If the news about the symphony gets through the HSTD, you may abridge it by cutting away the last sentence." The whole shift was rather amused by this trick. Moreover, a system was created, that proved rather successful over the time, for me and other correspondents.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@james.t.herman]

I'm a composer myself, and I've gotten as many useful ideas about composition from this channel as I have from any other single source. Hurwitz's understanding of composition is truly impressive, and all the better for its lack of pretension. Dave, since you are fascinated by musical form, as am I, here is one of the most insightful ideas about it that I've picked up. After a composer states a musical idea, there are only three things he can possibly do to continue: repeat the idea, repeat the idea in variation, or state a different idea. You can even narrow it down to just two things a composer can do with form, then: statement and development of the opening idea, and statement and development of contrasting ideas. This was very helpful to me as a student, because as Stravinsky himself noted, the daunting thing about starting a composition (especially when you're first learning to write music) is the sheer infinity of possibilities before you. You can't choose between infinite options, but 2 or 3 options you can work with.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

That's a very concise and helpful way of putting it, very similar I think to my line that "all 'form' boils down to repetition and variation." Thanks sharing this.

[@AlexMadorsky]

The Babi Yar is not only one Shostakovich’s great masterpieces, but one of the greater 20th-century symphonies bar none, and as you point out a genuine symphony it is. I must have psychically predicted this morning’s video would be on DSCH as I happen to be wearing my Shostakovich t-shirt today. You’ve covered all my favorites, much as I hoped you would recommend some sleeper disc by the Uzbekistan Philharmonic. So I’ll simply echo your sentiment that every one of these recordings is worth owning, and people should keep on listening to each one they haven’t heard yet.

[@jankucera8180]

You mean the Tatarstan Symphony, right? An orchestra of Kazan (an important centre of science and arts, at least in the past...). The problem with anything that comes from Melodiya (which I believe is a Sony label now) is that it is extremely expensive as a rule.

[@AlexMadorsky]

@@jankucera8180 I was actually joking, hoping Dave might report on some Warsaw Pact gem I’d never heard of. I have the Sladkovsky/Tatarstan cycle and enjoy it immensely, but it was indeed absurdly priced.

[@jankucera8180]

@@AlexMadorsky I must be have been rather tired I did not recognize that part of your comment as a joke immediately. I have the mentioned cycle too and consider it very good but I still prefer another one...

[@AlexMadorsky]

@@jankucera8180 which one of I may ask? I really like the Sladkovsky but it is certainly not my favorite.

[@nicolaa55]

Regarding this as a "real symphony": I gained real appreciation for this when I heard this performed live *without a soloist.* It happened in Montreal in 2019, and the soloist made it through maybe five lines before having to retire. There was no understudy waiting in the wings, so they went ahead and performed it with just the choir and orchestra. I know it's cliche to say things like "I heard things I'd never heard before" in recordings, but with the solo line taken away (but not the words; those were projected above the stage) all of a sudden I appreciated the structure of the symphony (like a cathedral missing its stained glass windows) and its incredible orchestration. It's what convinced me of the greatness of the "Fears" movement. Love the Russian Disc Kondrashin. I will have to revisit Barshai (I bought that cycle as I first got into Shostakovich and have been exploring other recordings ever since.) I've just acquired the Wigglesworth cycle but not gotten to the 13th yet, so looking forward to it.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

What an interesting experience!

[@jimslancio]

This is one of the best of your many videos I've watched. Worth every second of the 40 minutes. I've got to check out some of your recommended recordings. A funny memory: the first time I ever listened to it, as a teenager, was on a memorably hot, humid summer day in Cleveland - not exactly Siberia!

[@davidhollingsworth1847]

This remarkable work goes hand in hand with Weinberg's Sixth Symphony, written around the same time. How fitting was it that the American Symphony Orchestra under Botstein performed these works together in June of 2007. As far as the recordings are concerned, my favorite remains with Kondrashin with the MPO (Russian Disc), but I will seek out Muti's recording. As always, thank you.

[@richardspierto6288]

I have had the privilege of singing in the chorus for this symphony when I was singing with the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles. The performance was with the Long Beach Symphony. It was an incredibly moving experience. I really like Muti's CSO performance. The tempos are a little broader than most, but really works for this piece. And the sonics of the recording are superb.

[@ewaldsteyn469]

Thanks for a very informative talk on this great masterpiece. Apart from listening to and appreciating all the detail that you've mentioned, there is another GREAT way of listening and enjoying this symphony that you have not mentioned, namely: Download the Russian lyrics side by side with its translation in English. Then set aside a time that you can sit down with the music for about an hour and 10 minutes and follow the symphony with the lyrics from beginning to end. I've done it once with the Haitink recording and what a magnificent experience it was!!! Then more than ever I could see (and hear) how magnificently Shostakovich used the music to portray the words and the messages it contain. As great as the other movements are, Humor for me was the greatest fun listening to in this way- it is almost beyond words to describe how magnificently Shostakovich made the words and the music interacted with each other. Anyone who loves Shostakovich's symphony no 13 have to AT LEAST ONCE IN YOUR LIFE listen to it following the lyrics from beginning to end. You will not regret it. Some may think it will be too difficult. No, it is not - I am not Russian - I'm from South Africa with NO knowledge of the Russian language, but I managed to do it fairly easily. You just need to have the right lyrics setup - at the following link the lyrics are given in a way that makes following it fairly easy (shostakovich.hilwin.nl/op113.html).

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I couldn't agree more.

[@bbailey7818]

Back in the old days recordings came with text and translation inserts. Even when replacing lps I've kept those inserts and always have them beside me unless a work is so familiar that I've memorized the texts. Not the case with this symphony, for sure!

[@paulocordaro8748]

Thank you so much for the recommendation. I just bought the Haitink version at the Apple Store and am listening to it now, deeply moved.

[@gbunag3]

Thank you. I really need to listen to more Shostokavitch.

[@MahlBruckner8]

This is one of your best talks, Dave. It combines the letter and spirit, each adding to a rich experience. During Covid days I compared many recordings and offer the suggestion that one listen to each movement of several perf. one after the other. This helps me discover new details and helps in comparing them. And I try to pretend I've never heard the work and get to enjoy discovering how the composer sets patterns in motion only to surprise the listener when he changes the patterns. I like to quote my dear, late friend, Stephen Vessels, acclaimed novelist, who once told me r doesn't just want to hear Beethoven's music, he wants to hear him think. I'll gladly keep on listening!

[@orlandofurioso2034]

Fantastic overview! Many thanks! It would be also great to discuss his 15 quartettes - kind of Shostakovich's intimate diary.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

One of these years...

[@fulltongrace7899]

Probably need more than one video to do them justice.

[@im2801ok]

Haitink's recording is also my own favorite for this staggeringly powerful symphony. Dave, you mentioned the volcanic development section of the first movement. It's the most aggressive, violent piece of symphonic music I know. It seems to me that in it, Shostakovich pours out his almost biblical rage on everything he abhors. It beats up to a tremendous crescendo, but Shostakovich seems to be still unsatisfied by its power of expression, so he end it with a deafening tam-tam blow. In other words: only a hellish din can nail home his message.Then, when the choir steals in to begin the recapitulation with the motto, they sound as if they are full of shame in face of this horrifying depiction of - and reaction to - the injustice man can do to his fellow man. One final word: it was obvious, Dave, that you care for this work very deeply. I dare say the ending of your talk showed you genuinely moved - and it moved me too. So, a special Thank You for this particular one.

[@RobertJonesWightpaint]

I haven't got it in my collection at all! How I've missed it I don't know - I have shelves of CDs, but too little Shostakovich - it'll be something new for me to discover and explore, and I'll certainly obtain different recordings.

[@ftumschk]

Nice to see that my choices broadly aligned, with one difference; instead of Maxim Shostakovich I had David Shallon, with Düsseldorf forces and John Shirley-Quirk as soloist. This work apparently meant a lot to Shirley-Quirk, and he also did it with Kondrashin (another good recording, imho). That said, I shall have to check out the recording by Shostakovich _fils..._ "da geh' ich zu Maxim", you might say :)

[@dvorakslavenskiples]

Kondrashin also recorded this symphony with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Badly.

[@fernandoleon7606]

Dave, there is a recording issued by the Moscow Conservatory Records in 2015 of the premiere of the work, recorded on December 18th 1962. It is not available by now, but you can download the booklet, in wich there are some pictures taken after and before the premiere. The one shown D. Shostakovich in artists' room before the premiere is very, very graphic. Also the one with Kondrashin and Yetushenko after the concert, in wich Kondrashin seems to be trying to keep Shostakovich up in his feet. The composer looks like he's completely out of the world. I think they are incredible documents.

[@JeffMudrick]

The recording is on Tidal.

[@juangregory]

Thank you so much for this, David. This has been my favorite since I heard it first when I was (ironically) 13, and I continue to find more depth to it all the time. Your talk is most helpful.

[@dqvissmyph2968]

Thank you for your brilliant videos. I never noticed before that the two-flute theme in the finale is a transformation of the opening theme. Its appearance in the finale has always given me the shudders; for me it is as if the hurdy gurdy man from Winterreise has returned to comment on the worst excesses of the 20th century. On a light note, there is a seagull in command of a chimney in my street. It seems to have an objection to my walking past and making a sound just like that evil chuckle that permeates the "pogrom" section of the Babi Yar movement. I think of other composers inspired by birdsong...Messiaen, maybe Beethoven, maybe Mahler, and I wonder mischievously if Shostakovich had this bird in mind. Probably not. Thank you again.

[@samuelstephens6163]

One of the earliest of his symphonies I heard along with the 4th and 5th in the Haitink versions. It was 2002 and I had nothing to do in Corvallis except hang out at the library and discover classical music. All credit to the librarians for their curation genius.

[@bbailey7818]

Thank you so much, you highlighted so much from this great symphony I hadn't caught. I had downloaded a performance earlier this week I was all set to hear this weekend and here is your illuminating talk! I wonder if you've heard Temirkanov, San Fran Symphony 1996 with Aleksashkin, bass. (He as with Barshai AND Solti). Not his St. Petersburg version. Everything in this symphony speaks so disturbingly to us in the here and now. I plan to listen to some more of your top picks I don't know, though I have three of them.

[@billfalls1747]

Thanks! I came looking for advice on which recording to buy, and got a knowledgeable and entertaining explanation of the symphony itself.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you!

[@andrasvrolok9848]

Another splendid Shostakovich talk, David! Shostakovich took took Mahler's symphonic thinking to heart and made it his own, and is his heir and colleague. That he thematically references his songs in his symphonies for added significance is very Mahlerian. Back in the 70s, so many musical pundits dismissed Dmitri as just a Soviet hack composer, and I recall telling people I knew to just LISTEN to what is there-superb symphonism, expertly handled sonorities and such an emotional range of expression. For a composer living in a totalitarian wasteland, with the sword of possible arrest and execution always hanging over his head, he was remarkably brave in speaking out in the name of the repressed for those who would listen with open minds and hearts. And, as a humanist, he offers a pastorale, yet always fragile and possibly ephemeral, form of consolation as the victory against tyranny, violence and oppression. He bore witness to what he experienced and did not write triumphant music without there being some irony involved in such bombast. As you've mentioned in another video, and as John Wright brings up in the comments, the Masur performances with the New York Philharmonic which I was thrilled to attend were made into a powerful recording that I will always treasure. The Barshai recording is the one I always play for people to introduce them to the piece, or even to Shostakovich's music for the first time, as it is intensely terrifying. That first movement will not leave anyone unscathed, and then after surviving that, most will then want to explore the rest of such a brilliant symphony-and they are never disappointed. Shostakovich delivers, and thank you, David, for such a clear analysis here. You continue to deliver, as well.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you. I was at the NYPO performances too, and I thought they were excellent. Having Yevtushenko around was a nice bonus, although I do think he was a bit of an opportunist. Did you know that he died in Tulsa, Oklahoma? I don't know why, but I find that rather funny and wonderfully ironic.

[@ftumschk]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Reminds me of Gene Pitney, who died in Cardiff, Wales. According to contemporary reports, he was about 24 hours from Tulsa, judging by the flight timetables in force at the time. (I just checked, and it's now 1 day, 5 hours away.)

[@andrasvrolok9848]

@@DavesClassicalGuide I did not know that about Yevtushenko's death. Him passing in a city currently "on the map" for the 1921 massacre of the residents of "Black Wall Street," when his poem at the head of Symphony No. 13 commemorates a massacre of Jewish people from 1941, is truly a bizarre and resonant coincidence. Musically, I'm sure you know of Don Gillis' ten minute work "Tulsa: A Symphonic Portrait in Oil" from 1950-commissioned by an Oklahoma bank-which is a tad jingoistic in its celebration of aspects of that town's checkered past. Gillis has written some fun music, and his succinct tonal symphonies have humor and charm. Back in 1950, I suspect few knew much about that terrible event as it has taken until recent years for widespread coverage of that tragedy.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@andrasvrolok9848 All towns have a checkered past.

[@lerossignol746]

The Kurt Masur recording is my All-Time-Favorite! The New York Choral Artists shows a tremendous choral singing.

[@charlescoleman5509]

Agreed on all your recommendations, David. I also have a soft spot for Okku Kamu's recording with the City of Birmingham Orchestra on Chandos. A little on the slow side, but it has a heaviness that is almost unparalleled. In the "Fears" movement, the chorus sings in a 'sotto voce' manner that is terrifying. The scared breathiness of the whole chorus just makes you wonder if a bomb is about to go off any minute.

[@ftumschk]

I don't have Kamu, but I was happy to see Muti's recent recording making the cut... another compelling "slow-burn" of a performance.

[@zenonorth1193]

And Storojev is a magnificent soloist

[@judsonmusick3177]

Well done, David. Well done indeed!

[@joseps8939]

Shostakovich is not one of my favourite composers, but this by far the one of his symphonies I like the most, probably it's because it reminds me of Mahler (and this is why I love Weinberg, too). I got the Kondrashin live recording in that "Kirill Kondrashin Edition (1937-1963)" box set edited by Profil, 13 CDs with lots of Tchaikovsky, Ravel, some Weinberg and Rimsky, and The Bartered Bride.

[@johnwright7557]

Again you have analyzed this work so well that I will now listen to it in a different way, having not been conscious of the thematic transformations. I knew, of course, that Shostakovich borrowed the music from McPherson’s Farewell, which coincidentally I just listened to again on Shostakovich’s birthday (Sep 25) with Sergei Leiferkus and the Gothenburg SO/N. Jarvi. As you know, Michail Jurowski also recorded The Execution of Stepan Rasin, another fine bass and choral work that Shostakovich composed shortly after Babi Yar and in some ways resembles the symphony. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Haitink’s Babi Yar and so that is the recording I don’t have that I will listen to next! Besides Petrenko and Muti/Chicago, I think Masur’s with the NY Phil is a fine performance and comes with the bonus of Yevtushenko reciting his poetry. What’s your opinion of that one?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

It's out of print or I would have discussed it. Very annoying.

[@miketackett4283]

@@DavesClassicalGuide I have always savored the Masur performance, so not passing judgment is OK with me. However, I started with Ormandy and got used to Tom Krause's resonant bass -- Leiferkus' baritone delivery sounds more strident by comparison -- changing the overall tone. Looking forward to hearing the performances you recommend.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@miketackett4283 I'm sorry--I misspoke. I like the performance very much, but it's very out of print so I didn't see the point in discussing it.

[@wkasimer]

Plenty of cheap used copies available.

[@miketackett4283]

​@@wkasimer Just for fun I poked around the web, and arrived at the same conclusion. However, the Masur recording does not show up on *any* streaming service that I've seen (so I'll just have to carefully guard my CD disk ). What would it take to get these out-of-print-but-still-circulating performances made available to the instant gratification download crowd?

[@MaggiMagg1]

Thanks, Dave, for a great talk. I agree with your selection (heard them all) but would like to add a sleeper: Kitajenko.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I wouldn't add it. Too soft, lacking fire.

[@ozoz9582]

Great analysis as usual - may I recommended the collected poems of Yevtushenko - in particular “Monologue of a Blue Fox” powerfully moving…

[@sclugstone]

I am new to Babi Yar, thank you so much, for the analysis, and will be buying several to compare.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thanks for listening!

[@brentmarquez4157]

Thanks for the Haitink recommendation - He brings out the bell strokes clearly which for some reason in a number of other recordings don't sound clearly or the bell just sounds weird and too high pitched etc. Making sure that is heard clearly seems like a vital detail to me. Of course the rest of the performance and the Concertgebouw are magnificent. Was always curious about Shosty's symphonies outside of 5,7,8,9,10 which are usually performed more.

[@Plantagenet1956]

I’m glad you like Mark Wiggelsworth’s. I used to go to the same prep school as him(private, junior). He was several years my junior, though. But our paths crossed. He had wavy hair and freckles!

[@JohnMassari]

I have the Haitink... However you have sparked so much enthusiasm with me to get all these performances you've recomended.

[@kieran2262]

Great video Dave. I recently found a live Babi Yar with Kondrashin and the Bavarian Radio SO and John Shirley-Quirk on LP. Has it been released in CD or download? I couldn’t find it anywhere. To my ears it doesn’t quite measure up to Haitink which is also my fave- still, but it’s from ‘81 or ‘82 and the sound and performance are fantastic, the humour movement is a riot! Have you heard it?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes, I had it too. I don't remember if it was released on CD.

[@yenchinlee1985]

Hi! Dave, I am deeply touch by your interpretation, especially the music you've played for ended this series, that just killing me. Would you please do one for Shostakovich 14th symphony? I am a big fan of Shostakovich's symphony, but found difficult to enjoy and understand, PLEASE !

[@mauricegiacche4776]

Dave, could you recommend a good Shostakovich biography. I’ve only read Laurel Fay’s and that was 25+ years ago. I’ll have to fact check the following but evidently a live performance of Muti’s “Babi Yar” , was sent to Shostakovich on cassette, who was mightily impressed . This was in the early 70s . Muti had just taken up his directorship at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Now THAT is a recording I’d like to get my mitts on.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I don't know anything better than Fay in biographies of Shostakovich.

[@mauricegiacche4776]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Wow! I have both your Mahler and Shostakovich books which I use whenever i listen to these two composers . I don’t have the orchestral score, so i read your detailed breakdown of each symphony/movement while listening. Thank you Dave

[@fritzpoppenberg3921]

Very timely. Thank you.

[@mariodelahuerga3614]

When you get a chance can you review the recordings of the Shostakovich chamber symphonies which are arrangements of the string quartets? Opus 110a is what got me into Shostakovich in the beginning. I always liked the Barshai & Chamber Orch of Europe CD.

[@ewaldsteyn469]

Apart from the great Haitink, Muti and Petrenko recordings you mentioned, I also have the recording of the Ukrainian conductor, Kirill Karabits, with the Russian National Orchestra, the bass, Oleg Tsibulko and the Popov Academy choir - a very fine performance in my view.

[@MDK2_Radio]

Ha, Haitink and the RCO is the recording I have had for almost 30 years. But I am inspired to seek out other recordings. I have considered this to be a more middle symphony of Shostakovich (not bad, but not great) but I will listen with renewed interest. Thank you.

[@MDK2_Radio]

Just subscribed. I’ve always enjoyed your reviews on Arkivmusic so thanks, KZbin algorithm, for bringing this to my attention. Almost 10k subscribers now!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you!

[@albiepalbie5040]

Macphersons Rant Great episode Thankyou

[@parsa.noroozian.counselling]

I'd be grateful if you did a review of his string quartets, thank you so much for your amazing content and character

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

It's a problem. There are too many good sets.

[@sophiatalksmusic3588]

I’d have to say my favourite recording is the 1962 premiere recording with Kondrashin. Whenever I listen to it, I always think of the audience- they likely weren’t expecting something as direct and confrontational as the first movement, and between each movement, I can imagine people wondering what to expect next. Just thinking of the atmosphere of that first performance of “Fears” gives me chills.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

What others have you heard?

[@jankucera8180]

I believe the audiences knew pretty well what to expect, yet not how intense it would be...

[@peterpluim7912]

It is so sad the 13th is now the funeral music for a free Ukraine. The contrast between the concert at Babi Yar last October and the bombing of the site yesterday is dystopian.

[@brucknerian9664]

Thanks for all your continuing commentaries--always look forward to them; even interrupted Mahler's 4th to hear this one. Bravo! Enlightenment in a Dark Age.

[@zagraniczniak4120]

Thanks! But I must confess that I love the 12th symphony! Don't quite grasp the hate there. Also, in your Shostakovich surveys you don't seem to mention Mariss Jansons, such as his boxed set on EMI (with several different orchestras). What's up with that?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I don't hate the 12th. The fact that it's mostly (well, 43.27%) junk doesn't mean I dislike it at all. I think the first two movements are terrific. As for Jansons, you haven't been paying attention. I have mentioned him.

[@francispanny5068]

There is another recording of this symphony with Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic, with Sergei Leiferkus. What do you think of that, if you have heard it?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Read the comments please.

[@francispanny5068]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Sorry, I missed that part.

[@llucrescu9058]

Thank you!

[@judsonmusick3177]

David, you mentioned Eugene Ormandy's recording of this Symphony in your video - the first one in the West. I bought this recording long ago on LP. (A fine performance; Tom Krause was a great soloist, too.) It is available on Amazon in both CD and LP formats. Why didn't you evaluate it against other available recordings?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I don't understand the question, frankly. I said my list consists of the best versions.

[@judsonmusick3177]

You said that the Ormandy recording was "a very good performance by the way, but not one of the ones we're going to be talking about here." Does that mean that you don't consider Ormandy's recording to be one of the best?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@judsonmusick3177 Correct.

[@bobbegley5633]

I noticed that Masur was your choice for 13 for the ideal dsch cycle. But does not make the top 7 here. I guess that supports what you said about so many good versions of this work.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Exactly. That was my point.

[@stevenmsinger]

Thank you so much for this video, David. This is one of your absolute best in my opinion. My appreciation for this symphony continues to grow. I've heard and enjoyed the Kondrashin and Muti but on your suggestion listened to the Haitink and was absolutely blown away! Such amazing music. You're so right that when people talk about Shostakovich they often dwell on the autobiographical but rarely mention what the music is actually doing. I look forward to listening to some of your other recommendations. The excerpts from the Petrenko were wonderful. Keep these videos coming!

[@jonnlennox4176]

The best for me are: on the Russian side Kondrashin and Rozhdestvensky. and the western Previn and Haitink. Best regards Jonn

[@mattanderson6336]

Shostakovich’s best #13? How about Shostakovich as the greatest composer of the 20th century!

[@grantparsons6205]

Wow! Thanks for the Barshai recommendation. Shattering! I sat in my listening room unable to move for a good 20 mins after the conclusion of the performance. I grew up on the Kondrashin Bavarian recording with Shirley-Quirk as an unidiomatic soloist & migrated to Jansons in the CD era. The latter is really very good but Barshai is something else!

[@jesus-of-cheeses]

The problem with some of these recordings is that non-Russian soloists really screw up the text. Always. Every. Single. Time. In the CSO recording, the soloist was Russian, and even he arbitrarily changed a line in Babiy Yar. So while I appreciate the analysis and the evaluation of the music, in this work, fidelity to the text must be taken with equal seriousness.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Um, soloists diddle texts all the time, It comes with the territory. Your observation has no real-life value.

[@bobleroe3859]

Powerful music; powerful message.

[@Fafner888]

But surely Rostropovich on Erato needs to be in the list? Not just for the conducting but also the stunningly idiomatic singing of Nicolai Ghiuselev, who I think is the best bass voice who ever took on this part.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No, he doesn't need to be on the list. It's a very good performance, and a friend of mine was in the chorus, but it's not as gut-wrenching as I had hoped it would be.

[@davidmayhew8083]

I think the Barshai is mared by the baritone. I've heard much better performances. Be that as it may, it's still a wallop and Haitink is amazing.