Shostakovich: Symphonies 4, 5 & 6 Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra & Klaus Mäkelä

• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975): Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43:
• 1Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43: I. Allegretto poco moderato16:11
• 2Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43: II. Presto12:35
• 3Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43: III. Moderato con moto09:03
• 4Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43: IV. Largo06:51
• 5Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43: V. Allegro22:20
• Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47:
• 6Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: I. Moderato15:56
• 7Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: II. Allegretto05:20
• 8Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: III. Largo13:57
• 9Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47: IV. Allegro non troppo11:36
• Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 54:
• 10Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 54: I. Largo18:53
• 11Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 54: II. Allegro05:43
• 12Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 54: III. Presto06:45
• Total Runtime02:25:10

Info for Shostakovich: Symphonies 4, 5 & 6

The music of Shostakovich has been core to Klaus and the Oslo Philharmonic’s programming from the start of their relationship, and they first performed Symphony no. 5 in November 2019 - before Klaus took up his tenure as Chief Conductor. A special performance of the 5th symphony in Oslo on 14th August will celebrate the release of this album on Decca Classics. Mäkelä & the Philharmonic will go on to perform the symphonies on tour later this year, including concerts at Salzburg Festival and Musikfest, Berlin.

These performances are Klaus Mäkelä’s first Shostakovich on record and he was determined that Symphonies Nos, 4, 5 and 6 should appear together. Composed during the 1930s, these three works reflect a deeply traumatic period for the composer. For Mäkelä, the Fourth Symphony is the composer’s ultimate masterpiece. ‘The gestures are so incredibly modern – it sounds as if it was written yesterday. It is a very problematic work not only because it received its premiere much, much later, but it’s so unusual, even for Shostakovich. In a way it contains everything – the core of all his expression. And it’s shocking in terms of its structure and harmonic language which can be extremely brutal at times.’ The Fifth Symphony, probably the composer’s most-popular work, in Mäkelä’s words, ‘is almost the perfect piece in terms of expression and structure. What makes it so great is that it has so many layers of expression which can be interpreted in such different ways.’ The Sixth Symphony, composed in 1939, after the immediate danger to Shostakovich’s life has passed following Stalin’s denunciation of the opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, is a work close the conductor’s heart. ‘The Sixth is one of my favourites because it is such a deeply personal work with an unusually imperfect form. The intense first movement Largo is followed by two short dances of grotesque joy and parody, giving a depth to the work which is both intensely dramatic and intimate.’

"Undoubtedly the performances bear out his enthusiasm, at least partly. Sometimes Mäkelä’s approach can seem a little too careful and measured, especially in the opening movement of the Fifth, despite the refinement of the Oslo Philharmonic’s playing, while the sheer wildness of the Fourth always seems to be kept on a tight leash. But the account of the Sixth Symphony is beautifully controlled and paced, the Oslo strings radiant as the first movement steadily intensifies, the woodwind fabulously agile in the scherzo second, and the finale a joyous, witty romp." (The Guardian, UK)

“In a truly magnificent performance Mäkelä squeezed out every drop of energy at key moments… he struck the ambiguous balance with thrilling perfection.” ★★★★★ Bachtrack

“…this mind-blowing Oslo Philharmonic performance … as thrilling for its emotional contradictions as for its pulverising unity of purpose. The opening movement was instantly all-consuming, a journey of organic inevitability encompassing the sublime, the cataclysmic, and the disarming naivety of its closing bars. ★★★★★ The Scotsman

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Klaus Mäkelä, conductor

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