Shostokovic 'October'

Posted by: Jez Quigley on 06 July 2002

I've been lucky enough to get tickets (stalls, no less!) for the LA SO performance of Beethoven's 9th at the Proms. The first part of the evening is the Shostokovic October symphony - Can any one point me to the best CD of this?
Posted on: 07 July 2002 by Jez Quigley
Thanks Ross, I couldn't find ANY recordings of the work in the 3 shops I visited yesterday admittedly not specialist ones. I'll try Leeds next week, failing that I'll look online, but I wanted to get some idea of wheat and chaff beforehand. Looking at the Gramophone CD guide gives me the impression that there is not much to choose from and agrees with your assessment of playing and sound quality.
Posted on: 07 July 2002 by herm
Take the Haitink, Jez, if those recordings are still available in the black discount series. (Couple years back the whole series was revamped in a complete box.)

Alternatively you could spend the pre-intermission time at the Prom in the bar... wink

Herman
Posted on: 07 July 2002 by --duncan--
Don't let herm convince you that Haitink is the man for Shostakovich wink

You should get the Rostropovich as it has a great factory whistle!

Seriously, there is not enough much music in the piece to get too engaged about the relative merits of one performance over another. One written to keep the apparatchiks off his back perhaps.

I'll be in the arena and look out for my wife in the chorus!

duncan
Posted on: 07 July 2002 by herm
I wasn't trying to persuade Jez in any way that Haitink is the Shos man. Haitink's performances are reliable and cheap, which is pertinent when we're talking about a not-too-hopping symphony.

I have a couple of Rostropovich's recordings.

I'll be looking out for your wife in the chorus, Duncan, which one is she?

Herman
Posted on: 07 July 2002 by Jez Quigley
Mrs Critchley will be the one stood on a Fraim with the black snaic for a microphone lead...

Thanks for the advice guys.
Posted on: 08 July 2002 by --duncan--
...is the pretty one of course.

(As she is Japanese she should be fairly distinctive)

duncan
Posted on: 13 July 2002 by Jez Quigley
I got the Naxos 2&15 coupling for £4.99 from Borders in Leeds. Not sure what I think of it yet, let's just say that it would be a less than ideal choice to do the Linn 'tune' test wink

"All systems are perfectly designed to get the results they get."
Posted on: 13 July 2002 by herm
So you took the Naxos recording.

This reminds me of a joke I once heard. There was this guy, a middle-aged guy actually, with quite a good career. However, as so many guys with a good career, he'd just gotten divorced.

Still, there were three women he was going out with occasionally, and all three of them were wondering how they could persuade him to settle down again. He was a really nice guy.

So the first woman, a she-attorney, thought he'd really like to be with a career woman. A great team. The second woman wanted to go on foreign trips with him, enrich his life, and she studied Spanish and Portuguese to show off her cultural skills. The third woman just wanted to be a supreme housemaker, make him relax and she'd cook these gorgeous meals when he came home.

So what did he do? Three lovely women who were clearly keen to make him happy.

He married the one with the big boobs.

Herman

[This message was edited by herm on SATURDAY 13 July 2002 at 22:13.]