This release marks the third issue in John Storgårds survey of the ‘late Shostakovich symphonies’ for Chandos. The first item on this very well recorded SACD is the composer’s settings of ‘Six Verses of Marina Tsvetayeva’ Op. 143a for contralto and chamber orchestra. Shostakovich set six of Tsvetayeva’s poems for contralto and piano in 1973 and the version for chamber orchestra appeared in 1974, a year before his death. Here they are sung most beautifully by the young British contralto Jess Dandy whose rich, firm and powerful voice does full justice to these moving songs while the BBC Philharmonic provide a characterful and impeccably played accompaniment.

Regrettably the booklet does not provide any texts and translations – a major omission – both here and especially in the 14th Symphony that follows.

Shostakovich's Symphony No. 14, composed in 1969, stands as a stark departure from the bombastic and triumphant symphonies that define much of his oeuvre. Instead, it delves into the realms of darkness, death, and human contemplation of these, with an unflinching gaze.
The Symphony comprises eleven movements, each setting poems by various poets about death and mortality. Shostakovich chose his texts from a variety of sources. Two poems by the Spaniard Federico Garcia Lorca, six by Frenchman Guillaume Apollinaire, two from the German Rainer Maria Rilke and one poem of Russian origin, by Wilhelm Küchelbecker. The interplay between the orchestra, the vocal soloists, and the thematic material is executed with a careful balance that allows the dark subject matter to shine through while maintaining a sense of cohesion from start to finish. An easy listen it is not.

From the hushed and mournful opening of the first movement the recording evokes a consistent atmosphere of sombre rumination. The playing of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under John Storgårds is characterized by a precision that exemplifies Shostakovich's mastery of the spare orchestration (strings and percussion), highlighting the stark contrasts between the sinister and the ethereal.

Peter Rose (bass) and Elizabeth Atherton (soprano), the vocal soloists, have performed this work in concert on a number of occasions and they show considerable commitment to and understanding of the work. Their voices are clear and suitably emotive, and the way they navigate the challenging vocal lines and intricate moods of the poetry is impressive, though for this listener they fail to deliver the weight of the texts with the necessary visceral intensity, particularly when compared with native Russian singers on alternative recordings of this work.

While this recording captures the essence of the symphony quite effectively, there are some sections where the overall pacing is too measured and could benefit from more nuanced phrasing. Some movements tend to drag, risking the loss of tension that's crucial to the symphony's impact. Overall though, this recording does offer a haunting journey into the depths of Shostakovich's introspection, inviting listeners to confront mortality and melancholy in a way that only his unique symphonic voice can deliver.

The recordings were made on 21 and 22 January 2022 (Symphony No 14) and 25 November 2022 (Six Verses of Marina Tsvetayeva) at Media City, Salford, Manchester, and as I have indicated above, the sound quality is first rate.

Copyright © 2023 Graham Williams and HRAudio.net

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