Please recommend a recording of Shostakovich Sym 12

I know it is considered one of his less successful symphonies, but I love the visceral effect that it has on me.

I am familiar with the Haitink recording and it is quite good. Any others?

Polyanksy on Chandos is good

the visceral effect that it has on me. I am familiar with the Haitink recording and it is quite good. Any others?

I don't know if Durjan ever got onto CD, but his Shosty 12th has tremendous atmosphere. Virtually the best I have heard, but it was some time ago as it was on LP. From memory it was on a Philips Universo. Haitink isn't at all bad, but not in the Durjan class for this particular work.

Regards,

# http://www.users.bigpond.com/hallraylily/index.html See You Tamara (Ozzy Osbourne)

Ray, Taree, NSW

The great recording from the 1967s of this steaming pile of crap is Ogan Durjan on Philips. It was briefly available a decade ago, coupled with Herbert Kegel's recording of the cantata 'The Execution of Stepan Razin.'

Philips 434 172-2 - the Collectors Limited Edition series.

Mravinsky on ERATO, perhaps?

Which raises the question: who the heck is Ogan Durjan? A nom de guerre for Anton Nanut?

Paul Goldstein

No, evidently a real Armenian conductor active in the USSR at the time.

Ratwood19 wrote

'I know it is considered one of his less successful symphonies, but I love the

I have two different Mravinsky/LenPO performances - an LP Melodiya one, and a 'live' CD one from 4/84. both are good performances, but the piece just doesn't come off too well for me. DS was not too satisfied with it either.

No, he's a very nice man and as someone has mentioned he is Armenian. He conducts regular concerts throughout Eastern Europe and has some post (I think) with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra who like him very much. He is also a specialist in French music including Debussy and Ravel and conducts (very expressively) without a baton.

Much liked among orchestral musicians for his happy disposition (and seems quite popular with audiences, too)and for his mastery of a score.

Nicknamed (in Prague, anyway) Saint Nicolas (or Father Christmas to you) for he sports a fairly long white beard. An excellent musician, in my opinion, and like Saint Nicolas jolly with it. About six or seven years ago I did a wonderful La Mer with him or at any event I can't remember the previous La Mer that got a three or four minute standing ovation.

Even if people do not know about him, he does know what he is about.

Kind regards, Alan M. Watkins

Some of the things that people say about Shostakovitch could also be relegated to the litter box of history.

Kind regards, Alan M. Watkins (owned, in various degrees, by ten cats)