Zdenek Košler’s Shostakovich Ninth is a classic. He perfectly realizes the music’s ingenious fusion of circus and military elements, from the quick-step march of the first movement (with a rude trombone acting as drill-sergeant), to the flying trapeze artists in the scherzo, to the clowning antics in the finale ending with the trumpeter (very prominent in this recording) in a cornball call to battle. The players of the marvelous Czech Philharmonic bring the piece to life as few, if any, orchestras have before or since, especially those amazing winds! The 1981 broadcast recording sounds as clear and full as any studio effort.
The Shostakovich Fifth is a different story. Yes, Mravinsky turns in yet another of his brilliant, driven performances, and the Leningrad Philharmonic plays with astonishing precision, articulation, and power–the development and climax of the first movement are thrillingly intense, and no one else lauches the finale with such ferocity. It’s just that this is all heard to better effect on another, later Mravinsky recording currently available on Erato. The sound on this live broadcast from 1967 does open up occasionally, but it’s mostly cloudy and dynamically limited, especially when compared to the Ninth that comes first on the disc. So, should you buy an entire CD just for a performance of Shostakovich’s 25-minute Symphony No. 9? In this case, absolutely!
