This performance goes right to the top. Not since the amazing mono Ancerl recording has there been a version of this work of such intensity, such expressive urgency, and (yes, believe it or not) such incredible orchestral playing. It's impossible to praise the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic enough: they put their London colleagues to shame. The cellos and basses have a dark, tactile presence in pianissimo not heard since the old Kondrashin Melodiya recording. The horns play the daylights out of their solos in the first and third movements, while Petrenko has the violins sustaining, articulating, and phrasing the climax of the first movement with a passion and grit that's beyond praise.
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Indeed, as an essay in Shostakovich conducting alone this performance deserves an honored place in every collection. Petrenko has the players digging into the second movement with unbridled ferocity at an ideally swift tempo. He ferrets out every subtle detail of scoring in the crepuscular Allegretto while never permitting the music to drag. His finale has just the right manic high spirits, and he clarifies the DSCH motive in the timpani at the end better than anyone else ever has. It's all captured in gloriously vivid, present sonics by the Naxos engineers. Thrilling, perfect, essential--a magnificent achievement and hands down the modern reference recording.
Symphony no 10 in E minor, Op. 93by Dmitri Shostakovich Conductor:
Vasily Petrenko
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: 20th Century Written: 1953; USSR Date of Recording: 9/2009 Venue: Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, England Length: 52 Minutes 11 Secs.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: ( 4 Customer Reviews )
Music great, case unacceptable.October 2, 2015By MICHAEL V. (MADISON, WI)See All My Reviews"I was happy with the CD but the case fell apart when I first opened it."Report Abuse
Absolutely Magnificent!September 27, 2014By Henry S. (Springfield, VA)See All My Reviews"Simply put, this recording just has to be among the very finest readings of Shostakovich's great 10th symphony you can ever hope to find. Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra get everything right here- Shostakovich's biting sarcasm, brooding introspection, and frenetic, passionate orchestral explosions played at a breakneck tempo. This music is so dynamic and unpredictable that it literally holds the listener in thrall, wondering what more can Shostakovich do with this orchestral score; and the answer is ... 'A Lot!' If you like Shostakovich, this Petrenko/RLPO 10th clearly belongs in your collection. If you don't know Shostakovich, here is a great way to get acquainted. Highest recommendation!!"Report Abuse
Petrenko knows this stuffAugust 17, 2013By Mary Lynn H. (San Antonio, TX)See All My Reviews"This is a bang up performance. I find Petrenko's series of Shostakovich's symphonies to be exceptional in a crowded field. I have Haitink's 10th on LP which has been definitive for years but I find that Petrenko and the Liverpudlians have the advantage. I'm gradually picking up every one of these that Petrenko brings out. So far they are all great.The Naxos sound is fabulous and the price is incredible."Report Abuse