Aaron Rabushka wrote:

>Yes, just having heard some of his recordings I must say that Rostro never
>lacks intensity.  His Shostakovich 4 is outstanding--Slatkin's is good (as
>are, IIRC, Kondrashin's and Ormandy's), but Rostro blows everyone else
>away.

I've been following the information about Rostropovich's DSCH festival in
Chicago, and like the one he conducted in London in september last year, it
has gotten several, very positive reviews.  From my experience of comparing
MR performances (as conductor), from his CD cycle on Teldec and a few odd
discs on other labels, with broadcasts from the London festival, he's
always less interesting, has less to say, with his (heavily) edited
non-live performances, especially those with the NSO, in Washington wereas
those with LSO are tighter and more well defined.  Its like; the NSO are
101 highly skilled musicians playing for onself, while the LSO is a TEAM of
101 highly skilled musicians.  (This comment is based on the Rostropovich
DSCH recordings, neither the orchestras live performances nor what i might
sound like today.)

Its far to easy to generalise about orchestras, but playing Shostakovich
music I have yet to hear a US orchestra that I favor over one from Europe,
at least of those having been realesed on record.  (I've heard; Dallas SO,
LAPO, NSO Chicago SO, Philadelphia O, Minneapolis SO, BSO, NYP, NBC SO and
Columbia SO in music by DSCH)

Deryk Barker continued:

>I've often contemplated buying this, as I heard him conduct the LSO in
>it in 1986 IIRC and it was absolutely spellbinding.

As I said, He is much better live, even If I havent heard him conduct the
fourth, but the sixth from the London festival was among the best sixths
I've heard.

>His 11th OTOH is not that great, which is one reason I've not sprung for
>4 yet..

I completely agree on the eleventh, While not having heard his Fourth with
NSO for atleast two years, I'll refrain from commenting on that, but my
listening notes insinuate that I found it having merit, while not being
extraordinary.  Unfortunatly I only own three recordings of this symphony
(Ashkenasy/RPO, Jarvi/SRSO-Live, Kondrashin/MPO) and niether is fully
satisfying.

sincerely
peter lundin, gothenburg.se