Comments

I love your paralell between Beethoven and Shostakovich. I wanted to do a thesis paper on the 5th Symphonies of Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Mahler. But I didn't have to do a thesis paper for my Masters, instead oral and written exams. I didn't consider the quartets, except that in my oral exam I was asked about the progression of string quartets starting with Haydn and their development according to each composer. Beethoven and Shostakovich were major in my answer to that.

I find it interesting that the Mahler 5, in its revised version, is less thick, and tries to open the space for more chamber-like passages, that in the first version were just too massive to decipher. Beethoven and Shostakovich were both so adept at voicing in the orchestral literature. Maybe it was BECAUSE they wrote for solo instruments, small ensembles, and different venues of part-writing. Mahler doesn't seem to explore the smaller ensembles as much (I don't recall, at least, a large collection of Mahler chamber works), thus, his symphonies are just SO BIG.

There are many similarities, however, between the three. The evolution of symphonies throughout a composers' career might be chartable, though we might not want to do that. Some of the string players in the orchestra really do not like the Mahler.

I find it breathtaking and, though dense at times, faboulous writing. The comment "it is all development" doesn't agree with me, personally. It is intensely organized, and adheres to form in a rather old fashioned way with his own stylistic stamp. Too bad he always felt so "misunderstood". He still is, in many ways.... As are Beethoven and Shostakovich. We try so hard to understand their lives, as a culture. But it is easy to dismiss their music as players, because of undesireable sounds.

Sometimes, that was the point, no? There is a lot of beauty behind the statements and personalities.

JW

JW

I think it was Furtwangler who referred to that conductor as "That man...K!". Greetings,
Jennifer , one of the most interesitng things I have heard anyone say about the Beethoven is that inorder to understand one you have to play them all. That is a kind of mind boggling truth and I suspect it is somewhat true of Shostakovitch, too. I have loved and played the opus 18 quartets more times than I would care to name. In my wild days of yore i was dumb enough to think the opus 18 were, by dint of being the first, the easist and that by infiantile extension number one wa sas good a place to start as any. Now I know a) where the latter comes and b) this is a -real- tricky set to pull off. If a quartet is strating Beethoven with me these day I offer them the opus 59 stuff at entry level, as it were. I have heard more cycles of these quartets by more groups than I would care to name and at their best one of the most interesting has always been the Lidnsay`s who I think are not so well known in the USA. You might consider putting them in your listening diary. I did a master class with the leader, one of the most penetrating and looney musicians on the planet. He did a Zuckerman on me and threw my shoulde rrets across the hall. I shoudl have been smart enough to leave it there but thats the way the cookie crumbles.
A violinsit who doesn`t like Mahler??? Probably not into nookie either. Sad case.
Cheers,
Buri
PS why the profound silence from the digestive regions?
PPS How`s the hand? I just heard the last in a series of concerts encompassing all of the Shostakovich symphonies, with Valery Gergiev conducting the Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre.

Breathtaking.

He has recorded #4-9; you might try to find the recordings.

ah, the 4th did it for you too. dmitri shostakovitch is unquestionably the greatest composer of the 20th century, and it's disconcerting to realize he would have been even greater if it weren't for government censorship in the soviet union. 'Shostakovich Season' is on every Saturday on BBC4 television, all the 15 Symphonies (one or two each week) with Gergiev conducting. Definitely worth recording ! Gosh, I wish I could egt the BBC You can, via http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/ .