Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Shostakovich: Symphony #7, Symphony #12
Out of Print.
Bernard Haitink's Shostakovich cycle was the first to be undertaken by a non-Russian conductor, and while the interpretations may lack some of the idiomatic flair to be found in the classic renditions of Mravinsky or Kondrashin, they are quite solid, and the recorded sound is far superior.
Haitink's approach is straightforward and well-measured, convincingly communicating the gravity of these works as well as their architecture, all clearly conveyed in the masterful playing of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and London Philharmonic Orchestras.
The wartime Seventh, written during the siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg), was widely celebrated in the West as a symbol of allied resistance, with the composer, in military fireman's garb, seen gracing the cover of Time magazine. It is also famous (or notorious) for the bombastic (and undeniably exciting) bolero-like variations of the first movement, which can obscure the fact that much of the symphony is quiet and lyrical, as if observing the citizenry during reflective moments when the guns are silent. Haitink is especially attentive to this interplay of light and shade, balancing the span of the work superbly and getting great support from his London players.
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