John White wrote:
>I shall stick my neck right now and say that IMHO Shostakovich was at his
>best as a symphonist in his middle period works.say in Nos. 5 to 10, and
>that thereafter, although probably still the greatest symphonist of his
>time, his inspiration diminished.
>
>If only he'd called a halt after, say, No 10, IMHO he would have gone out
>a high note(and, incidentally, it would have been cheaper to buy a complete
>set of CDs of his symphonies)
>
>What do other list members think on this subject, or have I just written
>a load of rubbish.
Well, you asked. I don't agree. I love the Fourth.And I like all the
symphonies after the Tenth, especially 11, 12, 13, and, sorry, 15. I like
14, too, but not as much. And as long as I'm being contrarian, I don't
care much for 6 (except the slow movement) and 9. Go figure, I guess.
These are all powerful atmospheric works to me.
Roger Hecht
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