Adagio for Strings Archive

SHOSTAKOVICH: Symph. No. 5; BARBER: Adagio for Strings – Pittsburgh Symph. Orch./ Manfred Honeck – Reference Recordings 

by Audiophile Audition | Sep 6, 2017 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony. No. 5 in d, Op. 47; BARBER: Adagio for Strings – Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/ Manfred Honeck – Reference Recordings multichannel SACD FR-724SACD, 60:17 [Distr. by Naxos] *****: A breathtaking release of crushing power. One thing struck me as odd when I received this recording—what in the world is Honeck doing coupling the Barber Adagio with Shostakovich’s supposedly affirmative and optimistic work that he considered a “the response of a Soviet artist to just criticism”? And then I listened…and everything fell into place. Honeck’s linking (in the notes) to the composer with Mahler’s music is fascinating and thought-provoking, even though I think the examples he gives are somewhat tenuous at best. However, though we can consider that Mahler, always fraught with tension in the ideas of bountiful life and ever-present death, is certainly related to Shostakovich in his own struggles with this antinomy, their approaches are vastly different; Mahler plunges us into jubilation and despair with heart-on-sleeve provocation, while Shostakovich is always trying to fool us. One person’s delight is another’s despair in this most quixotic of composers. This present interpretation is one that takes the esoteric side of Shostakovich’s persona seriously. This is no jolly tonal romp with […]