Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Glenn Gould inheritance?, Dec 8 2008
LOL I love my Brahm's piano concerto by Glenn Gould, conducted by Bernstein...I'd say that the Shostakovich 7th is conducted in a personal way. Awesome but personal...It is his interpretation; as it, you can love it or hate it. More traditional interpretations are Mravinsky (terrific), Kondrashin(excellent). It is difficult for me to say wich one is the BEST. I think that each conductor brings to a climax different moments....Bernstein is great for the powerful moments. I love this version.
Martin
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe the only "Leningrad" you'll ever need to hear!, Jun 1 2004
After listening to this unforgettable performance of Dmitri Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony, every other performance you hear of the piece will undoubtedly seem mild-mannered and restrained by comparison. Yep, this recording is THAT imposing. (Better yet, it never gets dull every time I hear it.) Sure, the purist could quibble with some of conductor Leonard Bernstein's subjective adjustments (the unmarked gradual accelerando in the second half of the fourth movement) and slow tempos (the second movement, more "Adagio" than the marked "Moderato, poco allegretto")---and yet, under Bernstein's baton, it all pays off, and the performance grips the ear like no other recording of the piece I've heard (although I do not claim to have heard a wide range of them). The Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays magnificently, and its brass section will make your jaw drop in the closing stages of the finale, so loudly and perfectly it plays its final peroration. Definitely one of my favorite classical discs (and, I'll admit it, I'm an admirer of Leonard Bernstein, at least on record). I don't have much to say about the coupling, the performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, except to say that this was my first encounter with the piece, and under Bernstein's baton, it certainly seems like the charming yet strikingly modern student symphony that the booklet notes imply it is. But the "Leningrad" is the thing here, and it is just stellar.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
One HECK of a Leningrad, Aug 8 2003
This performance of Shostakovich's Leningrad is astounishing. Some people have said that this is not one of his finer symphonies. I dare you to listen to this recording and not come away moved. One way or another, if you have a good stereo, your FLOOR will sure be moved!! You simply will not hear this piece played with more hairraising, earthshaking power. The Chicago Symphony simply plays the living HECK out of this music. The First movement opens brightly and broad. There's a real feeling of setting out on a great and magical journey. At the final variation of the march theme in the first movement, right before the music beings to collapse, the bass drum has never been captured better. If you've got a good sub, prepare for your floor to rattle! The 2nd movement is taken very slowly. This is no moderato. But the slower tempo gives it a somber, almost meditative like quality. I can only picture a family sitting around the dinner table talking about that fateful day portrayed in the first movement. His Adagio is the most heartfelt I have ever heard, and most surprising(thank God), completely lacking in that infamous melodrama via massive rubato that came with so many of Bernstein's later recordings. And then the Coda of the finale....HOLY COW....when I first heard it, I just about fell off my chair. It is SO FREAKIN' LOUD!!! Who says classical music is nice and pretty and quiet!? This one will have the neighbors going crazy. Absolutely astounishing power and orchestral virtuousity. That bass trombonist is a MONSTER! That guy has some serious lungs on him. As to the question whether the symphony ends in real triumph or manufactured triumph, Bernstein's is definately in the real triumph camp. Bernstein's overall timing is the longest ever recorded, clocking around 84 minutes, about 10 minutes more than average. This is the only recording I know of that requires a second disc to hold it. In particular, the 2nd movement clocks in at nearly 15 minutes, quite a stretch from the usual 10 or so. But, his orchestra is so involved and electrifying, that the broad tempi do not decrease the excitement in the least. Indeed, throughout the entire performance, Bernstein's tempi will only astounish you rather than offend you. Taken as a whole, the interpretation is one of the freshest and most original out there. While I would not be without some other faster recordings, if you're looking for a single Leningrad, I would recommend this one as a first choice. Don't worry about the price. It's well worth it.
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