Shostakovich Edition
MP3 VBR V0|Total size 2.8GB|27 Discs|


Links

Disc 1, Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, & 3
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/392777456/ShskvchD1.rar)
Disc 2, Symphony No. 4
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/392781663/ShskvchD2.rar)
Disc 3, Symphonies Nos. 5&6
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/392785092/ShskvchD3.rar)
Disc 4, Symphony No. 7
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/392956415/ShskvchD4.rar)
Disc 5, Symphony No. 8
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/392961681/ShskvchD5.rar)
Disc 6, Symphonies Nos. 9&10
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/392970496/ShskvchD6.rar)
Disc 7, Symphony No. 11
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/392977368/ShskvchD7.rar)
Disc 8, Symphony No. 12
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/392983975/ShskvchD8.rar)
Disc 9, Symphony No. 13
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/392992291/ShskvchD9.rar)
Disc 10, Symphony No. 14
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/392995880/ShskvchD10.rar)
Disc 11, Symphony No. 15
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393004693/ShskvchD11.rar)
Disc 12, Chamber Symphony Op. 73a, Op. 83a
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393004697/ShskvchD12..rar)
Disc 13, Chamber Symphony Op. 49a, Op. 110a, Op. 118a
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393015936/ShskvchD13.rar)
Disc 14, Jazz Suite No. 2, Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Themes Op. 115
Jazz Suite No. 1, Novorossijsk Chimes, Festive Overture Op. 96
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393015941/ShskvchD14.rar)
Disc 15, Ballet Suites
The Bolt Ballet Suit op. 27a, The Limpid Stream Ballet Suit Op. 39a
The Golden Age Ballet Suit Op. 23a
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393029920/ShskvchD15.rar)
Disc 16, Film Music
Hamlet Suite; Gadfly Suite, Op. 97a
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393036435/ShskvchD16.rar)
Disc 17 Piano Concertos
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Minor Op. 35, Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major Op. 102
Three Fantastic Dances Op. 5
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393060988/ShskvchD17.rar)
Disc 18, Violin Concertos
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor Op. 99
Violin Concerto No. 2 in C Sharp Minor Op. 129
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393060990/ShskvchD18.rar)
Disc 19, Cello Concertos
Cello Concerto No. 1 Op. 107, Cello Concerto No. 2 Op. 126
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393101143/ShskvchD19.rar)
Disc 20, Chamber Music 1
Piano Quintet in G minor Op. 57, Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor Op. 67
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393101145/ShskvchD20.rar)
Disc 21, Chamber Music 2
Sonata for Viola and Piano Op. 134, Sonata for Viola and Piano Op. 147
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393285213/ShskvchD21.rar)
Disc 22, Chamber Music 3
Cello Sonata in D Minor Op. 40, Piano Sonata No. 1 Op. 12, Piano Sonata No. 2 Op. 61
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393285217/ShskvchD22.rar)
Disc 23, String Quartets
String Quartet No. 2 in A major Op. 68, String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor Op. 110, String Quartet No. 13 in B Flat Minor Op. 138
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393355727/ShskvchD23.rar)
Disc 24 String Quartets 2
String Quartet No. 3 in F Major Op. 73, String Quartet No. 7 in F sharp minor Op. 108
String Quartet No. l9 in E flat major Op. 117
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393362866/ShskvchD24.rar)
Disc 25, String Quartets 3
String Quartet No. 5 in B flat major Op. 92, String Quartet No. 11 in F minor Op. 122
String Quartet No. 12 in D flat minor Op. 133
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393374013/ShskvchD25.rar)
Disc 26, String Quartets 4
String Quartet No. 4 in D major Op. 83, String Quartet No. 6 in G major Op. 101
String Quartet No. 10 in A flat major Op. 118
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393384459/ShskvchD26.rar)
Disc 27, String Quartets 5
String Quartet No. 1 in C Major Op. 49, String Quartet No. 14 in F sharp major Op. 142
String Quartet No. 15 in E flat minor Op. 144
Download (http://rapidshare.com/files/393392726/ShskvchD27.rar)

PSW: smile

Notes about Tagging
For tagging this set in mp3 format, I wanted to be able to have it show up on my Zune as one album and so I decided to see if a method sometimes used for multiple disc albums would work for this. In some instances, uploaders use track number tags such that disc 1 tracks are tagged in the format of 101, 102, 103...and disc 4 is tagged in the format of 401, 402...It followed then that for something like this, if the programs didn't have a problem with it, I could use the tags for disc 15 as 1501, 1502, 1503...up to even Disc 27 of 2701, 2702, 2703...

I found that 1) the zune player software on the computer had no problems with this, 2) the zune itself doesn't have a problem with this and 3) the files all end up as a huge playlist and properly in order.

Each disc is included in its own rar file but the tags are such that it is made to be extracted into one folder for all 27 discs. I also included enough data in the tags such that you can see what is contained in each and tag it yourself for separate use.
Due to the size of this set in mp3 format and, by extension, the size of this in lossless, I decided that I will not be uploading this in lossless because it will take way too long.

Information on Performers and Conductors

All the main Symphonies list WDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Barshai. Barshai also conducts the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Guiseppi Verdi for the chamber symphonies. Jazz Suites, Ballet Suites, and Film Music list National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine conducted by Theodore Kuchar.
The Piano concertos list Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Baavo Berglund. Violin Concertos list Leningrad Philharmonic conducted by Yevgeny Mravinsky (number 1) Moscow Philharmonic conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky (for number 2)
The Cello concertos are performed by Moscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valeri Polyansky.
Chamber music lists the individual players who I won't list.
The Rubio Quartet plays the string quartets.

This is absolutely fantastic!

That is quite the box set, sirus!! Thanks a bunch for taking the time to upload it. I haven't heard all of these, so I'm very excited to fill in the gaps for the pieces I haven't heard! Might I ask who the orchestras are on the symphonies? (probably doesn't matter, I'm assuming the information is in the tags and I'm downloading all of the discs, so I'll find out eventually anyway :D )

All the main Symphonies list WDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Barshai. Barshai also conducts the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Guiseppi Verdi for the chamber symphonies. Jazz Suites, Ballet Suites, and Film Music list National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine conducted by Theodore Kuchar.
The Piano concertos list Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Baavo Berglund. Violin Concertos list Leningrad Philharmonic conducted by Yevgeny Mravinsky (number 1) Moscow Philharmonic conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky (for number 2)
The Cello concertos are performed by Moscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valeri Polyansky.
Chamber music lists the individual players who I won't list.
The Rubio Quartet plays the string quartets.

Note: Stravinsky Edition is next! It is really slow though for the torrent and I haven't been able to verify the quality of mp3s.

I'm not familiar with Rudolf Barshai, but I'm listening to the first symphony now and the recording is very nice. Thanks again!

Jakob - I have the Barshai symphonies set and can vouch for the fact that they're all excellent, solid performances. Barshai was a Shosty and Prokofiev specialist.

Review from Classics Today:

What can you get for $22 these days? Well, in New York City that would buy you two movie tickets and maybe a candy bar. Most other places you could get a decent meal (for one) at your local no-frills restaurant. But these are fleeting pleasures. What if I told you that for $22 you could get an 11-CD set of the complete Shostakovich symphonies, which would provide countless hours of enjoyment for many years to come? Well it's true. And not only that, Rudolf Barshai's WDR Symphony Orchestra cycle (recorded 1994-2000 in Cologne) is one of the best all around sets available, with idiomatic playing that approaches that of great Russian orchestras and masterful conducting by a man who knew and worked closely with the composer. If you need more convincing, check out the following quick overview.

No. 1: Crystalline textures and tight phrasing characterize this performance, emphasizing the work's neo-classical style (less so it's darkly emotional side). No. 2: The playing is fleet, propulsive, and colorful, which is exactly what this "steel age" music needs; and the Rundfunkchor sings with revolutionary fervor at the conclusion, clearly articulating the text. No. 3: Barshai shapes this rambling work into a somewhat coherent musical discourse, but even his sensitive conducting cannot redeem the bland and tasteless choral ending. No. 4: A smart, biting performance with highly characterful playing from the orchestra. The strings really "kick" in the first movement's whirlwind fugato. The recording's lack of low bass is the only drawback.

No. 5: Barshai's interpretation is stern yet elegant, and his emphasis on the work's classical proportions brilliantly points up the symphony's relationship to Beethoven (as well as Mahler). No. 6: A great performance; Barshai shapes the first movement beautifully, illuminating the the music's underlying passion; the Scherzo is the fastest ever, and it's perfectly played, as is the mercurial finale; great percussion throughout. No. 7 "Leningrad": A tight, taut opening to what will be a smoothly flowing rendition that's high on feeling but a little short on bombast (which may be a plus for some listeners). No. 8: Profoundly moving, communicating the work's tragic time in history; Barshai draws some particularly hair-raising sounds from the WDR woodwinds. No. 9: Magnificent; Shostakovich's subversive, Haydnesque wit and underlying anxiety is made perfectly plain; wonderful brass playing. No. 10: A lithe, lean, and dramatic reading, with powerful climaxes; the Scherzo is less frantic than some, but no less ferocious. No. 11 "The Year 1905": Another triumph; Barshai redeems this symphony by reaching beyond the surface cinematography to find the tragic grandeur just beneath.

No. 12 "The Year 1917": Fast tempos give the music an unusual dramatic impetus that outshines the rather foursquare melodic material; clearly this piece works better when it's short and sweet. No. 13 "Babi Yar": A gripping, intense, take-no-prisoners performance; Barshai draws forth powerfully dark and rich low orchestral sonorities, creating palpable feelings of fear and anxiety while generating tremendous climaxes; bass Sergei Alekshaskin is the voice of authority, doom, and compassion, and he's supported by the Moscow Choral Academy's ferociously powerful singing; this performance alone is worth the price of the set. No. 14: A masterful interpretation from the man who premiered the work. The string playing is stunning, while Alla Simoni and Vladimir Vaneev realize the music's bitter irony, grim tragedy, and profound sadness in their passionate, at times neurotic performances. No. 15: Barshai's light touch emphasizes the music's droll qualities and flies directly in the face of ironic and angst-ridden portrayals by Neeme J�rvi and Kurt Sanderling; the finale is spectacular.

There you have it, and add to this overall clear, impactful, and nicely reverberant recorded sound and you've got one great Shostakovich cycle. Even though in some cases I lean toward Rozhdestvensky's hysterically intense renderings on Melodiya (while I don't necessarily warm to the screechy sound of those recordings), Barshai's intelligent, humane, passionate, and deeply felt readings undeniably realize the composer's intentions and certainly will stand the test of time. This Brilliant Classics set is such a bargain you almost feel guilty paying so little for it. So now, the choice is yours: you can order this fabulous, eternally rewarding collection of music by one of the 20th century's greatest composers (available in the U.S. from Berkshire Record Outlet), or you can go out for a sandwich at your local diner. . .

Thanks Sirusjr for such a mammoth upload and detailed listing of the contents!! This way I can target the ballet suites and sonatas :)

Cool, thanks for the info there, Lens. I'm still loving the first symphony, although I had heard it before :D :D

Really, really terrific upload, Sirus!!

Glad you guys are enjoying it. I downloaded this a week or two ago and I still haven't listened to everything once.

Really awesome post. Every filmscore fan needs to be familiar with Shostakovich, even if just for the Symphonies. The other stuff is okay, but the Symphonies are mandatory! Especially the sequence from 4 through 12. My favourite is No. 8.

Well not that you weren't already, but this renews your license for M's favourite shriner for at least another month. ;)

Seriously fantastic collection. I have most of these but scattered and from different recordings, so it'll be nice to have an integrated collection to supplement that and fill in any blanks. Greatly appreciated!

Really awesome post. Every filmscore fan needs to be familiar with Shostakovich, even if just for the Symphonies. The other stuff is okay, but the Symphonies are mandatory! Especially the sequence from 4 through 12. My favourite is No. 8.
See its posts like this that got me to download this in the first place. I'm going to try and work my way through the essential composers slowly but surely.

Now, if only we could get a Prokofiev equivalent to this set...

Well Jakob posted the full symphonies with Ozawa. That's a start!

Yes, I nabbed those. I actually have most of Prokofiev's oeuvre, I just like hearing other peoples' favourite performances. :)

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Thanks for Shostakovich very great post and works-I had most of these but some missing-glad for the excellent works-awesome stuff-

I've loved Shostakovich's 8th since hearing it live with the Cleveland Orchestra. While I've discovered several more of his works in the years since, this magnificent upload is a great excuse to become much better acquainted with his oeuvre. Thanks, Sirusjr!