{"product_id":"kurt-sanderling-schostakowitsch-symphony-no-5","title":"Kurt Sanderling - Schostakowitsch Symphony No. 5","description":"\u003cp data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eDimitri Schostakowitsch Symphony No.5 In D Minor Op.47\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eBerlin Symphony Orchestra\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eThe conductor Kurt Sanderling (1912-2011) first met Dmitri Shostakovich during WW2. Colleagues first, the men went on to forge a strong personal friendship that affords a unique insight into both the music and character of this most conflicted composer. Sanderling recorded most of the symphonies with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, which he led from 1960 to 1977, but it’s his dark, deeply moving account of the Fifteenth with the Berlin Philharmonic that I’d want for my desert island. Originally issued on the BP’s own label, it’s well worth scouring the internet for a used copy of that recording – coupled with a genial performance of Haydn’s Symphony No. 82 ‘The Bear’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eOf course there’s plenty of competition in this, Shostakovich’s most recorded symphony. Among the most satisfying Fifths I’ve encountered in recent years are two Euroarts videos: Leonard Bernstein’s with the LSO in 1966 and Yutaka Sado’s with the Berlin Phil in 2011. Both belong at the more volatile end of the scale, whereas Andris Nelsons’ recent Boston recording – part of his ongoing cycle for DG – seems comparatively laid-back. I say ‘seems’ because behind its public clamour lurks a reading of remarkable intensity and insight that I found quite overwhelming. Indeed, that’s probably the most revelatory account of this great symphony that I’ve ever heard, either on record or in the concert hall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo, where does Sanderling’s BSO Fifth fall in this spectrum? The first movement is certainly measured – perhaps spacious is a better description – but then there’s a startling vulnerability here that I wasn’t prepared for. Clearly this is not the overt, scruff-grabbing approach that one associates with, say, Bernstein, and some may find this thoughtful, proportionate reading a little too subdued. Those upward-winding string figures certainly aren’t as anguished as they can be, but then there’s no denying the quiet, compelling authority of this performance. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI was particularly taken with the lovely pastoral quality of this opener, its idylls circled by threatening storm clouds. If you’re looking for extra angst and urgency you won’t find it here; what you will encounter, though, is a rare transparency – witness that light, perky march tune – and sensibly scaled tuttis. In many ways this is a very \u003cem\u003emusical\u003c\/em\u003e reading which, like Paavo Jarvi’s ‘paradigm shifting’ \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.musicweb-international.com\/classrev\/2015\/Apr\/Shostakovich_sy7_PTC5186511.htm\"\u003eSeventh\u003c\/a\u003e, reveals – and revels in – a lyricism that belies the composer’s reputation for crudity and bombast. If that is what Sanderling is trying to highlight here he succeeds admirably. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe playing of this East German band – the fall of the Wall was still seven years away – is warm and plangent; the very refined recording, with plenty of air and detail, adds to the sense of a performance deeply felt and gratefully given. There’s point and polish to the \u003cem\u003eAllegretto\u003c\/em\u003e, not to mention some beguiling string passages that bring to mind Mahler at his most easeful and bucolic. I realise this conductor’s unhurried pace won’t please everyone, but for others it’s a wonderful opportunity to rejoice in the score’s inner workings. And no, such instruction is not achieved at the expense of pulse or purpose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eAs for the \u003cem\u003eLargo\u003c\/em\u003e it’s both spacious and beautifully spun. Yes, there’s a small hiatus at one point – a bad edit, perhaps – but that hardly matters in the presence of such exemplary musicianship. At times there’s a Beethoven-like strength\/stoicism to the lower strings, which contrasts most strongly with the pliant loveliness of the BSO woodwinds. Here, more than anywhere else in this performance, one senses these are personal utterances, not public proclamations, and that Sanderling brings us much closer to Shostakovich the man than most of his rivals do. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy the time we get to the \u003cem\u003eAllegro non troppo\u003c\/em\u003e it’s as if we’ve come to the end of a long and very eventful journey. Sanderling really is a wonderful guide, revealing all the details and nuances that others miss. His finale is brisk and cleanly articulated – such attack in the violins, and what muscular timps – with no hint of the pale gestures or empty rhetoric that so often afflict this problematic finale. Like Nelsons he builds to that great coda without recourse to unnecessary artifice, so that when those mighty bass-drum thwacks arrive the effect is simply overwhelming. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is not the only recording of Shostakovich’s Fifth I’d want to own, but it’s certainly one I’d welcome. More than anything else there’s an openness to this performance, an honesty if you prefer, that illuminates the score in the most unexpected ways. Factor in a first-class remastering – no steely strings, bloated bass or coarseness in the climaxes – and you have a very special release indeed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA fresh, unaffected Fifth, chock-full of insight and character; not to be missed. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDan Morgan\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eLabel: Eterna\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTrack List\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e01 Moderato - Allegro non troppo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e02 Allegretto\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e03 Largo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e04 Allegro non troppo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTechnical Details \u0026amp; Product Configurations\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStandard Master Product Configuration:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e1\/4” - 2 Track RTM LPR90 - 15IPS - 38cm\/sec - CCIR - 320 nWb\/m - 1 Metal Reel - Special Archive Box - Horch House Deluxe Packaging\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudio Master Product Configuration:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e1\/4” - 2 Track RTM SM900 - 15IPS - 38cm\/sec - CCIR - 510 nWb\/m - 2 Precision Metal Reels - Special Archive Boxes - Horch House Deluxe Packaging\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Horch House","offers":[{"title":"Standard Master","offer_id":56061863887183,"sku":"000102023","price":480.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"Studio Master","offer_id":56061863919951,"sku":"000103023","price":595.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0951\/5935\/3679\/files\/Sanderling_Schostakowitsch_Symphony_No5_Cover.jpg?v=1759420225","url":"https:\/\/www.horchhouse.com\/en-at\/products\/kurt-sanderling-schostakowitsch-symphony-no-5","provider":"Revox | Horch House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}