Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra & Vasily Petrenko

• Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975): Symphony No. 10
• 1I. Moderato22:48
• 2II. Allegro04:09
• 3III. Allegretto12:15
• 4IV. Andante - Allegro12:59
• Total Runtime52:11

Info for Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10

Shostakovich’s monumental Symphony No. 10 ranks among his finest works. From the bleak introspection of the extended opening movement, through the graphic evocation of violence in the explosive Allegro, and the eerie dance-like Allegretto alternating between dark and light, to the final movement’s dramatic climax, this is a work of breathtaking musical contrasts. In 2010 Vasily Petrenko was named Male Artist of the Year at the Classical Brit Awards. His Naxos recording of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8 (8.572392), was hailed as ‘yet another Petrenko performance to join the greats’ (BBC Music Magazine).

„The tenth is a symphony into which many have tempted to read parallels with Shosatkovich's life; the bleak moods of the early stages were conjured before the death of Stalin in 1953, while the finale is an obviously personal celebration of ambiguous liberation. The refreshing thing is that Petrenko treats it as a great symphony in its own right. In one of the fleetest first movements on record, he traces a single melodic line, with a brief deviation into the limping, waltzing second subject. This means no slackening, no rhetorical grandiosity even in the shattering central climax, so that song, rather than numb misery, can lead the way. In this Petrenko's RLPO strings and woodwind support him to the hilt. The whirlwind scherzo is hair raising. But it's in Petrenko's Finale that all lines meet: the arching, painful lyricism of the first movement crystalized in the opening oboe solo, the perky Allegro light and airy at first to point up its contrast to the second movement, which duly breaks in as storm clouds gather. The ending is genuinely exultant. Recorded sound is brilliant.“ (BBC Music Magazine)

„There's been no finer account in recent years.“ (Gramophone)

This series is developing into something really special.These RLPO Shostakovich recordings withstand comparisons with some of the greatest performances on disc.A thrilling performance.“ (Sunday Times)

„The clarity of playing and definition by the Royal Liverpool Phil,which he(Petrenko)has transformed into a virtuoso orchestra,is mind boggling.“ (The Herald)

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko, conductor

Vasily Petrenko - Conductor
Vasily Petrenko was appointed Principal Conductor of the orchestra in September 2006 and in September 2009 became Chief Conductor. He is also Principal Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and in 2013 will become Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. He was the Classical BRIT Awards Male Artist of the Year 2010 and the Classic FM/Gramophone Young Artist of the Year 2007. In 2009 he was awarded Honorary Doctorates by the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Hope University. He now works with many of the world’s finest orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Russian National, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Philadelphia, Los Angeles Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras, and the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, and his wide operatic repertoire includes Macbeth (Glyndebourne Festival Opera), Le Villi, I due Foscari and Boris Godunov (Netherlands Reisopera), Pique Dame (Hamburg State Opera) and Eugene Onegin (Opéra de Paris, Bastille). Recordings with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra include Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony (2009 Classic FM/Gramophone Orchestral Recording of the Year) (Naxos 8.570568), an ongoing Shostakovich cycle, and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances and complete Piano Concertos.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
The award-winning Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is Britain’s oldest surviving professional symphony orchestra, dating from 1840. The dynamic young Russian, Vasily Petrenko, was appointed Principal Conductor of the orchestra in September 2006 and in September 2009 became Chief Conductor. The orchestra gives over sixty concerts each season in Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and tours widely throughout the United Kingdom and internationally, most recently touring to China, Switzerland, France, Spain, Germany, Romania and the Czech Republic. In recent seasons, world première performances have included major works by Sir John Tavener, Karl Jenkins, Michael Nyman and Jennifer Higdon, John McCabe, Emily Howard, Gary Carpenter, Mark Simpson and Kenneth Hesketh. Recent additions to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s extensive and critically acclaimed recording catalogue include Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony (2009 Gramophone Awards Orchestral Recording of the Year), the world première performance of Sir John Tavener’s Requiem, the first six discs of an ongoing Shostakovich cycle (the recording of Symphony No. 10 is the 2011 Gramophone Awards Orchestral Recording of the Year), Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, and Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 and Nos. 1 and 4 with Simon Trpčeski; and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 3.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir & Chorus Master: Ian Tracey
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir has always been central to the life of Liverpool Philharmonic. Its members are drawn from all walks of life and travel from all parts of the Liverpool City Region, and beyond, to take part in the choir’s activities. The choir’s repertoire covers all periods and styles from Bach to newly commissioned works, with full symphony orchestra and unaccompanied, and it also plays a leading rôle in the famous Liverpool Philharmonic Carol Concerts. The choir has performed in many of the major British concert venues, has sung with the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Wales and the BBC Philharmonic, and has undertaken several foreign tours, both independently and with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Ian Tracey has been Chorus Master since 1985 and has travelled with the choir both in Britain and abroad.

Booklet for Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10