Mariss Jansons always has been an impressive Shostakovich conductor, and his first recording of the Tenth, with the Philadelphia Orchestra for EMI, was excellent. He really didn’t need to do it again, although there’s always the sheer joy of hearing the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in this music. They do play splendidly, and Jansons’ interpretation still has the right sense of forward propulsion, especially since the opening movement moves at a true moderato, and not adagio. Virtually his only moment of interpretive license, a big ritard, occurs at figure 51 after the movement’s percussive climax, and it’s the right thing in the right place.
However, compared to his earlier recording, never mind standout versions by Karajan, Ancerl, Petrenko, or Järvi, the violent second movement lacks bite, and so does the finale. The gentler Allegretto third movement has plenty of atmosphere, and excellent horn playing to boot, but the total impression this performance leaves (typical of Jansons) is of a certain coolness. Certainly this isn’t quite as fine as his previous effort. More to the point, there are now so many excellent versions of this symphony that any newcomer, particularly at premium price, has to be ear-catchingly fabulous. Good as this is, and quite excellently played, it simply isn’t outstandingly memorable. Excellent SACD sonics don’t change the picture.
