Years ago, when his career was rising fast, there was a great deal of talk, excitement, and ultimate disappointment with highly anticipated recordings of
Simon Rattle conducting
Shostakovich's Fourth and Tenth symphonies. Both discs were with his old
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and neither of the recordings, it seemed, lived up to the hype surrounding their release.
So finally, after years of maturation and a long hiatus from recording
Shostakovich's works,
Rattle has begun to record
Shostakovich again -- his first recordings of the composer's work in over a decade.
Rattle first returned to the Soviet battleground in the first quarter of 2006, with a new disc that featured violinist
Sarah Chang performing the composer's First Violin Concerto with the
Berlin Philharmonic.
Now, fresh on the heels of his new immersion into the world of darkness and despair,
Rattle brings star-studded soloists
Karita Mattila and
Thomas Quasthoff into a performance of
Shostakovich's morbid and depressing Symphony No. 14. The two-disc set is coupled with the composer's lighter conservatory graduation piece, his Symphony No. 1.
The opening of the Symphony No. 14 is strong indeed; the
Berlin Philharmonic double bass section presents a sobering introduction to this work with a depth of sound (and emotion) unmatched by most recordings.
Quasthoff is suitably grim and convincing in his role at first, and
Mattila's performance is equally compelling. Some of the faster movements lack the spark and flash of spontaneity that they need, though -- sometimes apparent in
Rattle's choices of tempi, which seem a bit on the slow side in the faster movements (although they do have the interesting result of allowing the thickness and weight of
Shostakovich's sonorities to come through more clearly).
Karita Mattila is at her best in "Suicide," where, combined with some haunting solo cello playing, she gives a thoroughly dark and chilling account.
There is something missing in all of this, though --
Rattle doesn't seem to let the music breathe, even if there are passages that are breathless. Though difficult to pinpoint, the music feels at times too restrained. Perhaps the problem is one of simple over-planning in a work where spontaneity (as a reaction to the deep emotions evoked) is key. The disc is rounded out by an excellent performance of the young
Shostakovich's First Symphony. With playing that is whistle-clean and bristling with energy, it contains what must be one of the most exciting finishes of this work on record.
Negatives aside, there are lots of strong points in regards to both of these recordings, especially that of the First Symphony. While the spirit of this music is not yet in the
Berlin Philharmonic's blood -- even if it is in
Rattle's -- this disc is still required listening for any fan of
Shostakovich.