Symphony no. 13 : Babiy Yar

"This release on Chandos had the misfortune to appear in the wake of the live reading of the work by Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony, with bass Alexey Tikhomirov ... but there is much to recommend in this recording with the fine Russian National Orchestra under Kirill Karabits, with Oleg Tsibulko as the soloist ... The Muti recording may have forever dispelled the notion that it takes Russian musicians to get the depths of Shostakovich, but this one certainly shows they're still in the game".

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"Wigglesworth vederfares en ekstremt dynamiseret optagelse, der gør det vanskeligt at finde en indstilling af lydstyrken, som fungerer optimalt. Men bortset fra det tekniske synger bassen rystende egalt og autentisk, skønt han ikke er russer. Orkestret bider uhyggeligt fra sig, og herrekoret er supertændt".

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"This latest recording from John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic offers a measured and far less histrionic approach [than Kondrashin and Karabits] ... Yet the depth and breadth of Chandos's superbly vivid recording ensures that they still make a powerful impact ... The BBC Philharmonic delivers superb and vividly characterised playing throughout ... The Estonian National Male Choir are ideal, their dark timbres and exemplary diction really hitting the target both in the Shostakovich and in Arvo Pärt's profoundly moving 'De profundis'".

"The soloist does not always keep the burnished tones down to the hushed level achieved for Barshai ... but he was in fine voice in 1996, and it is alway a pleasure to hear the distintive sound Temirkanov achieves with the St Petersburg Philharmonic".

"The tone virtually throughout is dark and intense, most particularly the opening movement which sets the title poem ... Muti confirms his identification with this work in its subsequent movements ... Tikhomirov, rich-toned and sentient throughout, is backed by a superbly characterful Chicago Symphony Chorus".

"This beautifully engineered studio recording under Kirill Karabits has all the necessary adrenaline to keep the listener fully engaged. Karabits is particularly effective in negotiating the tricky changes of tempo in the opening 'Babi Ya' movement and ensures that the tension is sustained right to the very end ... The new release certainly benefits from the fine singing of Tsibulko and the more authentic vocal timbres of the combined Russian choirs".

"Transparenz, Artikulationsgenauigkeit und Klangkultur hat diese Neuaufnahme von Schostakowitschs "Babi Yar"-Sinfonie reichlich zu bieten. Aber ob das ausreicht, einem Werk interpretatorisch gerecht zu werden, in dem es (vor allem) um die Schrecken von Antisemitismus und staatlicher Gewalt geht? ... Am besten gelingen folgerichtig die drei letzten Sätze, in denen Dirigent Karabits einige schöne orchestrale Details offenlegt".

"Transparenz, Artikulationsgenauigkeit und Klangkultur hat diese Neuafnahme von Schostakowitschs "Babi Yar"-Sinfonie reichlich zu bieten ... Am besten gelingen folgerichtig die drei letzten Sätze, in denen Kirill Karabits einige schöne orchestrale Details offenlegt".

"Choral shortcomings apart, this makes a fine epilogue to Vasily Petrenko's magnificent Liverpool Shostakovich cycle ... Alexander Vinogradov is the finest bass interpreter here since Sergey Alexashkin, with a lithe freshness all his own ... Do investigate Petrenko's unexpected subtlety and lightness".