The 10th is the greatest symphony of the 20th century. Yet, my choice would be the 4th. Mesmerizing and stunningly brilliant in every crazy way.

I'd choose the 15th symphony. The creativity and mystery of this piece is unique among his symphonies.

Shostakovich is so great, IMO, that it is fun to think about. 4th is a great choice for all the right reasons, even above my beloved 13th and the orchestral setting of Michelangelo Lieder. Such heart. Always with Shostakovich, authentic heart

The piano quintet for me.

Trio 2 is my favourite piece of music, ever. I have been researching the friendship between Shostakovich and Ivan Sollertinsky for a long time now, and the Trio is such a moving tribute to who Sollertinsky was, a brilliant figure now mostly forgotten in the west and one of Shostakovich’s strongest supports. Their dynamic reminds me of myself and my best friend in some ways, and while Sollertinsky’s unexpected death in 1944 was a huge blow to Shostakovich, the Trio, particularly its second movement, revives him, just for a few moments, so we can imagine him and Shostakovich forever exchanging witty remarks and finding solace in each other’s company, immortalized in the canon of music history. The pause between the second and third movements absolutely shatters me every time, as we move from joyful remembrance to a passacaglia locked in a cycle of grief. And the fourth perhaps reflects that sorrow outwards- whether the Klezmer themes were meant to connect Shostakovich’s personal grief with the infinitely larger collective grief of the Holocaust, or perhaps to pay tribute to Sollertinsky’s roots in Vitebsk (which had a sizable Jewish population pre-war), there is a sense that this grief is something beyond Shostakovich and Sollertinsky, whose friendship was only one comparatively smaller casualty of the war. And yet, given the choice between Trio 2 and Symphony 13, I don’t know what I would choose. 13 got me through the past year- with the war between Russia and Ukraine, the political turmoil in my own country of the US, and my rapidly eroding faith in humanity, Symphony 13 reminded me that there was, will be, and has always been good in the world, people who are willing to stand up and fight for it despite the risks. I finally understood “In the Store” then- the mundanity of everyday life as we live between life-altering events beyond our control, as we know we must survive and care for ourselves and loved ones. Every line in “Fears” took on a chilling significance, (particularly “где кричать бы, молчать приучали, и молчать где бы надо кричать”- loosely, “where screaming should have been, silence was taught, and silence when we needed to scream”). And of course, “Babi Yar” is powerful beyond words; I can’t hear “я каждый здесь расстрелянный ребёнок” (“I am every child shot here”) without aching. “Humour” has kept me going when I’ve just wanted to cave in; Shostakovich and Evtushenko treat the concept with reverence for the power that it holds against oppression. The thing about why I love Shostakovich so much, why I have been researching his works and studying his language for years, is because I can find so much comfort in what he wrote. There’s catharsis, laughter, grief, pain, love- sometimes multiple in one piece. I don’t think I could choose just one; so many hold such a special place in my heart.

Cancrizans leaving in a giant loophole for box sets... Truly a wily and capricious being. I feel like having a beer with big C and persuading him/her/they to solve various world issues. But, as for the challenge, this one is hard, as I have no ONE Shostakovich piece I value over the others. For sheer enjoyment, I most like the 11th Symphony, that unjustly maligned work. My brain says one of the chamber pieces or concertos, but even there I'm bereft. Cancrizans will be most displeased.

I'd keep the preludes and fugues, for some reason I feel like they feel the most heartfelt and connected to his spirit even though I would certainly admit they're not his most ambitious or even most interesting works.

agree since it is one of my favorite symphonies period

Dave, if I had to choose just one instrumental piece by Shostakovich, I would definitely agree with your choice. But I will go to the wall to defend Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District from the delete button. In my view, Shostakovich was destined to be the greatest composer for the stage that Russia has ever produced. He had a gift for characterisation, an underappreciated knack for vocal writing, and great dramatic timing. It is nearly forgotten that the abuse he received in 1937 deterred him from writing more operas - he began The Gamblers after the war but left it unfinished, and he wrote one operetta that is undistinguished and unrelentingly "safe". I think he decided he could preserve his dignity and his life by writing instrumental music where it would be hard to pin down what he was saying. And it was only much, much later that he produced vocal music that ventured into dangerous waters (Jewish Songs, Michaelangelo, 13th and 14th symphonies). Lady Macbeth gives us low comedy, high tragedy, and orchestral mastery all in one package. It is a true masterpiece worthy of both the stage and the concert hall. At the risk of blaspheming (your god, not mine), I will part with all the symphonies and quartets to keep her ladyship.

Maybe I'd pick the Piano Trio No 2. I played it at work once, probably too loud, and a colleague said "This is the angriest most frightening music I've ever heard"... trouble is, I think she said it in an offended kind of way.

Work of genius. One of the his most creative pieces. However, incredible that nobody in comments didn't mention his 4th, 5th and 10th string quartet. Fabolous compositions.

Yes, Shostakovich 4 is the work that I would choose. It was the first work by Shostakovich that I ever heard. When I was a kid, I used to spend my pocket money buying LPs, and I used to go for works by composers that I had never heard of. There used to be a record shop in Sydenham, a suburb of SE London, near to where I lived. One day while browsing around in that shop, I came across an LP with the name "Shostakovich" sprawled across the cover in a big, blue script. It was his 4th symphony played by the Philadelphia Orchestra with Ormandy conducting. As I said, I'd never heard of Shostakovich, but I fell in love with the 4th on the first playing. I couldn't stop playing it. Later, I had to buy a re-issue when one emerged, and some time after that it began to appear on CD. Somewhere along the line, I found the score in the Boosey and Hawkes shop in London, so I bought that too.

Symphony No 8 (Haitink/Concertgebouw/Decca)

I like his string quartet which was about world war II. I think it is number 8. You can cry to it, then headbang to it and then cry at the end again.

The 4th is the symphony I listen to the most often.

For me it’d be the second piano concerto - looking forward to the day when your BEST and WORST of it airs. ;)

I would opt for the 9th symphony. Such incredible sardonic humor and amazing craftsmanship and orchestration. A truly amazing work.

YES!!! I was the one who recommended it! What a great choice! And very unexpected! As always, your insight and analysis are very much appreciated. Can't say enough about how great this work is. So dynamic, vibrant, terrifying, sarcastic, hopeless. Thanks again!

Great choice! I love this piece.

shostakovich's quartet no. 15 is a work that overwhelms me every time I listen to it.....deep, intense work...work of a man, a humanist? for whom life has undergone many trials

I’m a diehard Shostakovich fan. I understand it’s not the cup of tea of everyone, but I would 100% choose the 8th symphony. Something about the proportions, form, and palpable nature of the dread throughout the entire work is just fantastic. I maintain that the ending of the first movement is one of the greatest ending in the entirety of classical music (So much so, that it often makes me a bit irritated at the second movement for coming and obliterating the peaceful exhaustion, which I think adds to the effect). I also love how you can hear the trombones almost say “damn” (insert your favorite one-syllable obscenity) in the finale after the big screaming thing from the first movement returns. Shostakovich was always a very graphic composer. If I could only keep one recording I’d choose Sanderling.

For an exercise like this, you can’t look at it in a musical vacuum, so because it’s the only memorial to the victims of it, my answer is Babi Yar.

The most wonderful thing about this series is, surprisingly, not as much The Chosen One, as it is reading the often very thoughtful arguments in the commentaries in defence of a neglected favourite work! Kangooroosanz' cruel endeavour to destroy but one work of a composer seems thus, ironically, to have the opposite effect by spawning even more interest in many other splendiferous works in said composer's ouevre! 😁

So happy with this choice, and a good explanation.

For me, Symphony No 5, followed by 10

I would've chosen the 13th too for similar reasons, but I think as a representative piece rather than his 'best' the 4th is probably more suitable

My parents used to play me Shostakovich when I was three and his 4th was always my favorite

YES !! If just for that ending. For me, a very strong contender is the second piano trio. But the fourth is so rich in music as well as background, it's more than fine.

5th Symphony for me.

For me it has to be Symphony No 10. A great variety of expression presented in a powerful , unique way that only Shostakovich could create. Brilliant sections where tension is masterfully built over long spans (first and last movements particularly).The orchestration is inspired.

I would chose the 4th also, no question about it, but what proves that Shostakovich is such a great composer it's the multitude of answers people give to this question. And we have some great chamber music options to chose from. Crazy!

Perfect!

So tough to pick between the 1st Violin Concerto or the 13th Symphony...

Very good choice with so many too chose from

As much as I love Russian music, composers and musicians, I don't really care for Shostakovich. He certainly captures the pain and insanity of living under totalitarianism, but my soul can't handle it - too upsetting. But, his Violin Concerto in a, Op. 99, has a movement that sends me into transcendent rapture - the Passacalgia, played by Oistrakh with Mitropoulos (first recording, I believe), is beautiful beyond words. I never get tired of it.

Since we can ask to preserve cds, I would lobby for 'Duets with the Spanish Guitar,' one of my all-time favorites, with Laurindo Almeida, Salli Terri, and Martin Ruderman. It contains such beautiful short pieces by Ibert, Debussy, Faure, Chopin, Villa Lobos, de Falla, etc. Absolutely delightful. I still have all three LPs, which is good because not all of the music is on this cd; the clarinet duets with Mitchell Lurie are missing, for example. This wonderful cd should not die!

So many possible choices with Dmitri, but I won’t argue with this. There are times the 4th is my favorite of his symphonies. But I will miss the works you mentioned along with many string quartets and other chamber masterpieces and the Preludes and Fugues. May Cancrizans have mercy on our tiny souls.

Symphony #8 is my usual go to when I'm in the mood for something heavy.

The 4th is an excellent choice! I would also suggest a funny disc with Stokowski transcriptions for the old angry god. Might lighten him up a little bit!

Fabulous Shostakovich choice with the 4th symphony. But it draws me to the other great Russian composer of the first half of the 20th century, Sergei Prokofiev. I considered the 6th symphony, the 2nd piano concerto, and the 6th piano sonata (one of the four greatest piano sonatas of the 20th century, in my opinion.) But Prokofiev was both a great melodist and a fine dramatist. The one piece that emphasizes both of these characteristics is (in my opinion) the greatest ballet ever written: Romeo and Juliet complete. The suites will give you all the great tunes. But to get the full dramatic impact of the entire plot, you really have to listen to the entire thing. And it is endlessly rewarding.

Great choice! For me it would have been the 4th, or the 8th or 10th symphony, or maybe the 8th string quartet.

Symphony # 10.

The Violin Concerto No. 2 for me.

My intellect tells me "The 4th" but my instinct tells me "The 5th".

I think the 4th is an excellent choice and I'd say just for good measure the album for preservation Jarvi's scorching version of it on Chandos

For me the 4th would be in the top 3, but I would pick the 10th Symphony (as orchestral) and the famous 8th String Quartet (for chamber)...but just one, the 10th for me. The overall intensity is maintained through various moods...and that portrait of Stalin scherzo!!! Just unbelievable power and then the way his motto theme crushes the Stalin motif in the finale!!! Just an amazing summation of his life at that time and it's such incredible music on its own

I suggest Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas 6, 7, 8. They show his compositorical genius in full scope and are great examples of 20th century piano music. And the pieces prove that the piano sonata form and 20th century avantgardism are perfectly compatible.

For Olivier Messiaen, The Quartet for the End of Time, not the Turangalila Symphony. His music is his part of a dialogue with his God, and the quartet is Messisen speaking intimately.

I love the SQ box set. My imprint version is by the Emersons, but I also like the Jerusalem Quartet (though they haven't done a complete set).

For me it would be 11th symphony. And my go to performance is (and this is probably a controversial opinion) the one by Semyon Bychkov with WDR Symphony Orchestra, which is available on KZfaq.

This is a great series and a great playlist! Anyways, this channel in a whole is an awesome guide to classical music, really enjoying it.

I would like to suggest Saint Saëns, Samson et Delila because it includes so much fabulous music. Best wishes Fred from Kristianstad.

Hello, I am enjoying your reviews quite a bit. I wonder if you would be willing to review best cycles of Shostakovich string quartets, perhaps assessing the St. Petersburg quartet in there? Also, perhaps an assessment of Radu Lupu as an artist?

"Spooky, creepy, sinister"-- I would add not to be listened to in the dark. I am surprised by your choice. If I had to bet my retirement I would have guessed the10th. On reflection the 4th makes a great choice. It was said that after a performance of "Lady Macbeth of Mtsinsk" and the damning Pravda review Shostakovich always kept a packed suitcase, lest he get a late knock on the door informing him he was about to take a long train ride. It might be an apocryphal story, but it does reflect life in the Soviet Union in the 30's. One correspondent mentioned the 15th. I thought this was tongue in cheek Shostakovich. Now I'm not so certain. The odd percussive clicks and pops at the end have a sinister tone. He used similar percussive effects in some of his darker quartets. My soapbox moment? Urging a run through of the 15 string quartets. I will never try to anticipate you, Dave.

The 4th is also my favourite. It is very chaotic & at times violent & unsettling. For me life is like that & why I relate to it.

This would be my choice too. Before listening to 4th, I only knew the 8th quite well, and vaguely 5th and 7th, but this was something else entirely. I was instantly hooked and the record was on repeat for several weeks. The first mov is so uncompromising, abrasive but also unpredictable and just funny, followed by a spooky second mov, and ending with these huge climaxes of the third, which knock you down after Shostakovich distracts you with these fleeting dance passages. I was certain you would choose the 10th, which I agree is objectively more mature work, but the 4th has all the strands of Shostakovich's style that can be found in his other works.

A great work, da da, but I have a longstanding love affair with No. 5. No. 10 is pretty great, too. Oh yes, and Nos.13, 14, 1, 8, 9....

I like that series very much. Selecting only one work by a loved composer is really challenging. My choice for Shostakovich is without hesitation his second piano concerto. The adagio of this concerto is one of the most beautiful and touching ever composed. It is one of the few adagios concertos that can be listened to on a loop without tiring. Two other adagios fall into this category 1- 'the adagio from Ravel's concerto in G (a concerto that would surely be my choice of a single work of Ravel to save) and 2- the adagio from Théodore Dubois' second piano concerto in F minor.

There are no wrong choices when it comes to Shostakovich's music. The works that I return to often are the 24 Preludes and Fugues, Cello Concerto no.1 and Symphony no.14

The composer’s “most unique, personal, sui generis expression…” That just made up my mind as to which Beethoven work I’d suggest for M. Cancrizans: the Grosse Fuge.

Had haven’t been able to watch the channel much lately because I am a care giver. But this series just caught my eye. I can’t believe I am so totally in sync regarding the Shostakovich! I have long considered the 4th his greatest work because it seems so uniquely of the 20th century as one of the century’s signature works. I cannot listen to the end of the symphony without thinking of an atomic bomb being detonated. The supernal beauty of its mushrooming cloud…perhaps the ultimate guilty pleasure. This is not my favorite Shostakovich. That would be the 8th, followed by the 6th. But this 4th! This is genius. And to this I bow and make my obeisance. David you are such a creative trip. Just a trip. You are endlessly, even eerily creative with your series on this channel. Kudos for this, your latest.

The 4th is great but overall I lean toward the 5th with its slow movement an existential heaven (oxymoron?) especially via Ormandy's last version (RCA 20th Century box) with searing soaring strings in the finale.

dear Dave, your videos are great and I have bought many 100's of CDs on your recommendation (many big boxes) 💰💰💰🔥🔥🔥 What I particularly like is your „most important and unique masterpiece of a composer“series. I ❤ the very funny idea of ​​the good concr€&@son who is angry obout the music industry. You recommended me a fiew real treasures (f. e. Brahms sextet). I admire your knowledge, your storrytelling and your great sense of humor. Keep it up and 1000 thanks for the many great inspiration so far 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Tough call for me between Shostakovich’s Symphony 4 and Symphony 7. The latter is my favorite, but the 4th is just remarkable in so many scarifying ways.

I think the fourth was the best choice (and it just happens to be my favorite from his cycle). Regarding other major Russian composers, I’m still sticking with Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 and Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini. However, I will suggest Piano Concerto No.2 for Prokofiev, Symphony No.2 for Borodin, Symphony of Psalms for Stravinsky, Symphony No.5 for Glazunov, and Pictures at an Exhibition for Mussorgsky.

I like the 4th too. Very imaginative, lacks a bit of of form, but dont mind that.

I've never been able to get "into" Shostakovich. I thought #7, Leningrad, would be his most approachable since it is so famous, but I can't sit through it. The only piece of his I know is the second waltz. Thanks for turning me on to the 4th.

The 10th is my go to Shostakovich...

For me it is this Melodiya album: String Quartet No. 3; Two Pieces for String Octet; Piano Quintet played by Borodin Quartet and Sviatoslav Richter in the Quintet.

You're right--really tough choice, and I partially agree, especially if you're looking at pure music. You hint at my thoughts when you talk about it being on the cusp. So I cheat. I treat 4 and 5 as a whole--the representation of a process. I call 4 "Glorious imperfection" and 5 "Glorious perfection" (and the latter is said laden with the kind of ambiguous irony that we associate with that work). 4 is sprawling and messy but mostly straightforward, full of wtf in a good way, where 5 keeps you guessing--and contains the Largo, the first of his heartwrenching Largos (there's another amazing, underrated one in 6). The first time I heard the 4th live, I just sat there gaping at the wall of sound that hits you in the face, particularly in the first movement and the first coda. The first time I heard the 5th live, I was brought to tears. I didn't know why at the time. I now think I do. If you really want to look at an album that might allow you to cheat and also get in another work you mentioned, there is the fascinating premiere recording of both 4 and 13 that stands as, bar none, my favourite Shostakovich recording ever. Not for the sound quality (which isn't wonderful, to put it mildly, but is better than some I've heard), but the for the palpable tension in the air, particularly for the 13th, and for just how fresh and boundary pushing the 4th comes across as, even after being lost for 25 years. And that interesting feeling of knowing that the composer heard this performance as well--you are listening to what he listened to.

Magnificent choice! The only possible alternative was one that was part and parcel of the crisis brought on by the Fourth - Lady Macbeth of the Mtensk District!

4 or 8 for me. But with Shostakovich, there are some symphonies I could easily live without. In particular - for me - 2, 3, 12 and 14. Box set: Petrenko and/or Barshai.

Iconic?...Violin Concerto No. 1...the cadenza does it all.

My suggestion: Mozart box the String Quintets

4th is my choice. The 10th and 5th are the most coherent, and I contend that the 10th is the last symphony written that is canonical core repertoire.

A heart choice. But I take his 8th symphony. A piece which is very special for me. Performance sanderling 1997

This "spasmodic, unwieldy" ..to which I would add radical, gargantuan, explosive "Send-up" of the symphonic idiom MAY INDEED be the single work that would best represent the volcanic energy and sensationalism of Shostakovich for future generations, but I would still opt for the magnificence, eloquence, power, breadth and brilliance of #10. Yes, it's a less outrageous, daring, electrifying work than the 4th, which means it has to be that much more organically shaped and perfectly controlled to rise to the top of Shostakovich's 15 symphonies, which I believe it does. (#13 would be next). LR

I would stay with 13th for orchestral work. Along with the piano quintet is what it touches me the most. Don't ask me why the piano quintet, but it does. However, having to forget personal preferences, I would choose the 13th.

Of course, if this wonderful series ever gets on to Elgar, it will be interesting to see if DH puts forward "The March of the Mogul Emperors" which a couple of years ago he (whimsically ?) posited as E's best work

Dave, I have no preference about a Shostakovich suggestion. But I grab the opportunity to make my humble offering to the gods: Mozart and Prokofiev both their Symphonies Concertantes. Both works comprise their essence as composer and are so inventive and rich in character and style...

A suggestion for Sibelius. I hone in on an album with SNO/Gibson on Chandos. If chosen, three quintessential works by Sibelius will be salvaged for posterity: Lemminkäinen Suite, Luonnotar, and The Bard.

I would keep Symphony n°10. As powerful as the fourth but better integrated formally.

That's two out of four for me - Schubert's String Quintet and Shostakovich 4. Still waiting for my ideal recording of both, meanwhile stuck on Kondrashin for the Shostakovich, Aeolian SQ for the Schubert. If this series makes it to Mozart, out of the 600-and-odd K's it has to be 491.

His fourth symphony is amazing and certainly this choice makes sense, but I'd say his first violin concerto is way up there, and just personally, I'd probably select his 15th symphony. IMO In some ways the fourth is emblematic as a summit of the path not-much-later-traveled by Shostakovich (for obvious reasons of sheer survival, under the historical circumstances!).

I would choose the Fourteenth Symphony but a lot of other works are in the running.

It would be the eighth for me. If I can't cheat and double count I'll toss a coin between the symphony and SQ.

Mephistopheles should allow us to trade our Shostakovich for a Beethoven or something.

Personally I'd pick his 2nd cello concerto.

I’m partial to the 11th - especially the recording by Lazarev and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The performance and the quality of the recording is so intense, precise and sympathetic that it moves me to tears in a few places, especially the climax of the 2nd movement.

Shostakovich 11 would have been my choice - the middle part of the second movement seals it for me.

hmm... can't we sneak in the complete string quartets? If not, then symphony # 5 for me.

Symphony No 1 (provided I had Bernstein’s Chicago version)

CORRECTION BELOW - I'D ERRONEOUSLY REFERRED TO OZAWA'S BOSTON RECORDING, WHEN I'D MEANT HIS ONE WITH THE CHICAGO SYMPH ORCH. Don't know if anyone has yet suggested a Stravinsky work - but c'mon, it's not hard!- The Rite of Spring- and I say that as a huge fan of all of his eras of work, who believes it's almost criminal that everything for him after Firebird/Petrouchka/Rite gets such relatively short shrift in current concert programming. And for the Rite- Bernstein/NY/1958 or Ozawa/Chicago/1968 are epic interpretations.

I’d keep the “Gran Partita” Wind Serenade for Mozart. The first movement is the most Mozarty Mozart I’ve ever heard.

For me, I think it would be the 7th quartet in f# minor. Though if, as you say it's the 'iconic and what this composer will be remembered for' it should be the 8th quartet. Composer + work choice for today: Poulenc - Sextet

Well, if albums count, for Saint-Saëns I'd say that brilliant Sony disc, featuring Ormandy's Organ Symphony, Entremont's star-studded Carnival of the Animals, and those best-ever encores.

His 4th symphony although all of them have great merit.

There are too many good choices for me when it comes to Shostakovich. I'd probably go with the Tenth Symphony, simply because it's one of my favorites.

I guess I'll be weird and choose the 7th...by far my favorite of Shostakovich

I would have guessed Dave's Choice would have been Symphony no. 10. I'm really enjoying exploring Shostakovich's music. I'm attracted to the sound world and the subjectivity. Some don't like it though. They think it's banal. Pierre Boulez called Shostakovich's music a 2nd or 3rd pressing of Mahler!