Michael Sanderling - Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 & Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 (2018) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

The first four albums of the Dresdner Philharmonie featuring symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) and Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) reveal fascinating aspects shared by both composers. The most recent recording of the two Symphonies No. 5 received high praise from the critics: “Sanderling puts the interpretative bombast of the 5th Symphony behind him. The music itself can be heard, not its catechism,” and Rondomusic magazine writes “the outcome is remarkable –listeners will be eager to hear more!” The Dresdner Philharmonie is now concluding this recording cycle with their new album. They present Beethoven’s world-famous Symphony No. 9 and the deeplymoving Symphony No. 13 on 2 CDs. Composed between 1817 and 1824, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor closes with “Ode to Joy” writtenby Friedrich Schiller in 1785, (sung by the MDR Rundfunkchor and soloists Vera-Lotte Böcker, Kristina Stanek, Bernhard Berchtold and Torben Jürgens). This choral finale is an exalted and utopian vision of humanity united and living together in peace. Contemporariesbelieved that after Beethoven’s Ninth the “dimensions and goals” of the symphony had been exhausted. However, it was only at the beginning of a period of high symphonic culture extending from Berlioz to Mahler and from Liszt to Shostakovich. The 13th Symphony was composed by Shostakovich nine years after Stalin’s death: a monument to the truth, an indictment of every expression and unspeakable act of misanthropy, from everyday humiliations all the way to the most brutal crimes of genocide. Superbly sung by bass soloist Mikhail Petrenko and the Estonian National Male Chorus, unlike Beethoven’s Ninth, this symphony does not end in an emphatic celebration of victory but instead in ruin, with death and mourning, in doubt and ambiguity.

Tracklist:
1. Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 : I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso 16:08
2. Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 : II. Molto vivace 14:04
3. Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 : III. Adagio molto e cantabile 13:37
4. Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 : IV. Finale. Presto - Allegro assai - Rezitativo - Allegro assai 23:32
5. Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113, "Babi Yar" : I. Babi Yar. Adagio 16:09
6. Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113, "Babi Yar" : II. Humour. Allegretto 08:00
7. Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113, "Babi Yar" : III. In the Store. Adagio 11:56
8. Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113, "Babi Yar" : IV. Fears. Largo 12:50
9. Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113, "Babi Yar" : V. Career. Allegretto 14:53

Personnel:
Michael Sanderling (conductor)
Dresdner Philharmonie,
Torben Jürgens (bass vocal),
MDR Rundfunkchor,
Bernhard Berchtold (tenor),
Kristina Stanek (alto),
Vera-Lotte Böcker (soprano),
Estnischer Nationaler Männerchor (RAM),
Mikhail Petrenko (bass vocal)