Yevgeny Mravinsky’s long relationship with Shostakovich’s Fifth began with his conducting its world premiere on November 21, 1937. Shortly after he was appointed music director of the Leningrad Philharmonic in 1938, Mravinsky made the work’s first recording. Seven more Mravinsky Shostakovich Fifths have been published on CD, including the present 1954 studio version. Vanguard’s new transfer is smoother and rounder than BMG’s brighter but more strident incarnation for its Melodiya Mravinsky Edition (not available separately in the U.S.). There’s much to admire: a brooding, dignified opening movement, the bumptious, acid-toned Allegretto, the beautifully balanced string playing in the Largo (the solo flute entrance caps its preceding harp arpeggio with foul-tuned inelegance), and the finale’s insidious build. Kiril Kondrashin’s balletic, highly characterized mono Shostakovich First is compromised by poor sound, with over-resonant, murky miking that forces the listener to listen on faith. Both conductors can be heard to better sonic and orchestral advantage in their respective stereo remakes. Neither, though, measures up to Bernstein’s impassioned New York Philharmonic versions or Ormandy’s plush yet lithe Philadelphia First.
