“Any listeners even remotely interested in historically significant recordings or the intricate political and historical saga that surrounded Dmitry Shostakovich would do well to own this album. In the context of Soviet history, the Eighth Symphony was written at a time when the Soviet army was driving out Nazi invaders; however, this symphony does anything but celebrate this victory. It was this symphony the Russian government cited when Shostakovich was censured. The liner notes of this album don’t do all they could to elucidate this history and all its intricacies. The recording itself is also historically significant. Conductor Yevgeny Mravinsky not only gave the premiere of the symphony, but was the only conductor to receive a dedication on one of Shostakovich’s symphonies. Another interesting note is that this live recording was originally released on the Philips label to immense critical acclaim, but it was later discovered that it was burned to the disc at a half-step too high in pitch and a corresponding ratio faster than the actual performance. The performance heard here is at the correct pitch and tempo.
–All Music Guide
The playing is indeed an aggressive, intense, take-no-prisoners type of performance. Mravinsky never hesitates to take risks, no matter how bold. Some of them are highly successful and some are not, but the sheer emotion put forth is truly something to behold. Don’t buy this recording if you’re looking for a technically flawless rendition; there are plenty of pitch problems and some ensemble difficulties, as well. But if you want a glimpse at the emotional state of mind present at the premiere of this work, then you’re in for a treat.”
“Mravinsky’s live recording of the Eighth is of capital importance, since it was he who gave the work its premiere ….It is a performance of extraordinary vehemence and power, vivid contrast and bitter intensity. The curdled woodwind dissonances and huge climaxes of the first movement are given a shocking force not simply by sheer volume but by ….playing at the very limit of their powers: it is not often these days that we hear a clarinet or an oboe played so loudly ….. The fact this is a concert performance increases one’s respect for the risks taken: to expect trombones to play staccato at the furious tempo Mravinsky chooses ….is really living dangerously, but they respond superbly, as do the belligerently precise trumpets ….. a performance which sees clearly that the real burden of emotion here lies in the strings …..for a recapturing of the appalling shock this work must have caused (the Russians were expecting a “Victory Symphony”), Mravinsky’s account demands to be heard: the Leningrad audience is struck dumb by it.”
-Gramophone
