I finally got around to ordering a copy of Shostakovich 5 by Ormandy-Philadelphia PO; that makes it version #4 (1xCD; 2xSACD; and 1xLP). As a subscriber to Marie Kondo's philosophy of only possessing stuff that brings you joy, I just hope this one brings me joy as I've got too much music already and not enough time to listen to it. Fingers crossed
I've just finished playing this right now and in a word, it's the best classical surround release I've ever heard. I've got a number of classical releases that are mixed to a similar extent in terms of rear-channel usage, but none of them sound anywhere near as good; see below for some examples, and obviously not counting anything by Tomita.
Back to Shostakovich 5, what makes this particular release so great is that the surround mix is coherent with music from each speaker blending seamlessly with the music coming from the others; the overall sound is warm and inviting, with no harsh tones present whatsoever; the dynamic range is great as you can bring it up to boogie volume without bashing in your ears; the performance is excellent with energy and intimacy in all the right places; and, perhaps most importantly, it also has that
je ne sais quoi that makes you want to hear it all over again.
I've heard this particular symphony a million times and I've seen it live here in Glasgow so I know it well. It obviously won't be my 'go-to' version when I'm on the go, as it were. But right here at home? Accept no substitutes, is what I say!
Multichannel mixes that, compared to this masterpiece, are (sort of)
close, but (definitely) no cigar:
Mahler 2 by Zander
Mahler 10 - Rattle
The Planets - Susskind
Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances/Stravinksky Petruska - Jansons
