Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, 12 & 13 Boston Symphony Orchestra & Andris Nelsons

• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975): Symphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 "To October":
• 1 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 "To October": Ia. Largo 12:07
• 2 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 2 in B Major, Op. 14 "To October": Ib. Chorus: "My schli, my prossili raboty i chleba” 07:18
• Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20 "1st of May"
• 3 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20 "1st of May": Ia. Allegretto - Allegro 10:49
• 4 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20 "1st of May": Ib. Andante 06:07
• 5 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20 "1st of May": Ic. Allegro – Largo 12:24
• 6 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 20 "1st of May": Id. Moderato "The First of May" 05:42
• Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "The Year 1917"
• 7 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "The Year 1917": I. Revolutionary Petrograd (Moderato – Allegro) 15:08
• 8 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "The Year 1917": II. Razliv (Allegro – Adagio) 14:02
• 9 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "The Year 1917": III. Aurora (Allegro) 04:44
• 10 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12 in D Minor, Op. 112 "The Year 1917": IV. The Dawn of Humanity (L'istesso tempo) 11:08
• Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113 "Babi Yar"
• 11 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113 "Babi Yar": I. Babi Yar. Adagio 16:28
• 12 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113 "Babi Yar": II. Humour. Allegretto 08:48
• 13 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113 "Babi Yar": III. In the Store. Adagio 14:02
• 14 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113 "Babi Yar": IV. Fears. Largo 14:21
• 15 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 113 "Babi Yar": V. A Career. Allegretto 14:09
• Total Runtime 02:47:17

Info for Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, 12 & 13

Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra have been doing Deutsche Grammophon a service by working their way through what will be the label’s first complete cycle of the 15 Shostakovich symphonies by a single entity. You can put together a composite cycle — which DG did in a boxed set — dominated by Leonard Bernstein (Nos. 1, 6, 7, 9) and Neeme Järvi (2, 3, 11–15), with single entries from Myung-Whun Chung (4), Mstislav Rostropovich (5), André Previn (8), and Herbert von Karajan (10). But Nelsons’s cycle benefits from a unified point of view, along with consistently splendid playing and sound from Boston’s Symphony Hall.

In this latest instalment of their acclaimed Shostakovich cycle, Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra explore the composer’s work over a 35-year span in his creative and personal evolution: from youthful idealism to mature disillusionment and resignation.

Matthias Goerne, bass-baritone
Tenors and Basses of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus
James Burton, Chorus Master
New England Conservatory Symphonic Choir
Erica J. Washburn, Chorus Master
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, Dirigent

Boston
The arena rock group behind one of the fastest-selling debut albums in history, Boston was essentially the vehicle of studio wizard Tom Scholz, born March 10, 1947, in Toledo, OH. A rock fan throughout his teen years, he began writing songs while earning a master's degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After graduation, he began work for Polaroid, and set about constructing his own 12-track recording studio in the basement of his home, where demos were recorded that earned Scholz and vocalist Brad Delp a contract with Epic in 1975. Although some recording and overdubs were later done in Los Angeles, the 1976 release of Boston consisted largely of tapes recorded in Scholz's basement. (By then, the lineup had coalesced around Scholz, Delp, guitarist Barry Goudreau, bassist Fran Sheehan, and drummer John "Sib" Hashian.) Boston spawned three hit singles ("More Than a Feeling," "Long Time," and "Peace of Mind"), and shot immediately to the top of the charts, remaining the best-selling pop debut effort in history before it was supplanted by Whitney Houston's first album in 1986.

Despite the record's overwhelming success, Scholz spent over two years working on the follow-up, 1978's number one hit Don't Look Back; a perfectionist, he only then released the album because of intense label pressure for product. Unsatisfied with the results, he swore to produce the next album at his own pace; as a result, the chart-topping Third Stage did not appear until 1986, at which time only Scholz and Delp remained from the original lineup.

Scholz spent the next several years in the courtroom: eventually, he won a seven-year battle against Epic, which claimed Boston had reneged on its contract by taking so long between releases. When the band resurfaced again in 1994 with Walk On, Scholz was the lone remaining member; Delp and Goudreau had reunited in 1992 as RTZ, releasing the album Return to Zero. Unlike previous returns, Walk On was a commercial failure. Radio and MTV ignored any attempts at singles or videos, and the minimalist approach taken by the popular alternative artists of the era made the crystalline production and lengthy recording time seem anachronistic.

Taking another eight years to work on the next record, he targeted the Internet crowd first by releasing a single to /www.MP3.com in the summer of 2002. The track became the site's number one download, and word of their new album spread quickly. (Delp's return to the group also helped matters.) Secondly, Scholz set his lyrical sights on political targets, going so far as to title the record Corporate America as he emphasized his disdain for the system he had been a vital part of at one time. After releasing the record in the fall of that year, Boston embarked on a tour that took them into 2004. In March of 2007, however, Delp passed away in an incident later ruled suicide.

In addition to his fame as a musician, Scholz also found success as an inventor and businessman. In 1981, he formed Scholz Research & Design, Inc., a company founded to create high-tech music equipment. After first developing the Power Soak, a volume-control device, SR&D introduced the Rockman, a small and inexpensive guitar amplifier with headphones. The Rockman proved phenomenally popular with other musicians, and the capital generated from its sales helped fund Scholz's further musical ambitions. (Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide)

Booklet for Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, 12 & 13