Shostakovich is driving me crazy again...

[FMiguelez]

Wow!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z8TZjcqYhY

I hadn't listened to this symphony for a while.
This great version appeared in my YouTube suggestions, and it caught me by surprise. Suddenly, I stopped what I was doing and just listened to the sound of invasion and war...
I'm floored by the composition and orchestration, as well as the performance.

While I'm not crazy about Marin Alsop's conducting style, the orchestra seems to understand her intentions pretty well and you can hear the amazing result. I know it's quite hard to sound bad with such gorgeous music, but she and the orchestra definitely do a great job. I also like the slower tempo of this performance.

We NEED more women like Alsop. It's so rare to see a woman conductor... Music (and science), unfortunately, is still dominated by men, at least for composition and conducting, with a few notable exceptions, of course (but not enough of them).

I've always thought that, except for (currently) useless and primitive muscle strength activities (because men ARE stronger in average), women can do anything a man does, and probably better.
Most of my favourite pianists are women (Wang, Buniatishvili, Argerich, Fedorova, etc.).

My favourite part is the Allegretto, the part of the march towards the invasion (starting at 7:30). What a DAZZLING and HUGE orchestral crescendo!!!!
It's sort of like Ravel's Bolero, but still more powerful and intense. It doesn't stop amazing me how such a "simple and silly" melody can be SO meaningful and developed under the right person's pen.

That part where he harmonizes the melody in the strings section with parallel major triads (12:30), a la Holst's Mars, and then later with the trombones outlining chromatic movement up and down with the parallel triads (15:17), is so colorful and hip!

At 17:40 you can really hear the horrors of and actual war!
And then.... the silence of death and destruction...

It's hard to believe Shostakovich wrote all what he wrote under the pressure he was under from his government, and how he dared defying them with his music risking his life. What an amazing life story of his!


Oh, and if this powerful music and performance weren't enough, the first flutist is really cute!

Anyway, enjoy the performance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z8TZjcqYhY

[mhschmieder]

Always nice to discover another Alsop fan, as she gets so much disrespect from almost everyone I know. I personally admire her highly personal approach to music that turns out to still have secrets to reveal to me, including her Shostakovitch readings (I've heard a few, but not yet this one).

[FMiguelez]

I'm glad you like her too

Why does she get so much disrespect in your opinion? What's not to like?

Does this perhaps come mostly from primitive male chauvinistic pigs?

There have been some male conductors (I forgot exactly who and exactly what they've said) who have expressed such sexist remarks about women conductors, that it's plain and greatly disappointing, almost to the point of vomiting and not liking them anymore. Something about women not being good conductors because they "distract" poor male musicians with their looks, as if they had no self control or something. Big time household names!

Conducting is not my specialty, but IMO, as long as the orchestra delivers what the conductor wants and hears, that's all that matters. They could be doing karate katas for all I care. The sound they obtain from the orchestra, by whatever means, is what's important.

I'd love to know your opinion of the performance whenever you have time to listen to it.

[mikehalloran]

What's not to like?

Exactly!

[mhschmieder]

I did listen to it later last night, and it was riveting throughout. It felt like a new work to me, so I need to dig out a Haitink recording or something else in my collection, to become aware of just how many things she dug out of this work that had been hiding in plain sight all along.

I do think the level of venom in the hatred I hear towards her is misogynist in nature -- I rarely (if ever) hear this level of emotion when people express their dislike for certain male conductors -- except perhaps for Michael Tilson Thomas.

In my area, we have the amazing Janet Carneiro (from Portugal) conducting the Berkeley Symphony, and she has managed to cure a lot of doubters in terms of the level of energy, passion, inspiration, and stage presence, of female vs. male conductors.

I too have gravitated towards female performers my entire life -- probably because I come from a long matriarchal lineage of famous musicians on my mom's side. It never occurred to me to think women can't do what men can do, or even better. Not my life experience. I guess I've been lucky.

[mikehalloran]

I did listen to it later last night, and it was riveting throughout. It felt like a new work to me, so I need to dig out a Haitink recording or something else in my collection, to become aware of just how many things she dug out of this work that had been hiding in plain sight all along.

I do think the level of venom in the hatred I hear towards her is misogynist in nature -- I rarely (if ever) hear this level of emotion when people express their dislike for certain male conductors -- except perhaps for Michael Tilson Thomas.

In my area, we have the amazing Janet Carneiro (from Portugal) conducting the Berkeley Symphony, and she has managed to cure a lot of doubters in terms of the level of energy, passion, inspiration, and stage presence, of female vs. male conductors.

I too have gravitated towards female performers my entire life -- probably because I come from a long matriarchal lineage of famous musicians on my mom's side. It never occurred to me to think women can't do what men can do, or even better. Not my life experience. I guess I've been lucky.

In the South Bay, we’ve had Barbara Day Turner making waves with the San Jose Chamber Orchestra and other ensembles. She has a nice international career as well. I’ll sing under her baton any time.