The Mariinsky label’s twenty-fifth disc which features Dmitry Shostakovich’s Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies – released on 2 June this year – has received the prestigious Choc du mois award.
“The maestro from Ossetia recorded these symphonies ten years ago on the Philips label. The new recording, produced by the Mariinsky Theatre’s own recording company, reveals the tremendous progress of both conductor and the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra, most plainly felt in their interpretation of the Fourth Symphony. Naturally, the quality of the recording was assisted by the staggering acoustics of the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre. This performance is notable for the beauty of sound and the power of the incredible contrasts. As always, there are ‘trademark’ features present of the various instrumental groups of the Mariinsky Orchestra: the particular lyricism of the strings, the colourful timbres of the woodwinds and the incredibly confident sound of the brass. But what is most spellbinding here is, inarguably, the conductor’s reading of the score. The amazing understanding and revelation of each detail is merged with a magnificent formation of structure and well-thought-out agogics. We won’t even hear such an inspired interpretation in Mravinsky’s exemplary performance, recorded on the Melodiya label.” (Bertrand Dermoncourt, Classica)
Other leading international publications have also lavished praise on the Mariinsky label’s latest release:
“This is the repertoire in which Gergiev’s authority is indisputable.” (Andrew Clements, The Guardian)
“This double album may already be referred to confidently as ground-breaking and it is, of course, one of the most powerful in the series of releases of Shostakovich’s symphonies released on the Mariinsky label. In addition to the exemplary performance, we should also note here the particular atmosphere of each of the symphonies that maestro Gergiev conjures up. Inarguably this recording is one of the highlights of the discography of Shostakovich.” (Pierre-Jean Tribot, ReMusica)
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