Interest in the lighter side of Shostakovich is growing and there is a strong case for opting for a comprehensive collection of this kind. Such performances often have more sparkle and commitment than those by bigger names running through individual numbers at session ends. Not that these ballet suites are Shostakovich at his best – or even ‘real’ Shostakovich. They were assembled from much earlier scores in the lean years following the Zhdanov clamp-down, a nice little earner perhaps for a time of renewed moral, political and, let’s not forget, financial uncertainty: even composers have to eat. Neeme Jarvi’s two-disc set was well received in these pages and may suit Shostakovich completists, but Dmitri Kitaienko brings verve and character to his chosen programme. The Jazz Suites (rather better music) are also well served, as they were by Riccardo Chailly whose Decca collection couples the oft-recorded First Piano Concerto and Taiti Trot. The Frankfurt recording is not always quite so successful at accommodating the distinctive sonorities of Soviet ‘jazz’ – the saxophone and accordion can make the soundstage seem over-stuffed – but the overall effect is happy enough, the music-making itself not inappropriately robust on occasion. Warmly recommended, should the selection appeal.'