COMPOSERS: Shostakovich/Britten
LABELS: EMI
WORKS: Symphony No. 10; Sinfonia da Requiem
PERFORMER: Philharmonia Orchestra, CBSO/Simon Rattle
CATALOGUE NO: CDM 7 64870 2 DDD (1985/84)
An extraordinarily generous yet pertinent coupling of two of this century’s most powerful symphonic utterances. Rattle gives a brooding and forceful account of the Britten, emphasising the work’s darker undercurrents even in the emotional release of the final ‘Requiem aeternam’. He is more wayward in the expansive opening movement of the Shostakovich, though the finale brings a greater sense of urgency. Erik Levi
Shostakovich/Britten: Symphony No. 10; Sinfonia da Requiem
An extraordinarily generous yet pertinent coupling of two of this century’s most powerful symphonic utterances. Rattle gives a brooding and forceful account of the Britten, emphasising the work’s darker undercurrents even in the emotional release of the final ‘Requiem aeternam’. He is more wayward in the expansive opening movement of the Shostakovich, though the finale brings a greater sense of urgency. Erik Levi
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:32 pm