Artist: Vladimir Ashkenazy
Title: Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies (12 Box Set)
Year Of Release: 2007
Label: Decca
Genre: Classical
Total Time: 12:37:45

Tracklist:

CD1

01. Symphony no 1 in F minor op 10, I Allegretto
02. Symphony no 1 in F minor op 10, II Allegro
03. Symphony no 1 in F minor op 10, III Lento
04. Symphony no 1 in F minor op 10, IV Allegro
05. Symphony no 6 in B minor op 54, I Largo
06. Symphony no 6 in B minor op 54, II Allegro
07. Symphony no 6 in B minor op 54, III Presto

CD2

01. Festival Overture Op.96
02. October Op.131
03. Symphony No.2 Op.14 'To October'
04. The Song Of The Forests Op.81 -I- When the War ended
05. The Song Of The Forests Op.81 -II- We will clothe our Homeland with Forests
06. The Song Of The Forests Op.81 -III- Memories of the Past
07. The Song Of The Forests Op.81 -IV- The Pioneers plant the Forests
08. The Song Of The Forests Op.81 -V- The Young Communists go forth
09. The Song Of The Forests Op.81 -VI- A Walk in the Future
10. The Song Of The Forests Op.81 -VII- Glory

CD3

01. I Revolutionary Petrograd
02. II Razliv
03. III Aurora
04. IV The Dawn Of Humanity
05. Allegretto – Allegro –
06. Andante –
07. Allegro – Largo –
08. Moderato 'V Pervoye Pervoye Maya'

CD4

01. Ia. Allegro poco moderato
02. Ib. Presto
03. II. Moderato con moto
04. IIIa. Largo
05. IIIb. Allegro

CD5

01. Symphony No.5 in D minor Op.47. Moderato
02. Symphony No.5 in D minor Op.47. Allegretto
03. Symphony No.5 in D minor Op.47. Largo
04. Symphony No.5 in D minor Op.47. Allegro non troppo
05. 5 Fragments. Moderato
06. 5 Fragments. Andante
07. 5 Fragments. Largo
08. 5 Fragments. Moderato
09. 5 Fragments. Allegretto

CD6

01. Vladimir Ashkenazy, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra – Shostakovich broadcasts from besieged Leningrad in 1941
02. Vladimir Ashkenazy, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra – Symphony No. 7 I. Allegretto
03. Vladimir Ashkenazy, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra – II. Moderato (poco allegretto)
04. Vladimir Ashkenazy, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra – III. Adagio
05. Vladimir Ashkenazy, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra – IV. Allegro non troppo

CD7

01. Funeral and Triumphal Prelude
02. Symphony No 8 – I – Adagio – Allegro non Troppo
03. Symphony No 8 – II Allegretto
04. Symphony No 8 – III – Allegro non Troppo
05. Symphony No 8 – IV – Largo
06. Symphony No 8 – Allegretto
07. Novorossiisk Chimes

CD8

01. Chamber Symphony in C minor, Op. 110a. I. Largo
02. Chamber Symphony in C minor, Op. 110a. II. Allegro molto
03. Chamber Symphony in C minor, Op. 110a. III. Allegretto
04. Chamber Symphony in C minor, Op. 110a. IV. Largo
05. Chamber Symphony in C minor, Op. 110a. V. Largo
06. Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93. I. Moderato
07. Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93. II. Allegro
08. Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93. III. Allegretto
09. Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93. IV. Andante – Allegro

CD9

01. Symphony No 11. I Palace Square. Adragio
02. II 9 January. Allegro
03. III In memoriam. Adagio
04. IV Tocin. Allegro non troppo

CD10

01. Symphony No 13. I. Babi Yar (Adagio)
02. II. Humor (Allegretto)
03. III. At the Store (Adagio)
04. IV. Terror (Largo)
05. V. A Carreer (Allegretto)

CD11

01. Symphony No 14. I. De Profundis (Adagio)
02. II. Malaguena (Allegretto)
03. III. Lorelei (Allegro Molto)
04. IV. The Suicide (Adagio)
05. V. On Watch (Allegretto)
06. VI. Madam, Look (Adagio)
07. VII. At The Sante Jail (Adagio)
08. VIII. The Zaporozhean Cossacks' Answer To The Sultan Of Constantinople (Allegro)
09. IX. O Delvig, Delvig (Andante)
10. X. The Poet's Death (Largo)
11. XI. Conclusion (Moderato)

CD12

01. Symphony No.9 in E flat major, Op.70 – 1. Allegro
02. Symphony No.9 in E flat major, Op.70 – 2. Moderato
03. Symphony No.9 in E flat major, Op.70 – 3. Presto
04. Symphony No.9 in E flat major, Op.70 – 4. Largo
05. Symphony No.9 in E flat major, Op.70 – 5. Allegretto
06. Symphony No.15 in A major, Op.141 – 1. Allegretto
07. Symphony No.15 in A major, Op.141 – 2. Adagio
08. Symphony No.15 in A major, Op.141 – 3. Allegretto
09. Symphony No.15 in A major, Op.141 – 4. Adagio – allegretto

The objective manner may disappoint those who remember Ashkenazy's more flamboyant pianism but this kind of plain-spoken Shostakovich could make a good benchmark library choice. The conscientious avoidance of either high gloss of interpretative point-scoring is carried over into the three new performances produced in-house by the NHK Symphony, an orchestra with which Ashkenazy has been associated as music director and latterly conductor laureate.