Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 9 & 10

Chronique

Gianandrea Noseda is not the kind of conductor whose innovations reach out and grab the listener. His expertise resides partly in his work in preparing an orchestra, and the ease throughout with which the London Symphony Orchestra masters the variety of Shostakovich textures here is part of the key to the success of this pair of symphonies. These two pieces do not have the moods one would expect. The Symphony No. 9 in E flat major, Op. 70, was written just as World War II was ending; in place of the desired and planned heroic celebration, Shostakovich delivered a light, almost Mozartian work, hardly reflecting the chaos that surrounded the composer except perhaps in the oddly nervous finale. Although there is nothing terribly progressive about it, the work helped put Shostakovich in hot water once again with Soviet authorities. It is almost as if Shostakovich felt ill-equipped to deal with the tragedies of the war until he came to the Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93, of 1953, after he had survived his second denunciation. Shostakovich biographer Solomon Volkov claimed that the work was intended as a portrait of the deceased Joseph Stalin, but sketches for the work date back as far as 1946. It has a vast 23-minute first movement, followed by three much shorter pieces. The opening movement perhaps represented Shostakovich's delayed attempt to deal with the horrors of the war. As a whole, the work marks one of the first instances of Shostakovich's late style, with its very Mahlerian combination of gloom and sarcasm. Noseda nails the balance beautifully, not overdoing the somber first movement with histrionics other conductors have added. His Symphony No. 9 is as lively and light as could be desired. There is nothing "new" about Noseda's readings here, but they are well-considered and accurate, which is no small thing considering the musical and interpretive difficulties Shostakovich poses. The live London Symphony Orchestra sound gives a real feeling of immediacy, and that's all to the good. A very strong Shostakovich from a conductor who is emerging as a master with regard to this composer.
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