Conductor Semyon Bychkov has recorded with some of the greatest orchestras in the world, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Rundfunk Symphony, London Philharmonic, and the Berlin Philharmonic (with which he made an earlier recording of the present Shostakovich Symphony No. 11). Upon hearing this disc, it is safe to conclude that his newest post as principal conductor of the Symphony Orchestra Cologne has resulted in an amazing symbiotic relationship for ensemble and conductor alike. ...
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Conductor Semyon Bychkov has recorded with some of the greatest orchestras in the world, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Rundfunk Symphony, London Philharmonic, and the Berlin Philharmonic (with which he made an earlier recording of the present Shostakovich Symphony No. 11). Upon hearing this disc, it is safe to conclude that his newest post as principal conductor of the Symphony Orchestra Cologne has resulted in an amazing symbiotic relationship for ensemble and conductor alike. Shostakovich has rarely sounded so fresh and alive, and no other recording in memory of this symphony has sounded so spectacular and masterful. Bychkov elicits an impressive array of sound and color from the orchestra. The first movement is stark and glass-like, almost taking away the listener's sense of time. The percussion and brass interrupt the serenity, foretelling the military threat that is to come. The second movement fugato is viscous, savage, and relentless. The unity and untiring...
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