Shostakovich: Epic Film Scores

On this CD:

1. Maxim, suite (from film scores Opp.45 & 89), Op. 50a (assembled by Atovmyan)
Composed by Dmitry Shostakovich

Conducted by Walter Mnatsakanov

2. Belinsky, suite from the film score, Op.85a (assembled by Atovmyan)
Composed by Dmitry Shostakovich

Conducted by Walter Mnatsakanov

3. Pirogov, suite from the film score, Op. 76a (assembled by Atovmyan)
Composed by Dmitry Shostakovich

Conducted by Walter Mnatsakanov

Tracks:

The Maxim Trilogy: Prelude
The Maxim Trilogy: Attack Scene
The Maxim Trilogy: The Death Of The Old Worker
The Maxim Trilogy: Waltz
The Maxim Trilogy: Demonstration
The Maxim Trilogy: Fighting On The Barricades
The Maxim Trilogy: Funeral March (Played Without Pause)
The Maxim Trilogy: Finale
Belinsky: Overture
Belinsky:Sorrowful Song
Belinsky: The Strength Of The People
Belinsky: Intermezzo (Played Without Pause)
Belinsky: Song Without Words
Belinsky: Scene (Played Without Pause)
Belinsky: Finale
Pirogov: Introduction
Pirogov: Scene
Pirogov: Waltz
Pirogov: Scherzo
Pirogov: Finale

Customer Reviews:

Belinsky is one of Shostakovich's finest.......2007-02-25

I entirely agree with the previous reviewer. Belinsky is one of those hidden gems that Shostakovich fans should seek out. When I first acquired the disc, I must have listened to the rich yearning of the Sorrowful Song at least three times through, and aside from the overture (which doesn't fit the overall work at all, though according to reviews at the internet movie database it was just about the only music that made it into the final film) the entire work listens as a single, cohesive whole. As usual, Mnatsakanov and the Belarus RTV Symphony Orchestra doesn't disappoint, though as on all of their discs, the sound quality lacks the crispness to be found elsewhere, as on the Capriccio recordings. To my taste, the bombastic marches of Maxim are more enjoyable on the Capriccio recording, which is also more complete, though Mnatsakanov offers the listener a more subdued listen here. Pirogov rounds off the disc and ensures that, in my estimation, this stands as the finest of the discs in the Mnatsakanov recordings of Shostakovich film scores available on the Citadel and Russian labels. Before I encountered Belinsky, I never thought another Shostakovich score would enter the same league with the Gadfly, Five Days Five Nights, and The Fall of Berlin. Now I can't imagine my collection without it.

Belinsky is one of Shostakovich's best film scores!.......2006-08-08

Shostakovich's film scores are very hit and miss. He himself admitted it was not his favorite area of music. A great many of them bear the mark of a man trying to both appease the state and keep his family fed with overtly patriotic and heroic scorings of some of the Soviet Unions darkest days. As such, there is little life, much repetition, and almost none of the Shostakovich we know in many of these works. Yet here on this disk we have some shining examples of what Shosty was capable of when he was actually interested in a project and paired with the right filmmakers.

THE MAXIM trilogy that starts things off is not the best in his filmic repretoire, but it has its moments, most notably the brooding "DEATH OF THE OLD WORKER."

PIROGOV, which ends the dis, does much better in communicating the true sound of Shostakovich, though it is a relatively short offering.

But it is BELINKSY that is the shining star of this collection. Of all the scores, and I've heard many of them, this is one of the outright best. It ranks up with HAMLET and GADFLY, in my opinion. The "SORROWFUL SONG" (Track 10), the longest track on the disc at 11 minutes, is almost a work unto itself with its trademark brooding nature and mix of male and femal chorus throughout. Later tracks in the suite bring to mind the heroic and epic sweeps of the recent LORD OF THE RINGS soundtracks!

The performance is outstanding and the recording is sufficient, though not quite top-notch for audiophiles.

All in all, this is worth getting if you are a rabid Shostakovich fan - especially if you haven't found much to like in his other film scores. I really would like to see the entire BELINSKY score recorded, and not just the suite we have here!

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Music Review

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