Shostakovich’s Twelfth Symphony may not be his best, but it certainly doesn’t lack for excellent performances, and this is certainly one of the very finest. The work poses few interpretive problems: it needs to be played hard, fast, and loud, with as much ensemble precision as possible. That’s exactly what Mark Wiggleworth does. There are moments here that no other version comes close to matching: the final climax of the first movement, the fusillade of symphonic gunfire that leads into the finale, and much of the latter, including the coda, equaled only by Mravinsky. Wigglesworth’s nicely flowing tempo in the shadowy second movement also works perfectly, sustaining interest while giving shape to this subdued music.
The Ninth Symphony is almost on the same level, but not quite. Memorable moments include a beautifully shaped and phrased Moderato second movement and an especially brash and brilliant solo trumpet in the trio of the scherzo. Both the first movement and finale could have benefited from a bit more gawky humor, in both cases from the onset of the recapitulation. Here Wigglesworth’s straightforward approach hasn’t quite the character that you can hear in the recent Kreizberg (PentaTone, also SACD), particularly in the finale, but it’s still a very good performance. BIS’s engineering as usual is outstanding in its naturalness, brilliance, and impact. For the Twelfth especially, this is definitely worth hearing. If you don’t like the piece to begin with, this recording just may change your mind.
