Repertoire: The BEST Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 

When you said, “I’m a form whore” I blew coffee all over the table. Your videos are priceless.

Here's a thought: Shostakovich earned a living improvising accommpaniments to silent films in his younger days. Perhaps this accounts for the extraordinary way he varies his basic material.

Dang! If I didn't already love these videos you've gone and topped yourself again! I would have been happy with a discussion of the symphony. I would have been happy with a discussion of the recordings! But you gave us BOTH! This is a work I've always enjoyed but have had a hard time grasping its formal structure within those large opening and closing movements. You give exactly the tools necessary to make sense of them. Thank you!

Brilliant! Thank you so much for explaining the form. I had vaguely thought the first movement was in sonata form, but was puzzled by the recapitulation not recapitulating the first subject! You make all clear. My late husband used to characterise the final coda as, ‘they’re coming to get you…..’, finding it wickedly sinister.

As a young kid, this was the first LP of a Shostakovich symphony that I ever bought, (Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia), and the first symphony by the composer that I ever heard, (without ever having heard of the composer before). It knocked me sideways, backwards, and every which way. I've never fully recovered!

In my opinion, nothing will ever beat Kirill Kondrashin’s recording with the Moscow Philharmonic. Found it on Apple Music classical. Extremely brutal interpretation with that classic Soviet Union sound with the extremely crude, but highly skilled brass. Also the LOUDEST recorded I found which fits the symphony very well in my opinion. Grab some headphones, put it at maximum volume and you’re in for a ride.

A big smile erupted on my face when I saw this morning's video is on Shostakovich's 4th. The 4th is probably my favorite Shostakovich symphony, and also on my personal Top Ten Symphonies of All Human Time. As you say, you don't need to know any of the biographical background of Shostakovich to enjoy what is in some ways straightforward yet zanily fascinating musical architecture. You've covered all my current favorites, and I agree Previn is the best because it brings together East and West so nicely; the LP has a treasured place in my collection next to Ormandy's. Wigglesworth's 4th is amazingly sympathetic, close to what I imagine Shostakovich envisioned, and recorded in wonderful sound on the SACD box that arrived at my home on Monday. The 4th is the first disc I flipped to and I wasn't disappointed. I'll stick to your tac and recommend a few non-cycle recordings. Esa-Pekka Salonen in LA, which is somewhat middle of the road but very finely played and paired with the world premiere of Shostakovich's Orango, an opera in which a sentient ape is taken captive by a circus and attempts to violently assault an audience member (no, I'm not making that up). The Rattle/CBSO performance another commenty person recommends is pretty darn good too, but for a real sleeper that is very Russian sounding, I recommend the bombastic Yuri Simonov and the National Orchestra of Belgium. I first heard Simonov on a very wild RU-vid video of the 1812 Overture. Believe it or not, Simonov's 4th with the Belgians is available on most streaming services.

I always felt that his 4th symphony became an incredible warehouse of inventory/ammo for him to use in his later symphonies. It seems everything later springs out of themes, structure or textures from this "warehouse".

That review was a labor of love! The Järvi recording opened the door to this masterpiece for me. Thank you!

David Hurwitz is going to present all Shostakovich's symphonies and he begins with one of my favorites. Isn't this just great? Yes, it is.

I have great memories of a performance of this Symphony in the Musikverein in Vienna, back in the 90s. I was there with my girlfriend at that time, she hasn't known the piece. We were overwhelmed with the music, sitting there, holding hands, feeling each others heartbeat and sweat :-D It was a deeply emotional experience *together* I'll never forget. You think you'll need a romantic piece for that, but no, the turmoil of the 4th can do the same! Thanks for this extend talk, now I'm looking forward to all the other Symphonies as I'm a great admirer of Shostakovich.

Just listened to (and watched) a recent and excellent performance of the work by the Frankfurt Radio SO with their chief conductor, Alain Altinoglu. So many Mahler almost-direct references and numerous allusions - they would surely do dear Gustav proud! The final coda is absolutely devastating. After all the fake celebrations, the fear and anguish thinly disguised by blatant mockery and snide irony, and the tumultuous concluding din to end all dins, there is Shostakovich, the Yurodivyi of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, sitting in the dark and prophesying Doom. And doom indeed there was aplenty! The fourth is at once outrageously eclectic - and yet totally original - and unique. It is Shostakovich's Black Swan, and thus, would never make for an easy listening. But as Leonard Bernstein said about so many other modern art works of similar nature, we are devastated by their shattering premise - and miraculously fly-on: acutely alert to the warning signals, but forever optimistic!

Thank you for that. My first exposure to ths music was Ormandy's recording. I was in about the 9th/10th grade. I still have that LP.

I couldn't believe when this FABULOUS presentation appeared in my RU-vid! One can never have too much Shostakovich. Can't wait for the future videos. Thanks, David for a wonderful, illuminating presentation.

Just great to see all the Shostakovich love. More great recordings, more performances before the great interruption and more interest in general. Film music, piano music, symphonies, string quartets, tractor operas .....he could do it all. Thanks for explaining this. This stuff is so accessible if one doesn't overthink it. Nor should one overthink it. This is just a big, shaggy dog of a symphony and I mean that in the best possible way. What great fun this is.

Yes you're right!!! The best recording of Shostakovitch's 4th is with Previn and CSO!

I think this is Dmitri's greatest symphony. The ending always reminds me of someone slowly freezing to death - the celesta arpeggios are the visible smokewreaths of his breath in the cold. Fun for the whole family!

Wow, I couldn't get a handle on the 1st and 3rd movements before so this is revelatory, thank you Mr. Hurwitz!

YaY!!!!Found it!!!!!I will buy your book, he is my favorite composer since I was in high school in 1974.I played bassoon for 50 years.

"Indifference to human suffering." Coda. Ouch. That description hits home. Puts me in mind of wars and bad governments. Which IS tragic, actually.

So nice to see someone appreciating Shostakovich's music

I was an early (in my life) Shostakovich fan, having heard and purchased LPs of #1 with Rostropovich and with Mravinsky (two records), #5 with Bernstein, #7 with Bernstein and with Mravinsky, #9 with Sargent, and #10 with Mitropoulos, all before 1961. When #4 was released with Ormandy in 1963, I bought it to find out what all the fuss was about. At the time, I thought Stalin was right, finding it very boring (I've since changed my mind). Shortly thereafter I bought #2 and #3 with Gould and #11 with Kondrashin. Then in came CDs.

My favourite Shostakovich symphony and your whole talk was sheer joy to listen to. Many thanks indeed.

David , thank you for a brilliant exposition of the 4th . Might I add that one really needs to hear Shostakovich in the concert hall . The sound just comes alive there

Can't wait your talk on the 8th. It along with the 4th are my two favorite DSCH symphonies

I am looking forward to this series! Thanks!

I am fortunate to have been present at Barshai's and WDR's performance of The Fourth, in the mid-1990s at Cologne Philharmonic Hall. The performance was as magnificent as it was sharreting. It is one of my most chesrished memories.

I love this symphony so much and am delighted to find this video.

Really appreciated the enthusiastic overview of Shostakovich 4. I had never listened till a couple of nights ago... A. Nelsons/Boston over Tidal. Thought it to be beautifully recorded and captured the composers unique sonic palette. Found myself at sea concerning the structure so I hastened over to RU-vid hoping that you had insights. As always Dave Hurwitz delivers the goods with insight. Thank you for this. Can't wait to listen to the Bernstein and Jarvi recordings.

Many thanks for this video essay.

Appreciate are the detail you researched and share with us, the enthusiasm! I’ll have to give this music a fresh listen.

Oh my, how I love this symphony. I'm also a big fan of Petrenko and Barshai in both the 4th symphony and their cycles in general. I wanted to give a special mention to what I think is another great recording: Daniel Raiskin conducting the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, on the SWR2 label. It is a live performance from 2009, released on disc in 2011. I think it is a splendid performance. Also, Daniel Raiskin is now the Musical Director of my local orchestra and I am very much hoping he will perform it. It would be a big endeavor because of the size of the orchestra involved in this piece, but it is possible. Very much looking forward to the other talks on the Shostakovich symphonies.

Wonderful! This symphony is the work of a mad scientist and I love every second of it. Looking forward to videos on the other 14!

I remember my first encounter with this symphony - and it wasn't a happy one. About 20 years ago, alone on a gloomy winter day, late at night, I decided to give it a spin. Boy, did that music go under my skin, and not in a good way. Some music can really have a nasty effect on someone's mental state, as I found I out when listening to the 4th on that day. Later I learned to appreciate the piece and its wonderful unpredictability and inventiveness much more, but it's still a symphony that I need to be in a good mood for to listen to. I was pleasantly surprised that you mentioned Rostropovich' 4th, that's always been my favorite version. His cycle got so much bad press when it came out, that always struck me as unfair. Sure, some of the big blockbusters (5, 7, 8, 10) were a bit underplayed (so I thought) but like you said, he shined in the lesser known/neglected works. Not only the 4th, but also the 2nd and 3rd, the great choral work in the 13th and of course that classic 14th.

Dave... You're keeping me alive hear.. Grew up in Sputnik 1950s with DS playing in the background... Kondrashin's 5th for starters, still exploring the vast Shostakovich Continent. Love your passion for his genius. Will follow your work for More on this & other subjects!!

Excellent: many thanks for this. It's a model of how these things should be done, on RU-vid, anyway : clear and accessible without being in the slightest bit patronising, and with zero BS. Thanks! I'm off to listen to it! (Chris)

Thank you so much for this! It has made this piece - which I loved already - much clearer for me and even more enjoyable to listen to.

Thanks again for another great video. One of my first concert experiences ever was hearing the NY Phil play Shostakovich's 4th Symphony, back in 1996 under Gergiev. Fantastic concert, with the Phil's brass nailing the chorales in the last movement.

Such an interesting, informative and fun presentation, love it! Now I go and hunt for the Previn's/Chicago performance. Do keep on teaching us, because thousands of us still know less about orchestras, conductors and repertoire than you do!

Enthralling! I quit piano lessons at 8, which I have endlessly regretted after discovering the greatness of classical music as a teenager. I read a fair amount about my favorite composers (and DSCH is one), but my lack of music fundamentals limits how much sense I can make of the structural analysis. But DH is a _genius_ at concise, illuminating, and funny analysis, and the musical examples are perfect (heck, that is a waltz!) And his enthusiasm is irresistible. If only we could get 10,000 clones of him (or so) into 5th grade music classes, the classical audience problem for the next generation would be solved. I love DSCH, but have been negligent regarding the fourth, partly because I have two that I really like: Rostropovich (which DH recommends as well), but also Jansons with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, which is--to my by no means expert ears--terrific and one of the best installments in his DSCH cycle. By the way, how in the world does DH make one of these videos _every day_? Is he human? Major revelations about UFOs are coming, I read at the Washington Post, so perhaps we should brace ourselves.

I love David’s informed and funny talks about quality music.

May I suggest Nelsons? The sound is amazing. I imprinted on Kondrashin when I was 16. Love Petrenko too.

Such a wonderful video!!! Thank you so much!!!

Thanks for the master class

Thanks Dave, very instructive and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series. It’s really good to have a better sense of the structure to listen through this monster! I have the Petrenko and Barshai recordings but I think I’ll go listen to Kondrashin doing it is Amsterdam as it will probably be interesting

Love love love Jarvi’s, always had. This is my favourite Shostakovich symphony. I also can’t really appreciate a work until I know its form, so thank you so much for the run down! I always understood this work as a bit of a narrative that played out, but since you’ve highlighted how simple the form actually is (and I facepalm not having realised it myself) I appreciate it even more!!! Thanks Dave!

Sometimes I have this itch that I'd like to listen to a work but can't remember what I'd like to listen to exactly... your video was very timely, thanks.

Thanks so much for this! I enjoy your videos so much and have listened to a lot your recommendations. I know I’m just scratching the surface but you are helping so much in the journey. 😊🤘🤘

I got to hear a live performance of this by The Cleveland Orchestra. It would have been during the 89/90 season. Vitya Vronsky invited me. She was not familiar with the piece but liked it very much.

Lord, I'd love to sit down for a beer with you. It would be fun for me, not so much for you (I'd probably just sit there with my mouth hanging open in amazement). Needless to say, I really enjoy (and learn a lot from) your videos.

Jarvi's Shostakovich and Prokofiev with RSNO have to be the highlights of his vast discography. And you're right, those Chandos sonics!

The people who disliked this write for Pravda

"This is not the greatest symphony in the world, no. This is just a tribute!" Thank you!

No. 4 is great, very innovative, I hope I can listen a live concert.

I first heard this extraordinary work about 20 years or so c/o the marvellous Ormandy recording and I don't think I've ever been quite the same since. It's also great to hear my hometown band the RLPO doing it so well: they could be a bit hit and more often miss back in Charlie Groves's day (though his pioneering Turangalila wasn't at all bad and was greatly preferable to Barbirolli's 2hr Halle effort with a very wayward pianist that I have seen mentioned, somewhere).

Very eye-opening (or rather ear-opening) video. I know you're not the biggest Fan of Simon Rattle, but I think his recording with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is up there with the very best.

A wonderful selection of performances, and a very entertaining video. On another note, I was reviewing my personal ideal Mahler cycle the other day, and when I got to the 2nd, of which I pick Slatkin and St. Louis, I couldn't help but wonder aloud why there was no Slatkin/STL box set, as of yet. I was happy to hear you wonder the same thing. They did so much fine work; I just don't understand the lack of (any) attention. PS. I am aware that the Mahler 2 was Telarc and not RCA.

Fantastic. I was eager to see if you were going to produce a series on each Shostakovich symphony. So cool. Regarding the 4th, my two favorites are RLPO/Petrenko and RSNO/Jarvi but I've not heard CSO/Previn nor SLSO/Slatkin so I need to find those. (Petrenko's Shostakovich cycle/box is one I would take to a deserted island)

Thanks, really enjoyed your explanation here. I've enjoyed Sh 4 for years, but still learnt lots. I have 'that' Haitink recording, which I find perfectly acceptable (though I think his 9th symphony recording is not so great, prefer Bernstein and NY Phil). The ending is the most marvellous and unexpected, massive long goodnight, extraordinarily spooky.

I love your reviews on Shostakovich....I wish I could afford your book😂

The Jarvi: WOW!

Brilliantly illuminating - thank you,and also for the mention of Mark Wigglesworth.Any thoughts on Jansons (EMI,2004)?Can't wait for the rest of the talks.

I also like the recording of the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Sladkovsky. It is available on Melodiya. Sometimes the tempi are a little bit odd, but that's no problem. The orchestra plays marvellously with excellent brass and full percussion.

I fell in love with this work as a teen and I believe the recording was by Stokowski. I have such a strong memory of it. I wish they’d reissue it.

I have the Previn (on vinyl), Ormandy (my introduction to the work, first on vinyl and then on CD coupled with the 10th), the Rattle on CD and the Petrenko (as a DSD download). I like them all, in their different ways

David, You're a very entertaining guy. I adore this symphony and have struggled with other folks trying to analyze this symphony. Your analysis is very clear and, now that I know it, rather obvious (in a good way). Thanks for all the great work you do having fun listening (which is what I mostly do). Thanks JIM

There exists also a nice (live?)recording with Kondrashin and the Staatskapelle Dresden which I like very much!

Thank you for your analysis of this astonishing symphony! I have loved this work ever since I first heard it in Ormandy’s performance soon after it came out on LP. Now I listen to Petrenko and Barshai above all others, though I also like Jarvi which I haven’t listened to for a few years. I will now!

Couldn’t agree more about how fascinating musical form is. Form is the rhythmic interest in classical music. It’s rhythm at the macro level. Jazz, by contrast, tends to be interested in microrhythm. It’s concerned with syncopations and unexpected rhythmic patterns that can be fit into a beat, a bar, a phrase; but its macrorhythm tends to be very simple, more or less the same chord changes being presented over and over in the same rhythmic pattern. In classical music all that is reversed. The microrhythm tends to be simple, not venturing far from 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, etc.; but the macrorhythm, the form, is where so much of the expressive interest is found. Most of the study I do to continue to develop my compositional technique is study of form. I’m basing the piece I’m currently writing on the form of the first movements of the Mozart piano concertos. That’s very interesting music formally speaking, a synthesis of sonata form and improvisatory fantasia. I’m also reading Walter Frisch’s book about the Brahms symphonies. To understand better what Brahms is up to formally is high on my to do list.

Thanks for the Slatkin love. Heard him do it in St Louis, bowled me over. We have similar taste, Slatkin, Ormandy (my intro to the work through a library LP) and Previn are essential. And PS to a comment, kind of like the 12th!

Super to listen to your enthusiasm - one I share - for Shostakovich. Coincidentally I've just bought a copy of the RPO's Ashkenazy CD of this piece, as it was one of the first big recordings I played on. Having checked you out I find that you are a clarinet player, amongst other instruments, and Ashkenazy was really interested in the bass clarinet especially, partly because his son was becoming a clarinet player. I remember Ashkenazy talking about his discussions with Shostakovich (and I played with Ashkenazy on his first return to Russia, where he was genuinely worried about a forceful reaction to his being back where the state could have an influence on his freedom) so he appreciated Shostakovich's climate. I swear that woodblock rhythm is a mockery of Soviet military. Your book, I've checked its availability and it looks interesting. Is it purely about the works, or a biographical elements beyond what you need to know in order to understand the pieces? I'll buy it anyway, as a thank you for the videos. You absolutely covered this, but the context of the compositions really highlight how the simple lines are best heard in the spirit of subtefuge. Also, as you mentioned, although his symphonies are different in form, the amount of thematic material he reuses across most of his writing, quartets, quintet, etc. is remarkable. I like that he makes these references. By the way, your singing reminds me (unfortunately) of Solti. Thanks for the videos. I'm off to listen to the RPO version, never having heard it since the recording in the mid 80s.

My first recording of this, and still a favorite, is Vladimir Ashkenazy with the Royal Philharmonic. Just going to toss that one out there for consideration. I don’t think you can buy it outside of a box set now.

As with pretty much all of Shostakovich's symphonies, Järvi and Kondrashin are what I imprinted on, and still the ones that make the most sense to me. I don't know if I listened to Petrenko's 4th (but I think I did), but I listened to a couple in the cycle when they first came out, and found them a lot more soft-edged and uninteresting than the reviews had led me to believe, so I've stayed away from his work since.

David: I can listen according to your scheme, too. And it works very well. However, I won't give up on sonata form, There is a definite close to the exposition in the trumpets and trombones, right before the A theme in the woodwinds. The development also has a definite end right before the recapitulation, which repeats the very opening of the movement. True, the A and B themes are reversed, as you pointed out, but Dsch does get in all the thematic material. It took me a while to work this all out, and I'm loathe to give it up. I'll be looking forward to your analyses of the other symphonies.

Ladislav Slovak and the Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra on Naxos (1993) is good too!

Just a quick plug here for the Rostropovich with the NSO. While it is not my personal favorite 4th, (in fact, it was my first recording of it thanks to my BMG membership that I acquired in High School) I do echo David's comments on how terrifying and brutal his rendition is. BUT.....what really strikes me about Slava's recording is in the closing bars of the piece with the sustained strings coupled with the timpani and celesta. In this recording, and only in this recording, do I have imagery of someone on their deathbed (knowing full-well this is not a programmatic symphony). The timpani strokes always evoke faint heartbeats. ta-tum....ta-tum....ta-tum. I'd suggest a re-listen of the passage and see if others agree.

Hi Dave, Just came across a recording of the 4th arranged for 2 pianos, by the composer, on the Chandos label, played by Rustem Hayroudinoff and Colin Stone, and it is quite spectacular. I know you like music written/arranged for piano due and I think you’ll appreciate it. Thanks, Noam

The ending of the 4th is indeed icy. Kind of like shuffling across a frozen lake and collapsing and freezing to death.

Thanks for the insightful analysis. I'll give the piece another try. Sitting in Avery Fisher Hall, quite a few years ago, I didn't "get" the piece at all.. I think Haitink was the conductor. I've always been a fan of the Shostakovich symphonies, although not this one. I realize you can't do everything, but I'd love some commentary on the quartets! As to the violin concertos, the one in A Minor is incredible. A good subject for analysis? The other concertos are also great!

I love his music and could never understand the self-serving dismissal of his music by Pierre Boulez, who of course was dismissive of a great many things.

The Shostakovich book is immediately available at a great price (considering the value of the contents) for the Amazon Kindle. I usually prefer a physical copy of a book when it's a subject I value, but it it's the contents that matter after all. The 1962 Kondrashin recording with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is available as an Idagio stream from Urania records and as a Qobuz stream from something called "Classical Music Reference Recordings" ... someone named Alexandre Bak? I'm not sure if the esteemed Mr. Hurwitz has come across this "CMRR" 2022 remastering, but even in my modest apartment system (Cambridge Audio Evo 150, B&W 704S2 floor-standing speakers with B&W DB4S subwoofer) it provides some really shattering moments. I don't hear as much detail as I do in Järvi, but I can see putting this on more often, just for the sheer guilty pleasure of the raw power.

This symphony is not just a great piece to listen to. It is a total blast to play. There is absolutely nothing like being on stage while all hell is breaking loose in this piece. About the form - there is one point I've never been able to figure out. In movement III there is a theme that appears at rehearsal no. 227 in the oboe and reappears at 235. Then it comes back again in the coda at 250 in the violins and 254 in the violas. It's always puzzled me how a theme that is snuck in so late in an hour long piece ends up being so important in the coda - UNLESS there might be some obvious derivation of that theme that I have missed, something early in the movement or even in another movement that it comes from. I've never been able to track it down.

I just got the Shostakovich book. It was a bit expensive for us in Canada (almost a $100 all said) as a result likely to be out of print but came with the CD. I am very much looking forward to use it to appreciate even more my various versions of the works. I also got the Beethoven one, and this was a lot less.

distribution complaint: Michael Sanderling's Dresden Philharmonic recent recording of this ( and the rest of the symphonies) is recorded in absolutely stunning sound with thoughtful, impactful performances to match. Sony apparently withdrew the set (after about 5 minutes) along with the same organization's Beethoven symphony cycle to mix the two of them together in a weird set of single disks (1 Beethoven work paired with 1 Shostakovich): clunky and expensive. It took me about 6 months to get the complete Shostakovich set from Japan (but worth it).

Hi David. Speaking as a classical music fan with no music education and no ability to follow a score, it's very helpful to hear you lay out the structure of this symphony so plainly, and I'll listen to it differently from now on. Do you have plans for similar talks about other works - sort of listener's companions? Thanks

You are so right about the fourth! 🥳

I had been thinking about hearing this symphony, and along comes Dave! I have recordings by Jarvi, Ormandy, Previn, and Haitink, and will listen to the Jarvi. Any comments on the Haitink? Your videos are always good to wake up to.

my fave has always been the rozhdestvensky with the ussr ministry of culture symphony orchestra (there's 'another' version of them on youtube, a video of a live performance, at least there was, but it's not as awesome as their recording. it's not perfect, no recording is, but it's devastating, and the fugue in the first movement is utterly nuts in it.)

Do you know Vassily Sinaisky's live recording with the BBC Philharmomic for the PROMS? How would you rate it?

Dave, question about Haitink: Were you referring to the Concertgebouw recording or the Chicago remake? Or does it not make any difference...

In his review on Classics Today, Victor Carr, writes that "the recording’s lack of low bass is the only drawback" for Barshai's performance of the 4th. Can Dave or others either confirm, disagree, or elaborate on his criticism? Would a comparison with either Jarvi or Previn make this evident?

Do you know if your book about shostakovich is gonna be available?

How about Haitink? I do like Järvi a lot also!!

Hi David, I know that it's gone out of print, but we Spotify users would love to know what your thoughts on Michael Sanderling's recording with the Dresdner Philharmonie are? His cycle is available for download on Spotify, thankfully.

i wish I liked it better, and it's not for a lack of trying. It has too much frustrating irony, etc. Now if a piece is religious like the Stabat Mater settings, the sadness represents an outlet for something that is always a part of life anyway even if you didn't listen to the music, but in Shostakovich it seems to add to the difficulty without any sense of comfort. Even in Sibelius 4 the storms promise to sweep all the gloom away. So either I need a philosophical infusion to appreciate it or it's hopelessly atheistic for my temprement.

I try to get into this symphony, but it sounds so brutal and harsh.

Couldn't disagree more with David about the first movement's form. It is modified sonata form. The points of articulation from exposition to development to recapitulation couldn't be clearer.