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Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975)
The Execution of Stepan Razin, Op. 119 (1964) [25:34]
Zoya Suite, Op. 64a (1944) (arr. for orchestra by Lev Atovmyan)
1. Song about Zoya [8:10]
2. Military problem [5:03]
3. Tragedy of a loss [5:22]
4. Hero's victory [4:24]
5. The heroine's immortality [5:47]
Suite on Finnish Themes (1939)
1. Energico [00:52]
2. The sky is blue and white [1:13]
3. Lento non troppo [1:49]
4. The girls of this village [1:56]
5. The strawberry is a red berry [1:06]
6. If I could be at leisure [2:24]
7. My beloved is beautiful [1:57]
Tuomas Katajala (tenor); Mari Palo (soprano); Shenyang (bass-baritone)
State Choir ‘Latvija’; Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra/Vladimir Ashkenazy
Sung texts and translations included
rec. 22-23 March 2013, Helsinki Music Centre, Helsinki, Finland
ONDINE ODE1225-2 [65:37]
It’s good to see a new CD of The Execution of Stepan
Razin, not least from Vladimir Ashkenazy. In particular his Shostakovich
Fifth with the Royal Philharmonic - not his Philharmonia remake -
is superbly drawn, as are his ‘Leningrad’ and ‘The
Year 1905’ with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic (all on Decca).
He has only a few rivals in Stepan Razin, among them
Gerard Schwarz (Naxos),
Valery Polyansky (Chandos),
and Herbert Kegel (originally on Philips and now part of a 9-CD Decca
set). However, Kirill Kondrashin’s 1965 account is still the
one to beat; it’s in Melodiya’s indispensable Shostakovich
box (review),
but I also have the high-res HDTT transfer - coupled with the Ninth
Symphony - that I plan to review for Download News.
The other works on this Ondine disc - theZoya suite and the
one on Finnish themes = are even more peripheral; indeed, I can only
find two recordings of the first - on Delos and Capriccio - and one
of the second, on BIS. Among the Helsinki Phil’s finest recordings
must be their Shostakovich Eleventh with the late-lamented James DePreist,
which was my introduction to this much maligned - and neglected -
work (Delos). Ashkenazy’s soloists are unfamiliar to me, but
it’s the young Chinese bass-baritone Shenyang who has the big
role here; he’s up against the likes of Vitaly Gromadsky for
Kondrashin, Charles Robert Austin for Schwarz and Kegel’s Siegfried
Vogel. As for the Latvian State Choir they impressed me in Mariss
Jansons’ recent RCO Mahler Eighth, so I have high hopes for
them there as well.
Yevtushenko’s outspoken texts for Shostakovich’s Thirteenth
Symphony ‘Babi Yar’ are echoed in this strange, quasi-religious
tale of Stepan Razin, the 17th-century Cossack who tried to overthrow
the Tsar and was executed for his pains. Bizarrely, his decapitated
head continues to defy the Tsar, which makes for a neat allegory aimed
at those in absolute power. It’s a taut but garish score, with
thrilling percussive weight and febrile singing. The hot-headed Kondrashin
is at one extreme, with Kegel at the other. Polyansky is closer to
his compatriot, but despite all that orchestral fire he’s a
tad relentless and his idiomatic but vibrato-laden bass Anatoly Lochak
lets the side down.
First impressions of the Ashkenazy are favourable; his players sound
full-blooded yet there’s a discipline here that underlines the
work’s symphonic structure. Shenyang is a very decent soloist,
even if he doesn’t have the sheer authority of Gromadsky or
the inwardness of Vogel. In the long monologue he works hard to make
Razin a flesh-and-blood creation; he succeeds - in part at least -
despite a touch of unsteadiness and less-than-optimal diction. The
Latvian chorus are commendably crisp and clear, and the recording
is impressive in its range and clout.
The best way to characterise Ashkenazy’s performance is to say
it’s scrupulous, and he takes great care to emphasise Shostakovich’s
distinctive colour palette. Thankfully that isn’t achieved at
the expense of the drama. Those booming funeral bells gave me goosebumps,
and I really warmed to Shenyang’s nicely nuanced delivery. True,
it’s not a big voice and it reaches its limits fairly quickly,
but it’s used with intelligence and that’s what counts.
Elsewhere a little more abandon wouldn’t go amiss, but then
Ashkenazy’s not one for excess.
Kondrashin is still unequalled in this work; his larger-than-life
presentation has never sounded as intoxicating as it does in the HDTT
transfer; the playing and singing are utterly compelling and there’s
a powerful, unwavering defiance to the performance that no-one could
hope to match, let alone surpass. Kegel is much too restrained for
my taste - perhaps the thaw took a while to reach Leipzig - and while
Vogel sings well his Razin never leaps off the page. Trouble is, there’s
an almost unbridgeable gulf between Kondrashin and all the pretenders
to his throne; in that respect it’s the fillers that could make
the difference.
The Zoya suite is all that remains of Shostakovich’s
score for a 1944 film about the exploits of a young partisan fighting
the Germans. Arranged for orchestra by the ever-willing Lev Atovmyan
it’s one of Shostakovich’s more striking efforts in the
genre. The fanfares and transported chorus at the start are followed
by a series of percussion-led climaxes that might catch you - and
the neighbours - by surprise. The recording is fearless, so it’s
reassuring that Ashkenazy is always in firm, far-sighted control of
his forces. Indeed, this reminds me of his intensely focused conducting
at a live screening of Alexander Nevsky many years ago.
The Helsinki Phil’s brass and percussion sections are splendid,
and the thunderous perorations have extraordinary impact. In other
hands this music could so easily be over-driven, but it isn’t
here. Not only is Ashkenazy attuned to the heightened drama of the
big, crowd-pleasing moments he’s also wonderfully inward in
the quieter ones. He stitches it all together with great skill, and
I just can’t imagine a more vivid, block-busting performance
of the suite than this. The real stars, though, are the orchestra,
who give this music all the weight and amplitude it needs - and then
some. Simply sensational, in every sense of the word.
The lightly scored Suite on Finnish Themes is a welcome foil
to the big-screen blood and guts that’s gone before. Soprano
Mari Palo is bright and coquettish in her solos and she blends most
pleasingly with the ardent tenor Tuomas Katajala in If I could
be at leisure. This score finds Shostakovich at his most affectionate
and disarming, even though it was penned at a particularly dark time
in his life. Slight it may be, but this music is beautifully crafted;
everyone ensures it skips along nicely.
This is a very worthwhile disc; it has everything - a strong Stepan
Razin, a rafter-rattling Zoya and a frothy little Finnish
finale. I know Ashkenazy has already given us a big Shostakovich box,
but I sincerely hope this isn’t the last we’ll hear of
him and the Helsinki Phil. Good liner-notes - including sung texts
and translations - complete a well-planned package.
Ashkenazy and this Finnish band make a terrific team; more, please.
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
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