Shostakovich Symphonies 6 & 9 / Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker

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Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 and 9

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This DVD is a fascinating document of a great conductor and orchestra playing two of the most underrated of Shostakovich’s symphonies in 1985 and 1986 concerts in Vienna’s Musikverein. In his spoken preface to the Sixth Symphony, Bernstein says he wants to “right a wrong”–the “wrong” being the work’s reputation as unstructured lightweight piece. It is an unbalanced work, the opening Largo much longer than the remaining two movements, which can seem as mere appendages. But even at his extremely slow tempo, Bernstein makes it all hang together–the Largo moving in its icy bleakness, the Scherzo a genial joke, the final Presto (taken more as an Allegro and not a fast one at that) an opportunity for the conductor to show off his dance steps. The Haydnesque Ninth, despite idiosyncratically slow tempos is light and humorous, its sardonic touches here relished by Bernstein.

The Vienna Philharmonic isn’t the ideal band for Shostakovich but Bernstein makes them play beyond their natural inclinations; here they lack only a bit more vulgarity in the brass and percussion to be fully idiomatic. The net result is a pair of deeply felt, emotionally powerful performances. Director Humphrey Burton’s discreet camera work is excellent, with sufficient close-ups of the conductor and plenty of section shots interwoven with close-ups of solo players to help draw attention to key musical strands. Extras include Bernstein’s cogent spoken prefaces to the works. –Dan Davis