Symphony No. 15 in A Major, opus 141; Musorgsky: Khovanshchina Prelude (orch. Rimsky-Korsakov); Songs and Dances of Death (orch. Shostakovich)[a].
Sir Georg Solti, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sergei Aleksashkin (bass)[a].
Decca 289 458 919-2. DDD. TT 64:56.
Recorded Orchestra Hall, Chicago, 20-29 March 1997.

I must confess that I was dreading the arrival of this disc, for despite being an admirer of Sir Georg in other repertoire, I have considered his previous outings in Shostakovich to be wayward; indeed, the main advice I give friends seeking recommendations for the Fifth Symphony is to "Stay away from Solti's!" What a pleasure it is then, to be able to report that I find this performance of the Fifteenth to be one of the most successful to come my way in recent years.

To be sure, for chilling intensity Sir Georg's new entry is handily bested by Kondrashin (Icone ICN-9408-2/Melodiya 74321198462; reviewed in DSCH No. 10), Sanderling (Berlin Classics 0090432BC) and Ashkenazy (Decca/London 430 227-2; deleted). This is not to say that fright is missing entirely from Solti's account, as the climaxes in the second and fourth movements are truly formidable. Indeed, after hearing those crucial cymbal clashes as they are unleashed here, it is perplexing how one could continue to uphold Bernard Haitink's 1978 recording with the London Philharmonic (disc 444 441-2 of Decca/London set 444 430-2), in which they resemble nothing more fearful than aluminium pie plates landing on a linoleum floor. Still, I don't feel the revelation of personal terrors in this new release to the degree that Kondrashin, Sanderling or Ashkenazy depict, and if you cannot tolerate a lower level of that revelation, this is decidedly not the performance for you.

What Solti and his Chicago players do convey as successfully as anyone else are the sensations of remembrance and leave-taking that permeate this valedictory work. The second movement here is especially close to the grave, and the entry of muted strings following the central climax at Fig. 75/10:34 had my hairs standing on end.

Throughout, tempi are sane but not sober, Solti maintaining forward momentum. The players are outstanding at passing the baton from one instrument to another seamlessly. Additionally, I don't get the sense that the American orchestra is too well-nourished for this material, with the instruments sounding downright unhealthy at appropriate moments (take, for example, the febrile violin solo at Fig 26/4:03 of the first movement).

In the accompanying notes, Ian MacDonald speculates that the number of quotations in this symphony might reflect not only programmatic logic but also the composer's ill health during its composition, writing that it is "possible that he needed their innate spiritual energy; that without them, he might have found it difficult to muster meaningful thematic resources sufficient for a forty-five minute work." True or not, in Solti's hands the themes flow so naturally that one is convinced of the inherent necessity of the symphony to be just as it is, without any suggestion of paucity of thematic invention.

It is tempting to imagine that Sir Georg, the consummate Wagner conductor, connects so much more deeply with this Shostakovich symphony than he did with the earlier ones he recorded precisely because of its deployment of leitmotif. Oh, and how he must have revelled in the Wagner quotations of the final movement! But fear not that such quotations are unduly highlighted, for Solti shows no inclination to reduce the symphony to a pastiche - nor, for that matter, does he appear interested in stamping his name on it. This is perhaps the most unidiosyncratic performance of the work I've encountered. In the final analysis, it is Shostakovich whom I hear, not the conductor.

Ian MacDonald's notes do a fine job of explaining Shostakovich's fascination with the two Mussorgsky works partnering the symphony. In the end, though, this recording gives us Rimsky-Korsakov's beautiful orchestration of Musorgsky's Prelude to Khovanshchina rather than that of Shostakovich. Its rich colours come across clearly - the strings really do shimmer - but the performance errs on the side of robustness and I would have preferred a lighter touch.

Shostakovich's gloomy orchestration of Musorgsky's Songs and Dances of Death suits well the stentorian voice of Russian bass Sergei Aleksashkin, who delivers his lines with such operatic flair that one can almost picture his hand gestures. The Chicago players really are first-rate here, never overpowering the soloist while fully revealing the variety and, yes, subtlety of Shostakovich's scoring. It really is a coin toss between this performance and the fine job that Robert Lloyd does with Mariss Jansons and the Philadelphia Orchestra (coupled with the Tenth Symphony; EMI CDC5 55232-2). Although Aleksashkin's greater projection is attractive, there is also much to be said for Lloyd's well-timed restraint and superior command of the hushed whisper. In any case, nobody who already has a rival version is likely to regret the duplication of this essential work in this splendid new performance.

Recorded just months before the conductor's death, these performances do not hint at any waning of Sir Georg's artistic powers, and the release is a fitting testimonial to his ability to deliver the thought and emotion behind the notes of a score. Aside from some fairly unobtrusive stage noises, the sound is as clear and bright as one would expect from this label. Recommended.

W. Mark Roberts
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