A Shostakovich Primer

Anyone wishing to get a head start on the local celebration of Shostakovich can find a wealth of recorded material to listen to. But say you're new to the composer's work – where to start? Our three Shostakovaphiles offer a few recommendations.

Bay: You should start with a recording of the opera.

Buckley: I think there's only one that's out still. This has been reissued, and it's a great recording. It's [Mstislav] Rostropovich [conducting]. [Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (EMI, $23.98)]

Reynolds: The Rostropovich Cello Concerto is awesome. [Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1, Op.107; Violin Concerto No. 1 (revised), Op. 99 (Sony, $11.98)]

Bay: Rostropovich has a relatively inexpensive boxed set of all of the symphonies with various orchestras. [Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies (Teldec, 12 discs, $119.98)] Basically anything that Rostropovich has done of Shostakovich, you know it's almost coming from the horse's mouth.

Buckley: And it will be better than his son's recordings, in my opinion.

Bay: Rostropovich is really the link: in-depth and close-to-the-heart Shostakovich performances.

AC: What makes him such a strong interpreter of Shostakovich?Buckley: He's a product of the same culture.

Bay: Exactly.

AC: But so was Maksim [Shostakovich's son].

Buckley: But Maksim was always living in the shadow of Dmitri.

Bay: And Maksim was not such a hot pianist.

Reynolds: Rostropovich has the intellectual and emotional. A lot of very highly trained, virtuosic players are a lot cleaner and don't have that emotional drive that Shostakovich has, and Rostropovich matches that.

Bay: If people are more interested in piano, the Preludes and Fugues, which were inspired by Bach, are a good place to start. [Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87/Tatiana Nikolayeva (Hyperion, $65.98); Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87/Vladimir Ashkenazy (Decca, $33.98); Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87/Keith Jarrett (ECM, $35.98)]

Reynolds: And the Jewish Folks Songs are fantastic and very accessible – really powerful, dramatic, and beautiful. [Shostakovich: New Babylon Film Music/Song-Cycle From Jewish Folk Poetry (Chandos, $17.98)]