Donald Satz wrote:

>I have the opportunity to buy at reduced price Haitink's Decca recordings
>of the Shostakovich symphonies.  I'm interested in the last three
>symphonies.  Any opinions of Haitink's performances?

Pretty decent.  He takes a broad more "symphonic" approach, not as gritty
or as guttral (not sure that is the right word) as some of the Russians.
You don't get the roughness and raw power even of a Bernstein.  Everything
is more controlled and sober.  Typical Haitink in style that way.  If you
know Haitink's work and realize that he is not great at everything and
can sound detached at times, I'd say these are examples of his better
side--that is, he doesn't sound as detached, while his good qualities of
broad symphonic sound are in evidence.

This pertains to Symphonies 14, 15 only.  I don't know his 13th.  By the
way, the 14, which is like a song cycle, uses the original texts of the
poems (I think only 1 is in Russian, but I can't find my copy to check).
The sound and playing are excellent.

A fascinating 13th that I've just come across is Polyansky on Chandos.
Slow, but earthy, raw, and powerful in the best sense of the terms.

Roger Hecht