Symphony No. 15 in A major, opus 141; Suite from The Age of Gold, opus 22a.
Vakhtang Jordania, Russian Federal Orchestra.
Angelok1 CD-9914. DDD. TT 64:02.
Recorded in the Bolshoi Hall, Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow, 18 & 19 January 2003.

Symphony No. 15 in A major, opus 141[a]; Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, opus 102[b]; Overture, Romance and Galop from The Gadfly, Suite arranged by Lev Atovmyan, opus 97a[c].
Vassily Sinaisky, BBC Philharmonic, Martin Roscoe (piano)[b].
BBC Music Magazine BBC MM263. DDD. TT 77:45.
Recorded at Studio 7, New Broadcasting House, Manchester, 30 June and 1 July 2005[a,b], 8-9 April 2003[c].
Cover CD to BBC Music Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 6, February 2006.

It is difficult to assess any new recording of the Fifteenth Symphony in the wake of Mravinsky's searing 1976 account with the Leningrad Philharmonic (MELCD1000770), or Kondrashin’s equally white-hot 1974 reading with the Moscow Philharmonic (reviewed in DSCH No. 10 on Icone ICN-9408-2; deleted; reissued on Aulos AMC2-043-1-10). Both performances, individually arresting, leave me little choice but to recommend them as essential listening. Comparing any of the recordings released in their footsteps gives plenty of reasons why they have yet to be surpassed. What sets Mravinsky’s and Kondrashin's versions apart is the absence of the "toy-shop" syndrome that afflicts many modern interpreters. Both veterans attack this final symphony with as much anger and vengeance as they would the Fourth or Eighth Symphonies, for example, and this is the secret ingredient to their success.

Thus, the current entries have very high standards to live up to. The more special of the two is Vakhtang Jordania's exciting outing, on a modestly packaged disc that scores many points. The conductor's tragic recent passing has left only a handful of discs as testimony to his great insight. This is a Fifteenth with a deep feeling for Shostakovich's symphonic world and a passionate sympathy for what the symphony is about, steeped in the Russian sound with its requisite grittiness and a certain degree of ugliness.

Jordania takes us to a world that is dark and horrifying. The composer smiles as he walks to his gallows, his inexorable march towards death playing out with as little dignity as life itself had afforded him. With this irony in mind, he pens his own death scene not as a glorious apotheosis but as a curious whirring of percussion tick-tocks, a mechanical device winding down to a stop. Encompassing these complex emotions, Jordania provides a powerful reading that is not without flaws but that deserves a hearing.

The highly persuasive Russian Federal Orchestra play far more impressively than their credentials would lead one to expect. There must be something in the Russian blood. The trumpets have the same wry tone that inhabits Mravinsky's Leningraders, although neither of the present teams (nor anyone else since) manages to negotiate the infamous William Tell quotes with as much finesse and character as Mravinsky’s or Kondrashin's. Jordania and others quite often sound out of place or contrived here. Elsewhere, Jordania's violins are not as incisive as the great masters' in drilling out the accented offbeat rhythms, and his percussion do not deliver the precision needed in the key solos (the glockenspiel fails to play its crucial counterpoint to the xylophone at 2.33 into the first movement). Despite their shaky coordination in these sections, the players deserve applause for continuing with audacity and gusto, ensuring that the spirit of the music is uninterrupted.

The recording has plenty of atmosphere, its dark richness revealing much detail even in the soft, solo string sections. And look out for the huge climax, which is appropriately apocalyptic—remember to warn your neighbours in advance!

Vassily Sinaisky and the BBC Philharmonic are beautifully recorded, with a little more fidelity and clarity, but their performance does not quite achieve Jordania's spirit of defiance and undercurrent of terror. Afflicted perhaps by the aforementioned toy-shop syndrome, the first movement chugs along amiably, without a trace of the sinister or the mischief that drenches the Mravinsky and Kondrashin versions.

The BBC Philharmonic are a technically fine orchestra, their execution spirited and skilful, yet they fail to offer significant insights in most places. The first movement should be a roller coaster of emotions that run from manic to obsessive, tension building towards the finish, but the BBC Philharmonic seem happy to have a sunny day at the fair. This is not a joyride, after all; it should not sound like one.

The third movement benefits from some menacing playing from the woodwind and the string soloists, and is the most convincing of the four. The Finale, however, sounds lost. With no clue what has happened to the toy shop, the orchestra unwind aimlessly and the percussion play dutifully but without much expression, not realising that this wind-up toy is none other than the composer. Compare, for example, the violin solos at 5:48 of the first movement—although the Russian plays with less finesse than his British counterpart, his teetering anxiety is so much more engaging than the latter's flawlessly rendered display.

In conclusion, of the two new recordings I recommend Jordania's far more highly, if only to experience the art of this late conductor (it is heartbreaking to read the CD notes which refer to him in the present tense) and his very fine Russian band. The coupling is a boisterous performance of the four-movement Age Of Gold Suite, which supplies a delicious clarinet solo in the second movement and a cheeky Polka.

Sinaisky's disc offers a lovely, bright reading of the Second Piano Concerto with Martin Roscoe at the keyboard. As if that isn't confection enough, BBC Music Magazine throw in three of the breeziest extracts from The Gadfly, which do nothing to lend perspective to a decently executed but not very engaging Fifteenth.

[Recording Editor's note: BBC Music Magazine were unable to supply a review copy of their February 2006 issue with Sinaisky's recording, having run out of stock. I am grateful to reader Chris Logan from Australia for obtaining a copy from a retail outlet and forwarding it to our reviewer.]

CH Loh
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