ALBUM OF THE WEEK
The Times (U.K.)
By Hugh Canning
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No 8
London Symphony Orchestra, cond Gianandrea Noseda
LSO Live LSO0822
The LSO’s principal guest maestro spent his early years as assistant to Valery Gergiev at the Mariinsky in St Petersburg. He is steeped in the Russian opera and symphonic repertoire, as is evident from this live recording of Symphony No 8. It is now regarded as one of Shostakovich’s greatest, but after the 1943 premiere by the USSR Symphony Orchestra under the great Yevgeny Mravinsky, it suffered a spell of neglect in the wake of Andrei Zhdanov’s declarations, accusing Soviet composers — including Shostakovich and Prokofiev — of pessimism. The C minor Symphony was tragic and sardonic in tone compared with its triumphalist predecessor, ostensibly foretelling a Soviet victory over Nazi fascism. Noseda’s broad, intense unfolding of the opening adagio builds up to a shattering climax, while the lighter succeeding moments drip with the composer’s anti-militaristic parody and bitter sarcasm.