Symphony no. 9 / Violin Concerto No 1
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SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony no. 9 / Violin Concerto No 1
Leonidas Kavakos (violin) / Mariinsky orchestra, Valery Gergiev
[ Mariinsky SACD / Hybrid SACD ]
Release Date: Monday 1 June 2015
This item is currently out of stock. It may take 6 or more weeks to obtain from when you place your order as this is a specialist product.
The Mariinsky's Shostakovich cycle has been an internationally acclaimed project, conducted by the foremost interpreter of our time. Symphony No 9 is a deeply powerful composition in which Shostakovich unmasked the truth behind the ideology and pomp of officialdom. The powers of the day saw this symphony as a calculated provocation and made the composer's life almost unbearable: Shostakovich would not premiere another symphony until the death of his oppressor, Stalin, in 1953.
This symphony is coupled with the late, dark and introspective Violin Concerto No 1, performed here by Leonidas Kavakos, currently Gramophone's Artist of the Year 2014. Kavakos is recognised throughout the world as an artist of rare quality, known at the highest level for his virtuoso skills, superb musicianship and the integrity of his playing.
"They capture not only the joyful irreverence of the movement but the sense of danger lurking beneath the surface…the solo wind playing is excellent throughout…brilliantly played and vividly recorded." (CDReview).
"Gergiev makes much of the Haydnesque deftness of the outer movements [of the Ninth]...Better yet, and more shocking, is the arrival of the Red Army Band in the coda of the finale, transforming the polka into a goose-stepping march. Gergiev gives that a weighty and sinister pomp. Shostakovich's scepticism could hardly be writ larger...Kavakos plays it with controlled intensity." (Gamophone)
"Gergiev captures the sad, equivocal mood of that opening movement, and Kavakos… spins a light, singing line that can't fail to impress… an exhilarating concerto." (MusicWeb)
Tracks:
Symphony No. 9 in E flat major, Op. 70
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 99
