Mark Wigglesworth concludes his Shostakovich cycle on the BIS label.
In October 2010, Mark Wigglesworth will record the final disc of his 12 year project to record all of the Shostakovich Symphonies for BIS. The majority of the recordings have been made with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, and the cycle has been consistently praised as one of the most important Shostakovich cycles to be recorded in recent times.
“Wigglesworth’s long view of where the symphony is heading is a crucial component of this interpretation, but it also embraces a kaleidoscopic variety of character, be it the icy funeral march at the start of the finale, the passages of stirring brilliance in Shostakovich’s orchestral writing, or those moments where the composer seems to be retreating into his own contemplative thoughts. The emotional force is intense.”
Symphony No.4, The Telegraph, five stars