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Shostakovich recordings on BIS
Symphony No.11
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
“Mark Wigglesworth's attention to detail is apparent from the first movement. The music seems to stand still as Wigglesworth stakes everything on the most important element: the instrumentation. He doesn't hurry his way through the movement, but waits until every detail emerges out of the haze of the strings. This has a most unusual effect. On the one hand, the performance seems almost too slow and sluggish; on the other hand it is perhaps precisely this lethargic, pale coolness (demonstrated to perfection in the trumpet's reveille) that is the essence of this piece. It could quite appropriately be compared to a menacing military march.
Click on the link below to hear Mark Wigglesworth and the Netherlands Radio Phiharmonic Orchestra in an extract from the finale of Shostakovich's Symphony No.11 on BIS:
The same applies to the rest of the recording: the tempo is on the whole slow, giving space to every phrase and every tonal nuance. The subtly planned corollary is that the fast sections of movements 2 and 4 are performed at a tempo just quick enough that none of the lines become blurred. The orchestra's virtuosity is apparent in the extreme precision and excitement of the playing. (...) The performance of the whole symphony is eloquent in its narrative, and coherent in its expression.”
klassik.com, April 2010
“… This could be the most important Shostakovich cycle of recent times. […]
[Wigglesworth] takes a broader, more purposeful view of these scores than most, uncovering a wealth of hidden detail and sonorities along the way. This wouldn’t count for much if the results weren’t so compelling. For instance, I was quite sure the gaunt 8th wouldn’t survive Wigglesworth’s measured pace, only to discover that those great climaxes sound all the more powerful for being so doggedly pursued. In particular, the 12th which, like the 11th, is often considered a Cinderella symphony, emerges as a far better work than I had first imagined. Indeed, if anyone can be said to have rehabilitated that neglected work it must be Mark Wigglesworth.
So, how does the 11th fare? As with all iconoclasts - and I’d say that’s a fair description of this conductor - first reactions are likely to be mixed. His tempi and phrasing in the first movement, ‘In the Palace Square’, are very deliberate indeed - just listen to those dark opening chords - yet the music retains a surprising degree of tension. […]
The second movement, ‘The Ninth of January’, is similarly low-key to begin with, but Wigglesworth soon ratchets up the tension, restless brass baying above insistent drums. And despite the work’s obvious programme, Wigglesworth focuses more on the subtleties and nuances of the score, all of which are projected with striking clarity and implacable logic. That may translate into ‘too cool and detached’ for some, but aided and abetted by a warm, detailed recording Wigglesworth and his Dutch forces can be as ferocious as any when required. […]
After that heat and turmoil Shostakovich strikes a note of utter desolation, the music leached of all warmth and drained of all momentum. Wigglesworth captures that chill as few others have done, ushering in the third movement, ‘In memoriam’, with the softest string playing imaginable. Indeed, the ear-pricking realism of this disc is a perfect complement to the conductor’s passion for detail; many of those barely audible string passages - a distant keening, perhaps - are often lost on less analytical recordings. Just as impressive is the amplitude and weight of the pounding theme that emerges at 7:57, less gritty than some yet no less powerful for that. And listen out for the spectral figure that flickers into life at 10:15; it may be short-lived, but in Wigglesworth’s hands it takes on a frisson all of its own.
The last movement, ‘The Tocsin’, is apt to sound rhetorical at best and bombastic at worst, and it’s a measure of Wigglesworth’s skill that he manages to avoid both pitfalls. There’s plenty of thrust here, the playing as keenly focused as ever. […] But it’s that juggernaut of a finale that draws together all the strengths of Wigglesworth’s vision, combining raw power with a remarkable degree of refinement, yet without sacrificing momentum or excitement.
And that’s the nub of it; Wigglesworth’s musical judgment is impeccable, the results invariably illuminating. Yes, the young pretender Vasily Petrenko’s recent recording of the 11th might offer more ‘bang for your buck’, but if you want a deeply satisfying performance of this symphony - and an unrivalled recording - then Wigglesworth’s is the one for you.”
Recording of the Month
musicweb-international.com, March 2010
Symphony No.4
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
"Mark Wigglesworth and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic... here once again... deliver a performance of the Fourth that makes a terrific impact, not merely at the weighty climaxes but also in the way that Shostakovich’s material is executed with a sharp ear for detail while at the same time forging appreciable... architectural shape.
Click on the link below to hear Mark Wigglesworth and the Netherlands Radio Phiharmonic Orchestra in an extract from the finale of Shostakovich's Symphony No.4 on BIS:
Wigglesworth’s long view of where the symphony is heading is a crucial component of this interpretation, but it also embraces a kaleidoscopic variety of character, be it the icy funeral march at the start of the finale, the passages of stirring brilliance in Shostakovich’s orchestral writing, or those moments where the composer seems to be retreating into his own contemplative thoughts. The emotional force is intense."
The Telegraph, 5 stars, July 2009
“This is one of those symphonies, like Mahler’s Seventh, which demands so much orchestral preparation that you rarely hear a less than compelling interpretation. Recently we’ve had top-notch discs from Gergiev, Jansons, Barshai and Haitink. For me, Wigglesworth’s latest instalment in his long-term Shostakovich cycle goes even deeper – something I might have expected from his shattering English National Opera performances of the near-contemporary Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Climaxes here are comparably weighty, but there’s a clarity and an expressive care throughout which inform even those first-movement passages where Shostakovich seems suspended in a pale kind of purgatory.
Everything is humanised, so that the conflict of the Finale is a whirlwind battle rather than a grinding mechanism, and even the circus ditties before the final storm have a charm as well as nuance. The end is as mesmerising as it can be, raising parallels with the fading heartbeat of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique. Is Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony an equal masterpiece? Mark Wigglesworth and his Dutch players persuade me that it is.”
BBC Music Magazine, Music Choice, 5 stars, October 2009
“Wigglesworth has the requisite dramatic sweep and staying power for this unusual, large piece; he leaves room for the ambivalent traits, and for the alternation between classical and modern, between rigid and free form. He has a feel for the upturns and the downturns, for the sometimes violent contrasts, for the surprises and for the grotesque and sarcastic elements of the score.
The Netherlands Radio Philharmonie play with precision, flexibility, virtuosity, excitement, and rich contrast; they master the great storms as well as the reserved passages of the piece, they unfold the intimate music of the chamber music passages of the second and third movements, and find exactly the right intonation for the piece. The transparency of the playing is perfect; not a single detail is lost.”
Klassik Heute, September 2009
"This isn't the kind of juggernaut performance that most listeners probably have in mind when thinking of this brash work ... Mark Wigglesworth's tempos are a few minutes slower ... but he has a very real and admirable ability to emphasize detail and rhythmic precision without sacrificing the necessary power. In the first movement's crazy fugue, for example, even though you might wish he had made a bit less of a diminuendo after the entrance of the galloping rhythm in strings and percussion, the very clarity of texture means that the music loses very little in the way of excitement, and it gains a melodic interest you might never suspect that it has.
Similarly, the climactic chorale in the finale never has been done better, and for once you can actually hear the timpani ostinato that gets it going. It's a real rhythm, and not just the usually muddy rumble in the depths of the orchestra. Wigglesworth also handles the preceding ballet suite with memorable charm, grace, and humor, and he carries his players along with him every step of the way. The result is an interpretation that gives the music a very different character from most of the other slowish versions (Haitink's for example). The sonics are very natural and well-balanced, but also a bit low level (this is more pronounced in multi-channel format). You really need to crank up the volume to capture the climaxes, but if you're system can handle it, you're going to love this."
Classicstoday.com, June 2009
Symphonies Nos. 9 & 12
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
"Wigglesworth’s fine ear for orchestral sonority always brings out unusual elements in the scoring. His insights make this performance and that of the 12th well worth hearing, and an extremely viable alternative to the complete cycles that are delivered under the direction of Kitajenko, Kondrashin or Jansons."
BBC Music Choice, BBC Music Magazine, December 2007
Hear Mark Wigglesworth and the Netherlands Radio Phiharmonic Orchestra in the opening of Shostakovich's Symphony No.9:
"Mark Wigglesworth’s stop-go Shostakovich cycle has been gathering momentum without compromising its particular characteristics of high seriousness, fine detailing and a certain fierceness of articulation."
David Gutman, Gramophone Magazine, December 2007
"Shostakovich's Twelfth Symphony may not be his best, but it certainly doesn't lack for excellent performances, and this is certainly one of the very finest. The work poses few interpretive problems: it needs to be played hard, fast, and loud, with as much ensemble precision as possible. That's exactly what Mark Wiggleworth does. There are moments here that no other version comes close to matching: the final climax of the first movement, the fusillade of symphonic gunfire that leads into the finale, and much of the latter, including the coda, equaled only by Mravinsky."
David Hurwitz, Classics Today.com, December 2007
Symphony No 13, 'Babi Yar'
Netherlands Radio Choir & Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
"Occasionally, among the avalanche of Shostakovich centenary-year recordings, along comes one that really makes a difference. Wigglesworth secures brilliantly characterised playing from the orchestra, with a fine contribution from Rootering."
Malcolm Hayes, Classic FM Magazine, December 2006
Hear Mark Wigglesworth and the Netherlands Radio Phiharmonic Orchestra in the opening of Shostakovich's Symphony No.13 'Babi Yar':
"Mark Wigglesworth’s Shostakovich cycle continues with probably the most convincing Thirteenth to have appeared in the West….Almost 45 years on from its première, the audacity of a work such as Babi Yar in confronting social hypocrisy can seem hard to recapture. Wigglesworth’s reading may not be the last word – but with SACD sound bringing out hitherto unsuspected subtleties in Shostakovich’s scoring, it conveys the work’s emotional power to impressive effect. As a modern complement to Kondrashin’s studio version, one cannot do better."
Richard Whitehouse, International Record Review, October 2006
"Wigglesworth's handling of the opening ritornello theme in the finale, "A Career", has a pastoral gentleness unmatched by just about any other performance, and the closing pages are simply magical. I think it's probably safe to say that this performance offers the most satisfying conclusion captured thus far. I don't know how many "Babi Yars" you have, or how many you may think you need, but if you're in the market, then let this one be one of them."
David Hurwitz, Classics Today.com, October 2006
Symphony No.8
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
"Mark Wigglesworth obviously knows his way around this music, and he shapes a powerful and intelligent performance… The playing of the woodwinds in the finale, particularly the bassoons and oboes, is simply magnificent, and once again Wigglesworth resists the tendency to linger interminably over its more elegiac moments. The exhausted recapitulation after the final climax is exactly right, and the gentle coda has all of that touching, emotional ambiguity that makes this symphony so moving an experience. Excellent sonics, both in stereo and multichannel formats, help to make this a performance that truly delivers the goods."
David Hurwitz, Classics Today.com, October 2005
"There is much to admire here. Wigglesworth is a fast-maturing conductor and it is good that we have this opportunity to track his career. The Netherlanders respond well and with devotion to his direction, and the sound secured by Bis is beyond reproach."
Colin Clarke, Music Web International, October 2005
Symphony No.14
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
"This is one red-hot Shostakovich Fourteenth. Mark Wigglesworth holds nothing in reserve as he leads a blazing account of the score, with the BBC Wales Orchestra providing some wonderfully gutsy string playing (the frenzied leaping in Malaguena and the brutal slashing of the Zaporozhian Cossacks' Answer), and driven, searingly precise percussion… Wigglesworth's rendition belongs in the top rank among modern versions."
Victor Carr Jr, Classics Today.com, July 2001
Links:
BIS Records
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
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