Interpreters of Shostakovich's music have been numerous over the past half-century, even in Russia, where the composer was often silenced or, during periods of disfavor, not performed at all. Even those not well-versed in classical music can name Evgeny Mravinsky, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, and Mstislav Rostropovich, each of whom performed and recorded more or less complete cycles of Shostakovich's symphonies. The name Kirill Kondrashin, who stood at the podium for these recordings, is less known to the average listener. In the 1960s and 70s, this conductor elevated the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra from obscurity to a world-class level. However, towards the end of his life, he unexpectedly fled to the small country of the Netherlands, causing his name to be banned in the Soviet Union until its collapse. Shostakovich was one of the most important composers in the orchestra's repertoire. The composer often entrusted Kondrashin and his protégés with the premieres of his new works, and it is now easy to understand his admiration for this ensemble: impeccable purity of sound, polished precision, excellent coordination. Plus, of course, the gloss added by the maestro himself – an unsentimental conductor who loved and was able to perfect details, chose tempos flawlessly, and skillfully shaped the form of large cycles.
It is rare for a collection of all the symphonies of a particular composer (in the case of Shostakovich, the cycle barely fits on eleven discs) to serve any function other than educational. Usually, well-known works gather all the energy of the musicians and the conductor, while less famous ones are played perfunctorily, without soul (unfortunately, this periodically happens with Gennady Rozhdestvensky, who diligently records complete sets of various composers with the dedication of a cataloging scholar). The cycle recorded by Kondrashin has virtually no weak spots: it is interesting to listen to absolutely everything – even such pro-Soviet works as the poem "The Sun Shines Over Our Motherland" to the verses of Yevgeny Dolmatovsky. Naturally, the recognized masterpieces remain in memory first and foremost – the completely psychedelic "invasion scene" from the Seventh, "Leningrad" Symphony, the volcanic scherzo of the Tenth, or the deathly-clear harmonies of the finale of the last, Fifteenth Symphony. However, this is merely the inertia of perception reacting to familiar melodies. Carefully listening to disc after disc, savoring all the climaxes, one can learn a lot of new things about Dmitri Shostakovich. And most importantly, gain a complete understanding of his glorious and terrifying half-century journey in the field of music.
