Mark Seeley asked:

>What is the opinion of list members regarding the Naxos cycle of
>Shostakovich symphonies under the direction of Ladislav Slovak?

They're OK if you want a full set at minimum expense, or to fill a gap
in a collection with a symphony you aren't particularly interested in (and
I still can't get very excited by 2 or 3), but I wouldn't go further than
that.  There are plenty of better recordings of all the symphonies, not all
at full price, and this cycle is not one of Naxos' greater achievements.

>Supposedly he is a particular authority on these works having studied with
>Mravinsky?

So I gather from the liner notes.  Unfortunately studying with someone does
not necessarily lead to learning all the right things from him.

Ian Crisp
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