Dmitry Shostakovich - Symphony #7 - RCO - RCO Live 06002 (2006) SACD rip via PS3 to iso (3.64GB) | 24bit/88.2khz flac | 5ch (2.97GB) DR16 (+3.45dB gain) | 2ch (1.37GB) DR14 (+3.41dB gain) | Classical (Live) "This was a performance, played with the Concertgebouw's phenomenal spectrum of coloring, phrasing & dynamic subtlety that asserted the symphony's organic structural credentials & spoke of deep-seated, human feelings throughout its ample 80-minute span. It was wonderful to have past reservations about the symphony swept aside with such authority. "-The Telegraph (UK); BBC Music Magazine Orchestral Award Winner. ------------------------------------------- It is impossible to deny the overwhelming impact Shostakovich's Symphony #7 had on its listeners in 1942. Written by Shostakovich after he had been transported out of his besieged hometown of Leningrad, the 7th is a patriotic hymn to his city & country & a rallying cry to the foes of fascism. Its premiere in the USSR. was world news, & securing its 1st performance rights in the West was contested by Toscanini, Stokowski, & Koussevitzky. Toscanini won, & the work was rapturously received & repeatedly performed. But even before the war had ended, the exalted position of the "Leningrad" Symphony had slipped, & commentators in the West derided it as pompous & prosaic. The symphony, rehabilitated from being a patriotic piece to being a subversive piece based on the purported testimony of Shostakovich, only later received regular performances in the West. The truth is that Shostakovich's 7th is an enormous piece for a gargantuan orchestra set in 4 vast movements lasting more than 70 minutes in performances. Its opening Allegretto, nearly 30mins in length, has proud & determined C major themes at its start & close & a central section that takes a theme from Offenbach & turns it into a massive ostinato that overwhelms the C major themes with its brutal banality. This is followed by a haunted Moderato of plucked strings & screeching woodwinds & by a vast Adagio with stirring strings & bold brass. The closing Allegro non troppo returns to the monumental style of the opening movement with grand & glorious themes culminating in an interminable C major climax. The truth is that the 7th is a work of banal themes & bombastic climaxes, but Shostakovich's imagination & discipline have fused the banal & bombastic into an overwhelming musical work. Amazon review: This live reading of the "Leningrad" Sym. #7 of Shostakovich from Mariss Jansons is much stronger than his earlier studio version on EMI, which ironically enough was with the Leningrad (now St. Petersbrug) Phil., whose authenticity in this music is undeniable. Here his own orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw plays with great refinement & elegance, two qualities that might seem misplaced in a wartime symphony whose most famous feature is a long march about invading Nazis. But Jansons is out to erase memories of WW II in this music, substituting great care over detail & trying to find heartfelt expression in music often dismissed as 2nd-drawer Shostakovich. For a sturm-und-drang reading one turns to Bernstein's 2 classics (1 with the NY Phil. on Sony--my favorite--the other with the Chicago Sym. on DG) that take full advantage of the symphony's punch & swagger. Jansons finds another way, & although I'm not fully persuaded that the 7th isn't a bit junky & hollow, he makes as good a case for it as I've ever heard. This is by far his best Shostakovich recording after completing a less than thrilling complete symphony cycle for EMI. The sound from the orchestra's hosue label is spectacular, even in 2 channel stereo. Tracks: 1. War. Allegretto 27:22 2. Memories. Moderata (poco allegretto) 11:20 3. My Native Field. Adagio 18:39 4. Victory. Allegro non troppo 17:16 ============================================================= foobar2000 1.1.15 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1 log date: 2012-10-19 00:21:44 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyzed: RCO - Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 'Leningrad' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Duration Track (iso @ 0dB gain) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR15 -3.09 dB -24.89 dB 27:16 01-Shostakovich: Sym #7 - Allegretto DR17 -5.67 dB -30.37 dB 11:12 02-Shostakovich: Sym #7 - Moderato (poco allegretto) DR17 -3.18 dB -27.97 dB 18:38 03-Shostakovich: Sym #7 - Adagio DR15 -3.00 dB -25.29 dB 17:11 04-Shostakovich: Sym #7 - Allegro non troppo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of tracks: 4 Official DR value: DR16 Samplerate: 2822400 Hz / PCM Samplerate: 176400 Hz Channels: 5 Bits per sample: 24 Bitrate: 14112 kbps Codec: DST64 ============================================================= Checksum for iso: 54710cbf3afcd53c4501002c3d1b5651 *RCO - Mariss Jansons - Dmitry Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 'Leningrad'.iso Checksums for flac tracks 5ch: 85cfb92286e046116b91e13a28438985 *01 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mariss Jansons, chief condu - Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 - Allegretto.flac 140e3846315841783c51ace060a1d883 *02 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mariss Jansons, chief condu - Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 - Moderato (poco allegretto).flac 7b9e60893c5685358747982d30a764f7 *03 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mariss Jansons, chief condu - Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 - Adagio.flac 3f53970ad1fd08b77f0017a6b994e8a7 *04 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mariss Jansons, chief condu - Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 - Allegro non troppo.flac Checksums for flac tracks 2ch: b9cd56774c6068e363ee01ea8ed125e5 *01 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mariss Jansons, chief condu - Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 - Allegretto.flac 421934e765c68d25446aa9ce0c4a6c93 *02 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mariss Jansons, chief condu - Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 - Moderato (poco allegretto).flac f4f006e957cb384d1a432232927c4d31 *03 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mariss Jansons, chief condu - Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 - Adagio.flac 4604ac37d8311f1b3650315638a88f70 *04 - Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mariss Jansons, chief condu - Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 - Allegro non troppo.flac