Post Description

The Cleveland Orchestra under Lorin Maazel made all too few recordings for Telarc, a Cleveland based company which offered sonics far superior to the orchestra's other American label, CBS. The repertoire tended toward orchestral showpieces, doubtless intended to show off the then-new digital recording technology.
Perhaps because Maazel never recorded a complete symphony cycle, this performance of Shostakovich's 5th symphony is not listed in music guides as a "reference" recording for the work. It should be. For me, this performance contains many of the best aspects of Stokowski's, Haitink's, and Bernstein's approaches, with spectacular orchestra playing and far superior sound. Personally, this is my favorite Shostakovich 5th, particularly for the searing third movement.