Shostakovich
Shostakovich achieved fame in the Soviet Union under the patronage of Soviet chief of staff Mikhail Tukhachevsky, but later had a complex and difficult relationship with the government. Nevertheless, he received accolades and state awards and served in the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR (1947–1962) and the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (from 1962 until his death).
A polystylist, Shostakovich developed a hybrid voice, combining a variety of different musical techniques into his works. His music is characterized by sharp contrasts, elements of the grotesque, and ambivalent tonality; the composer was also heavily influenced by the neo-classical style pioneered by Igor Stravinsky, and (especially in his symphonies) by the late Romanticism associated with Gustav Mahler.
Shostakovich's orchestral works include 15 symphonies and six concerti. His chamber output includes 15 string quartets, a piano quintet, two piano trios, and two pieces for string octet. His solo piano works include two sonatas, an early set of preludes, and a later set of 24 preludes and fugues. Other works include three operas, several song cycles, ballets, and a substantial quantity of film music; especially well known is The Second Waltz, Op. 99, music to the film The First Echelon (1955–1956), as well as the suites of music composed for The Gadfly.
Shostakovich
Shostakovich achieved fame in the Soviet Union under the patronage of Soviet chief of staff Mikhail Tukhachevsky, but later had a complex and difficult relationship with the government...
SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Quintet
Studio recordings, 1951
Total duration: 64:11
Quintetto Chigiano:
Riccardo Brengola & Mario Benvenuti - violins
Giovanni Leone - viola
Lino Filippini - cello
Sergio Lorenzi - piano
TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet - Fantasy Overture
STRAVINSKY Petrushka Suite
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 1
Live studio broadcast, 1937
Total duration: 79:02
NBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Artur Rodziński
BACH Chorale Preludes
SZABELSKI Toccata
SHOSTAKOVICH Prelude in E flat minor
PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet Suite
TCHAIKOVSKY Swan Lake Suite
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
GLIERE Symphony No. 3
Recorded 1958
Total duration: 2hr 37:58
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Leopold Stokowski
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 7 'Leningrad'
Live broadcast recording, 1942
Total duration: 79:34
NBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Leopold Stokowski
STOKOWSKI The Pristine NBC Symphony Series
A 16-CD set featuring music by: Amfitheatrof, Antheil, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Butterworth, Cooley, Copland, Creston, Debussy, Gould, Hanson, Harris, Hindemith, Holst, Hovhaness, Kelly, Lavalle, Milhaud, Mohaupt, Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov, Schoenberg, Schuman, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Stringfield, Tchaikovsky, Thomson, Vaughan Williams, Wagner
Anne Brown. soprano
Winifred Heidt. contralto
William Horne. tenor
Lawrence Whisonant. bass
Eduard Steuermann, piano
Collegiate Chorale
The Westminster Choir
NBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Leopold Stokowski
Save 5% when you purchase the complete set
MOZART Marriage of Figaro - Overture
FALLA El Amor Brujo
RESPIGHI The Pines of Rome
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5
Recorded 1960
Total duration: 1hr 50:05
Shirley Verrett-Carter, mezzo-soprano
The Philadlephia Orchestra
conductor Leopold Stokowski