Thank you very much indeed for uploading!! This is the song that my father met with my mother, in 1953. Yasushi Akitagawa conduted and thay sang it together at Hibiya hall. And it was also the reaosn why I live here now!

This is a wonderful collaboration of geniuses.

この曲は、中学校の時の音楽の授業で聴かせてもらった思い出の曲。社会主義の思想についてはノーコメントだけど広大な国土と厳しい風土、ロシア人の熱い心が感じられ、子供ながらに感動した一曲。

It's a absolutely fantastic to hear such music so great like this!

Thanks a lot!

For those who dislike the fact that this is an ode to Stalin: Forget him; it's the MUSIC! That will live forever in our hearts.

Thanks for uploading this; I've been looking for a modern rendition of this for many years. I have a Vanguard LP 33 rpm recording from the 50s. I grew up on this and even today, it's one of my very favorite music pieces. BTW My album cover gives" Forest" an "s" --- i.e., Forests. Thanks a million for this. Now I'm motivated to get my LP transferred to disc.

To Matthew Swihart: "The Song of the Forests" was, indeed, de-Stalinized after Stalin's decease and it was political act of the forth coming regime. This particular performance has the original text, flattering Stalin, "the father of all nations". Btw, I was unable to find the original score in russian libraries. And yes, it is impossible to disjoin Stalin from Soviet Empire Style, be it music or architecture. Nevertheless, I would say that the message of the poem "Song of Forest" goes far beyond praising soviet leader: it is the renewal after war, where burnt out battle fields will be planted with forests. To me the most touching phrase is at 5:00 [choir] He takes off the map all those red flags, a war-burnt ones... ...and puts back the green, as the forests forseen. [soloist] From one river side and to the other, From the Volga to the Bug, there will be a forest line -- a South-Northen one. I think, to every russian speaker the aforementioned regime praise get almost unnoticed, and what is being paid attention to is ideas of new life and humanity. And this, IMO, constitutes the genious of Shostakovich -- an ability to speak universal language on universal themes.

This performace is perfect

I love the recording with Paavo Järvi, but wanted to hear the non-destalinized text. Thank you so much for posting this. "The great leader in wise contemplation." Hehehe

Thanks a lot for your valuable video. Greeting from Tokyo where Sukura ( cherry ) will start to blossom most probably in two weeks.

Apart from the political background of Stalin's Soviet Union, this is one of the greatest music ever to inspire and encourage ordinary people. It's stupendous !! Thanks for sharing the masterpiece.

なぜか歌詞の日本語訳がないしかしながら画面にわずかながら映し出された歌詞のコーダの絶叫は「英明なるスターリンに栄光あれ！！！」まじかよ、今だったら「元帥様マンセー」と叫ぶ歌を歌っていたわけだ、当時の人の正気を疑うね。

Incroyables chœurs japonais!

For those of us who have chosen to live in squalor under Capitalism, who can say that Shostakovich did not make the right choice?

Regarding the Vanguard Recording that Mignon Dunne mentioned -- this is the one I have too, which is total perfection (except some of the technicalities). The story I learned at the time this LP was given to me (c.1957-1958) was that Russia did not want this music out of the country, so it banned distribution. However, someone smuggled the tapes out of Russia, had them dubbed, and smuggled the tapes back into Russia. It's a pretty far-fetched story, but my source seemed to know what he was talking about.

La época que le toco vivir , la revolución rusa de 1917 tenía que reflejarse en su música con toda su problemática : las esperanzas de su pueblo, las luchas por los cambios, los errores , la dictadura de stalin, los cambios culturales, que en todas sus sinfonias, cantatas se dejan sentir y desde luego en muchas, contradictorias, como fue su vida, que finalmene llegó a ocupar un cargo como miembro del Soviet Supremo. Cargo esencialmente politico.

@kaohsiungcc The second part is already in KZfaq. The third part will be at about 45 minutes.

Maravillosa obra de ese gran genio de la musica, quien vivio toda su vida, con temor de que la bestia del Stalin, lo mandara fusilar, porque lo acusaba de "no hacer musica lo suficientemente socialista"(¿que seria eso?). Y solo se contentaba con mandar a unos cuantos a apedrear las ventanas de la "dacha" (casa de campo) del compositor,

I understand the text, at least before it was De-Stalinized (assuming it was) was completely flattering to Stalin. Can any Russian speakers confirm if this version is still a big love-fest for Stalin? Shostakvich had no choice, by the way. At the time in his life when he wrote this he was under very harsh scrutiny by the regime. This project was part of trying to redeem himself enough to survive as an artist and not live in squalor and silence for the rest of his life.

歌詞はどのバージョンかな？ クレムリン🎉

My friend greetings from Türkiye subcribe you, see you later again

This is indeed a poem by Yevgeniy Dolmatovskiy about Joseph Stalin and I do not think it can really be De-Stalinized. It'd be like removing Virgin Mary from "Ave Maria".

anyone know who's performing here? I recognize Sergei Leiferkus but who's the orchestra? the conductor? where are they? in Japan? I saw the year as 2006. is that correct?