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Shostakovich...WHOA


An old g/f made a copy of a Shostakovich recording and until this week I’d never gotten around to it. MAN, is this guy giving me nightmares. I don’t know a damn thing about classical music but HOLY CHRISTMAS!

I can’t call up the old g/f to ask (I want to live, I want to live!) so I’m hoping someone can ID this recording and then offer suggestions to similar Shostakovich. I’m looking for brooding, scary, intense, hair-raising chaos…just like what’s-her-name.

The recording I was given has the following handwritten on it: “Kammersinfornie (after) string Quartet #8 & #10.” “1960” is also written on the recording with an arrow from it pointing to “Quartet #8.” The track most indicative of what I like is #2 whatever that is.

What’s this guy’s rep in the classical world, anyway? Maybe the style of this recording isn’t representative of his work.

As an interesting side note…this girl was always giving me really twisted material as witnessed by the title of the last book she gave me: “The Insanity of Normality – Realism as Sickness: Toward Understanding Human Destructiveness.” An army of red flags popped up with that one but I valiantly forged ahead with my little pea shooter anyway (please excuse the disgusting and humiliating metaphor.) I got clobbered.
kublakhan

Showing 3 responses by kublakhan

kublakhan OP
717 posts
 
Hey Eric, GREAT information. With classical music I always think I luckily 'stumbled upon' a rare example of something I actually like but it's been happening more and more so maybe I should finally admit I dig classical music.

I mentioned Yo-Yo because he seems too technical for me but I certainly can't recognize the finer points of personality in classical music yet because I'm not at all familiar with the jumping off point. When I told someone my feelings on Yo-Yo Ma's Bach they gave me a copy of Anner Bylsma performing Bach's cello suites and that was indeed more my style...he (or she?) plays Bach like later Coltrane playing Rodgers and Hammerstein - with manic, hysterical irreverence. It's the only Bylsma I have though so who knows...

I read your comments on your system and it seems like we have similar tastes: small jazz ensembles, solo cello, sting quartets, opinion on ML speakers...

How fortunate are you to have experienced playing Shostakovich in an orchestra? Talk about being engaged with the music.

What instrument do you play?
kublakhan OP
717 posts
 
I came to the right place. I certainly have enough great recommendations from people who obviously know what they're talking about. Thanks! ...and keep them coming for everybody else. (i'll try to catch up)

btw, for anyone interested ebay seems to have a steady stream of the previously mentioned barshai collection of complete shostakovich symphonies (on cd) for $30-$40 w/ 'buy it now' - or whatever it's called. that's where i'm starting.
kublakhan OP
717 posts
 
Cpdunn99, I guess you're laughing at the g/f stuff. I don't blame you and look forward to the day I can join in. I would have thought for a woman as smart as she her vocabulary would have provided alternatives to the word 'stupid' but not so. She was, however, intelligent enough to make proper use of it four or five times in single sentences, although only when addressing me for some reason. It was remarkable. I’ll say this, she made some valid points.

Thanks guys, for the info; how about recommendations for specific orchestras and conductors? Ebay has a few 11 cd sets of the complete symphonies conducted by 'Barshai' (?) and they're only going for $30. Why so cheap? Is this something to stay away from? I noticed a Keith Jarrett recording of Shostakovich and got excited until I read some horrible reviews (I love Jarrett's own stuff.) I always need to be careful with classical music: Yo-Yo Ma almost turned me off of the cello for good until I heard Pablo Casals. No offense to Yo-Yo fans out there, what do I know? Just my taste. Really out of my element here.
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