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Home > Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto, Op. 99; Cello Concerto, Op. 107

 
Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto, Op. 99; Cello Concerto, Op. 107
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Read more information about Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto, Op. 99; Cello Concerto, Op. 107 at Amazon.com

Product Details
Binding: Audio CD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 0074646332726
Format: Original recording remastered
Label: Sony
Manufacturer: Sony
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Sony
Release Date: 1998-06-16
Studio: Sony

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Tracks
Disc 1:
1. Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 (published as Op. 99): 1. Nocturne: Moderato
2. Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 (published as Op. 99): 2. Scherzo: Allegro
3. Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 (published as Op. 99): 3. Passacaglia: Andante cadenza
4. Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 (published as Op. 99): 4. Burlesque: Allegro con brio
5. Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 107: 1st movement, Allegretto
6. Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 107: 2nd movement, Moderato
7. Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 107: 3rd movement, Cadenza
8. Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 107: 4th movement, Allegro con moto


Editorial Review
Amazon.com
Sony has brought together Shostakovitch's greatest concertos in first recordings made soon after their American premieres by the artists most closely identified with them. Neither performance has been bettered, though some, such as Vengerov's Teldec Violin Concerto, come close. The Violin Concerto is in solid, detailed mono; the Cello Concerto in fine stereo. Oistrakh goes to the heart of the violin work, playing with extraordinary tonal magnificence and emotional power. He's matched by Mitropoulos, whose identification with the score is apparent. Rostropovitch is as good in the Cello Concerto, getting excellent support from Ormandy's Philadelphians. Both performances share the white heat of fresh discovery and have stood the test of time to become classic recordings. --Dan Davis

Amazon.com
Eugene Ormandy was Shostakovich's great interpreter (along with Bernstein) in the West, and he was entrusted with many U.S. premiers of the great Russian composer's symphonies and concertos. This recording of the First Cello Concerto was made while both the composer and his cellist friend were on tour in the United States, so it has the imprimatur of Shostakovich himself. The Violin Concerto similarly was recorded just days after its U.S. premiere in New York with the Oistrakh, for whom it was written. This is as distinguished a pair of performances as you're likely to hear, and although the Violin Concerto is mono, the sound never gets in the way of your enjoyment. An event. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5 Great performances of Shostakovich, 2008-06-22
I'll make this brief; the other reviewer have said what I would have stated, that this is a great recording. The one thing I would like to add, as an avid violin (and cello, my sister is a cellist) fan, is that the sheer intensity and almost raw (without being crude) power of these recordings, especially the Oistrakh, put them in a class by themselves. The violin cadenza literally knocks you out of your chair. I can't think of a single contemporary violinist who could approach this. There is something from the solar plexus about it. Combined with great technique and a sound entirely his own, Oistrakh makes all of the concerto a riveting listening experience. Some of Rostropovich's playing has a similar power...a willingness to test the boundaries of playing.

Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5 Actually there's a better one, Oistrahk's earlier with Mrvinsky and the Leningrad, 2009-04-09
Had I not known about it, I would have given the Columbia 5 stars. Oistrahk's performance is the same, but the interaction between soloist and orchestra is much more natural, and Mrvinsky unearths more of Shostakovitch's brief "beams of light" in the first mov't. I have it on a Monitor Lp and you get Oistrahk's great interpretation plus a much better and intense orchestral accompaniment.

Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5 All-time great recordings, 2009-06-06
Performances by the dedicatees of Shostakovich's most famous string concertos which can never be bettered.

Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5 Oistrakh plays Shostakovich Violinconcerto nr.1 (1956), 2008-05-19
It is a wonderful and historic recording in perfect quality - mono but that doesn't matter.

Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5 I join the chorus..., 2008-06-07
... in praising this release. I still have the lps from which they are drawn, as well as this current issue. I would like to draw attention to two other recordings that will be of interest here. Russian Disc RD CD 11 025 contains performances of both violin concertos, the First performed by Leonid Kogan, from 1962, and the Second by David Oistrakh, from 1968. The orchestra in both concertos is the Moscow Philharmonic, conducted by Kiril Kondrashin.

These are excellent performances, in good stereo sound, and I suspect they are from live performances (the Large Hall of the Moscow Conservatory is the rcording site), but the total absence of audience noise suggests otherwise. While the Passacaglia, Andante of the First Concerto is a full 2 minutes faster than Oistrakh/New York, there is an urgency about it that unfolds a narrative of enormous emotional force. The cadenza is brilliantly navigated by Kogan, and the way he allows certain phrases to evaporate, like dreams upon awakening, is really heart-breaking.

Both concertos were dedicated to Oistrakh, and this performance of the Second Concerto deserves to be the benchmark; if all performances were this convincing it would be as well known as its older sister.

I hope this recording can still be found; I will never part with it. Also, Rostropovich can be heard in the Second 'Cello Concerto on DG, in a performance with the Boston Symphony, Ozawa conducting. It has been available on a low-priced double album featuring a number of Rostropovich recordings of works for 'cello and orchestra.

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