Don Satz wrote:

>I'm interested in two recent recordings of the Shostakovich 7th Symphony:
>Gergiev on Philips and Bykchov on AVIE.  Has anyone heard either
>performance, and how does each compare to the better exisiting versions?

I can only speak to the Gergiev, not having heard the Bykchov.  IMO,
Gergiev tops Haitink and Barshai (the two recordings that I've listened
to recently).  I need to listen again to Bernstein/Chicago, but, for
now, Gergiev does it best for me.

Several weeks back, I had the pleasure of hearing him and the Mariinskers
perform the work live (in Worcester, MA), a few days before they performed
it at Carnegie Hall.  It was about as perfect a performance of *anything*
I'd ever heard, so convincingly that my opinion of the work did an "about
face." If anything, that performance was better than the recording.  But
the recording's not chopped liver.

More comments (and comments of others) here:

   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008NR76/classicalnetA/

Bob