Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 "Year 1905" (1967) Mravinsky/LPO

Dimitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op. 103 "The Year 1905" 1. Adagio - The Palace Square (00:08) 2. Allegro - The 9th of January (15:42) 3. Adagio - Memory Eternal (34:22) 4. Allegro non troppo - Tocsin (45:55) Yevgeny Mravinsky, conductor The Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra Recorded Live in Leningrad, 1967 When lists are posted of the greatest conductors of the 20th Century, the name of Mravinsky is usually not there. Of all omissions this is the most grievous. The fact that Mravinsky worked behind the Iron Curtain is meaningless. Soviet or not, his genius on the podium is impossible to ignore. If there was ever an artist who deserves the restoration effort here it is surely him, and we are delighted to visit this recording again. We will be spending more time with Mravinsky in the coming months. In our view it is impossible to hear too much of him. When the news broke in August of 1975 of the passing of Shostakovich, it was hard to resist a cold shudder down the spine; for the first time since 1757 there were no more living Great Symphonists. The symphonic output of the Russian composer has taken five generations to come into focus, and the more time passes, the more obvious it is that Shostakovich was probably the most important symphonist since Gustav Mahler. (You can lose the "probably" as far as I'm concerned.) His symphonies cover a wide range of thematic and topical content, many have colorful lore and names to go with the music, which sometimes have a program, and sometimes do not. But all Shostakovich symphonies have their adherents, and they are devoted. The present symphony has a program based on the 1905 Revolution, but like his others, the music extends beyond the stated program and moves into personal and historic subjects and themes. Often called "The Movie Without Pictures" because the evocative content is so cinematic, the 11th Symphony is one of his most successful and popular works. It has been recorded many times by a variety of conductors, and was seen as a triumph when it was first premiered in 1957. Mravinsky and Shostakovich are often associated with each other, and his performance of this symphony from 1959 is posted numerous times here on YouTube. The present performance from 1967 is from a live concert. Notice the audience: they are too spellbound to even cough. BTW there has been some confusion among subscribers stating this is the 1959 recording, It is not. This was recorded by Czech Radio in 1967 and has been issued on Praga. In order for our posts to remain commercial-free, we do not monetize on this channel. If you wish to offer support for this kind of music and sound, you may make a donation to: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted...