Review: A Mravinsky "Special Edition" With The Same Old Stuff

Mravinsky conducts: Beethoven, Mozart, Bruckner, Brahms, Sibelius, Scriabin, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Debussy and Ravel. Leningrad Philharmonic (Melodiya--5 CDs)

[@stevenmsinger]

I think it's also very rewarding to hear Mravinsky doing Shostakovich and Prokofiev. I'm not saying his versions are the best out there. However, his versions are always worth hearing even with the usually grotty sound.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Not always. Sometimes.

[@elijahhertzog8029]

If I remember correctly, his Romeo & Juliet was quite great.

[@vincentspinelli9995]

I agree. How many times has this stuff been issued?! The stereo Tchaikovsky symphonies and the mono set of the symphonies with Sanderling doing one are classics. I play them often. But I guess I've never gotten bitten by the Mravinsky bug. The Shostakovich 8 you highlighted is great but a lot of his other recordings don't really get to me. Listening to them becomes fatiguing after a while, sometimes because of the sound but also because the orchestra sounds like it is being flogged to death to produce insanely pressurized results. I'll pass.