Film Music Classics - Shostakovich: The Fall Of Berlin, Etc

$19.99
Label
Naxos
Release Date
August 29, 2006
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      SHOSTAKOVICH
    • PERFORMER
      Adriano, Moscow So
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      August 29, 2006
    • UPC
      747313023875
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      8570238
    • LABEL
      Naxos
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Orchestral & Symphonic
    Works ⌄

    1. I. Main Title Part 1

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    2. II. Beautiful day

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Capella, Moscow Youth Chorus, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    3. III. Alyosha by the river

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    4. IV. Stalin's garden

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Capella, Moscow Youth Chorus, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    5. V. Alyosha and Natalia in the fields - Attack

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    6. VI. Hitler's reception

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    7. VII. In the devastated village

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    8. VIII. Forward!

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    9. IX. Main Title Part 2

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    10. X. The roll call - Attack at night

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    11. XI. Storming Seelov Heights (Zielona Gora)

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    12. XII. The flooding of the underground station

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    13. XIII. The final battle for the Reichstag - Kostya's death

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    14. XIV. Yussuf's death - The Red Banner

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    15. XV. Stalin at Berlin Airport

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Capella, Moscow Youth Chorus, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    16. XVI. Finale: Stalin's speech - Alyosha and Natasha reunited

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Capella, Moscow Youth Chorus, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    17. I. Introduction

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    18. II. Romance (Meeting of Shibayev with Katya)

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    19. III. Scene from the Sea Battle

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    20. IV. Scherzo

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    21. V. The Assault on the Red Hill, "Assault on Beautiful Gorky"

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Performer: Ellena Alekseyeva

      Conductor: Adriano

    22. VI. Intermezzo

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano

    23. VII. Finale

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

      Conductor: Adriano


This recording, previously issued on Marco Polo in its film music series, now reappears at budget price on Naxos, and it's quite welcome. The Fall of Berlin, a typical World War II saga depicting Russian heroism and the last days of Hitler, inspired Shostakovich to some good battle music and more than a few characterful episodes depicting both sides of the ongoing struggle. There's no reason to believe that the composer did not sincerely desire the defeat of Germany, and so did not take this particular job seriously, all questions of Socialist Realism aside. In any event, the film offered the chance to write a lot of music, some 45 minutes' worth, much of it unusually extended and developed. The result is certainly listenable on its own apart from the film, even if for obvious reasons the score is more than a bit strident and relentless in depicting both struggle and triumph.

Shostakovich took pride in much of his work for films, even while regarding it as something apart from his career as a "serious" composer. It's easy to understand why: as André Previn once mentioned, the requirements of working on movies tend to minimize opportunities for "the elongated thought." That said, The Unforgettable Year 1919 offered Shostakovich the chance to write a full-blown romantic piano concerto movement similar to Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto, and he produced something eminently cinematic, if utterly atypical of his more familiar style. The track in question is somewhat confusingly called The Assault on the Red Hill, and you can have a lot of fun playing it for your friends and asking them to guess the composer. The performances are a bit rough and ready, not unusual given this source, but they're certainly in character and vividly recorded. Shostakovich fans will need no further urging from me.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com