Shostakovich - Symphony No. 8 in C minor Op. 65 / REMASTERED (Century's record.: Kirill Kondrashin)

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) Symphony No. 8 by Kirill Kondrashin / Remastered.
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00:00 Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65 - I. Adagio, Allegro ma non troppo, Allegro, Adagio
23:56 Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65 - II. Allegretto
29:43 Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65 - III. Allegro non troppo
35:46 Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65 - IV. Largo
44:14 Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65 - V. Allegretto, Allegro, Adagio, Allegretto, Andante

Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Kirill Kondrashin
Recorded in 1961
New mastering in 2022 by AB for CMRR
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As in the 7th symphony, the 1st movement, Adagio - Allegro non troppo is of unusual breadth and length (longer than the 2nd, 3rd and 4th movements put together) and once again, close to the Mahlerian example. It opens with a tense and dramatic motif in the strings. This is no mere facile sentiment, but conveys an emotional sincerity which touches the listener deeply. In the development which follows, the melodic line is often dissonant and dramatic differences in dynamic are avoided. It develops in stages, the strings remain dominant with the same distant/close-to effects that have been observed as early as the 4th symphony. The wind enter progressively and a build-up puctuated by snare drums and timpani leads to a climax which then disintegrates. An accelerating cavalcade on horn and xylophone leads to another, far more violent and wild climax which ends with clamorous brass over dull rumblings of percussion. This quickly fades away into an atmosphere of depression. There follows a long oboe solo over a tissue of sound, first distant, then close-to, woven by the strings. Threatening alarms herald the return of the opening motif, then equilibrium returns and distant strings lead to silence.

The 2nd movement, Allegretto, begins in vigorous march rhythm, similar to the second movement of the 5th symphony, more ironic in spirit than truly sarcastic, with an oafish bassoon and chirruping piccolo. The ensuing upsurge is intended as an authoritative state ment, undermined by the dislocated rhythm and sudden conclusion.

The Allegro non Troppo which follows takes up the jerky rhythm in the strings with ludicrous interruptions from the piccolo. The rhythm becomes increasingly unbalanced and the piccolo motif invades the entire orchestra. A grotesque, exaggerated fanfare is heard lea ding to a climactic fortissimo, the most violent in the entire work, punctuated by the tomtom. The agitation slowly dies away and ends with distant strings creating a gossamer web of sound.

The 4th movement, Largo, begins with a flute solo which is taken up by a clarinet. The atmosphere is cold, wintery and once again, far-away. This is yet another impressive passage, which paradoxically, is "closed" in a manner of speaking by the effect of spatialization. A lively theme opens the 5th movement, Allegretto. As before, the composer avoids using dynamics to obtain an effect. The atmosphere is relaxed, almost serene, the development, long. A dialogue, devoid of aggression, takes place between the wind. The tension increases, an ironic note is sounded, although any hint of excess is avoided. Once again, the strings dominate and this leads to another climactic fortissimo, as violent as it is brief. Calm is restored and several solos, variations on the initial theme from the 1st movement, lead into the conclusion with its impressive, barely audible, pianissimo effect. This is surely one of Shostakovich’s most impressive closing passages, demonstrating his astonishing mastery of orchestration.

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43 / REMASTERED (Century's record.: Kirill Kondrashin):    • Shostakovich - Symphony No. 4 in C mi...  

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