This symphony has made a remarkable comeback on disc. From once being derided as a piece of Socialist Realist junk, a repetitious film score desperately in need of a film, it is now rightly seen as a major statement–even if it’s not a conventionally structured example of symphonic form. Ironically, despite its avowedly correct political credentials, this is in fact Shostakovich’s darkest, most despairing symphony, the only one to end in an atmosphere of unmitigated tragedy and violence. The best performances understand this, and it has been stunningly recorded, by Berglund (EMI) above all, but also by LINN in its recent SACD featuring the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Alexander Lazarev. This new recording certainly joins the elite list of great interpretations, being different enough from those previous efforts to warrant another listen, yet fully attuned to the music’s relentless anguish and crushing power.
Oleg Caetani’s conception of the symphony is well-plotted to conceal or minimize its one major weakness: the constant repetition of its thematic material. He adopts a flowing tempo for the opening movement, so often played too slowly, and it sounds infinitely more threatening (not to mention less boring) when it’s not totally static. The second movement begins deliberately, accumulating tension as it goes. Caetani waits until the massacre fugue to really cut loose, then he drives the music harder and more frenetically than in any other rendition, with thrilling results. Unlike Lazarev, who adopts a very quick pace for the ensuing Adagio, Caetani takes the tempo designation literally, but he sustains the music superbly, leading to a terrifying central climax. Those pounding trumpets and drums will stay with you long after the performance has ended.
The finale is similarly hard-driving, its various march tunes presented with a maximum of militaristic brutality. Caetani gets some impressive rhythmic articulation from his string section, and the final return to the “Palace Square” music of the first movement, with its elegiac English horn solo, is very moving. For the panic-filled closing measures, Caetani has the largest, loudest, deepest, and darkest set of bells yet preserved on disc. Their brazen clangor brings the piece to an unforgettable conclusion. The audience’s enthusiastic reaction is very understandable under the circumstances, though I wish it had been omitted. As you might have surmised, the sonics are really impressive, as fine as LINN’s in their way, which is saying a lot. Any slight roughness in execution actually plays to the music’s strengths, adding to the raw intensity of this live performance. If you love this symphony, you’ll surely want this recording.
