Here are Shostakovich’s two largest, purely instrumental “program” symphonies in a handy two-for-the-price-of-one package. Paavo Berglund’s 1974 recording of the Seventh gains a modicum of warmth and presence in its latest remastering, although its full-priced, single-disc predecessor still sounds fine. It’s a very well played performance, lacking only the raw-nerve edge and sonic impact I’ve grown to enjoy in later versions from Bernstein, Järvi, Kondrashin, and Masur. By contrast, Berglund unravels the Eleventh’s epic canvas with a keen ear for dramatic flair and beguiling detail. The engineering packs quite a wallop, with pulverizing brass and percussion, and the Bournemouth musicians play as if there were no tomorrow. This extraordinary performance was originally coupled with an equally red-hot Shostakovich Sixth from these forces. Let’s hope it resurfaces soon.
