Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 9 & 12 Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra & Mark Wigglesworth

• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975): Symphony No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70:
• 1 Symphony No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70: I. Allegro 05:33
• 2 Symphony No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70: II. Moderato 06:03
• 3 Symphony No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70: III. Presto 03:00
• 4 Symphony No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70: IV. Largo 03:11
• 5 Symphony No. 9 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70: V. Allegretto - Allegro 06:45
• Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "The Year of 1917":
• 6 Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "The Year of 1917": I. Revolutionary Petrograd 13:00
• 7 Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "The Year of 1917": II. Razliv 10:25
• 8 Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "The Year of 1917": III. Aurora 03:56
• 9 Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "The Year of 1917": IV. The Dawn of Humanity 10:16
• Total Runtime 01:02:09

Info for Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 9 & 12

Among the many discs released during last year's Shostakovich anniversary, one that received particular notice was Mark Wigglesworth's recording of Symphony No. 13 'Babi Yar' with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra]. In the International Record Review the performance was hailed as 'probably the most convincing Thirteenth to have appeared in the West', while the French magazine Diapason commented on how the various facets of the composer was brought out: 'the scathing humour, the sense of the grotesque, the satiric spirit and the secret messages ... in sum, a vivid and true vision'. Mark Wigglesworth, described in the BBC Music Magazine as 'the finest Shostakovich interpreter of his generation', has already recorded seven of the composer's fifteen symphonies for BIS, beginning this great project with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and continuing with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra – a collaboration which began with the 2005 release of Symphony No.8, in what The Sunday Times described as ‘a fine performance of deep understanding.’ The team now returns with their renditions of Symphonies Nos 9 and 12.

As Mark Wigglesworth observes in his own liner notes, these two works posed serious problems for their creator. Following on the heels of his two great war symphonies, the Ninth was generally expected to be a celebration of Stalin and the imminent victory over the Nazis. Shostakovich wanted to avoid any such programmatic interpretations and therefore came up with what Wigglesworth describe as ‘a pure and perfect, almost neoclassical work’. 16 years later, Shostakovich was commissioned to write a work commemorating Lenin and the 1917 Revolution. Again reluctant to comply with the expectations of the Soviet state, he now took exactly the opposite approach and wrote his most programmatic symphony. One of the greatest film music composers of his time, Shostakovich used his well-honed technique to conjure up brilliantly the atmospheres and events of the revolution, thereby avoiding having to make any personal comments on it or its leaders.

“If the first movement of the Ninth seems playful rather than sarcastic, Wigglesworth's fine ear for orchestral sonority always brings out unusual elements in the scoring. His insights make this performance and that of the 12th well worth hearing, and an extremely viable alternative to the complete cycles that are delivered under the direction of Kitajenko, Kondrashin or Jansons.” (BBC Music Magazine)

“Wigglesworth’s long view of where the symphony is heading is a crucial component of this interpretation, but it also embraces a kaleidoscopic variety of character, be it the icy funeral march at the start of the finale, the passages of stirring brilliance in Shostakovich’s orchestral writing, or those moments where the composer seems to be retreating into his own contemplative thoughts. The emotional force is intense.” (The Telegraph)

“The playing is superbly detailed and the warm orchestral sound brings the Mahlerian similarities very much to the fore.” (The Guardian)

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Mark Wigglesworth, conductor

The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (NRPO)
was established in 1945. Its current chief conductor is Markus Stenz and the American conductor James Gaffigan is principal guest conductor. The renowned conductor Bernard Haitink is patron of the NRPO. The NRPO has worked with the world’s foremost guest conductors and given first performances of works by, among others, Messiaen, Berio, Boulez, Carter, Adams, Adès and Ustvolskaya. As one of the flagship orchestras for the Dutch Broadcasting Authority, the NRPO occupies a prominent place in concert series in Amsterdam and Utrecht. The NRPO has also appeared at festivals in Edinburgh, Brussels, Strasbourg and at the BBC Proms, and has undertaken tours to Great Britain, Germany, Austria and Singapore. Recordings of Wagner’s Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Parsifal, performed by the NRPO, the Netherlands Radio Choir and vocal soloists under the direction of former chief conductor Jaap van Zweden, met internationally with great critical acclaim. The orchestra’s impressive discography has recently been replenished with recordings of works by Bruckner, Richard Rijnvos and Otto Ketting.

Mark Wigglesworth
is Music Director of English National Opera, with whom he has performed Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Cosi fan Tutte, Falstaff, Katya Kabanova, and Parsifal.

His other operatic experiences include Peter Grimes and La Boheme at the Glyndebourne Festival; Elektra, The Rake’s Progress, and Tristan und Isolde for Welsh National Opera; Cosi fan Tutte and Mitridate for the Bavarian State Opera; The Marriage of Figaro at The Metropolitan Opera, New York; Wozzeck and Pelleas et Melisande at La Monnaie; Don Giovanni and Peter Grimes at The Sydney Opera House; and Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

In the symphonic world, highlights have included concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony, the Orchestra of La Scala Milan, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Rome, the Swedish Radio Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Tokyo Symphony, and all the major orchestras in North America. In Australia he has worked regularly with the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras and enjoys a special relationship with the Adelaide Symphony. In the studio, Mark’s recordings have centred on a project with BIS Records to record all the symphonies of Shostakovich. This cycle has received critical acclaim throughout the world. Live performances of Mahler’s Sixth and Tenth Symphonies have been issued by the Melbourne Symphony on the MSO Live label, and the Brahms Piano Concertos played by Stephen Hough and the Mozarteum Orchestra are available on the Hyperion label.

Mark Wigglesworth has been Music Director of Opera Factory and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Associate Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He has made a series of programmes for BBC Television entitled ‘Everything to Play For’, conducted regularly at the BBC Proms, and performed at the Edinburgh Festival and the Hollywood Bowl. A commitment to working with young people has led him to conduct the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the European Union Youth Orchestra, the Dutch National Youth Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and at the Aspen and Aldeburgh Festivals. He has given conducting master classes in London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Singapore.

Booklet for Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 9 & 12