While the last of Shostakovich’s symphonies has chamber-like qualities, it is also acutely imagined in terms of orchestral sonority, so much so that I was somewhat taken aback when this latest offering arrived for consideration. Viktor Derevianko’s arrangement of the Fifteenth is by no means unsympathetic – it would appear to have had the blessing of the composer – but it cannot have been easy to find aural equivalents for the densely scored climaxes of the slow movement and finale. Certainly these passages no longer stand out from the rest as they do in the original work. Nor do the snatches of Wagner which open that finale have anything like their original emotive force: there’s no getting away from the fact that quotations from The Ring sound incongruous on piano.
On the other hand, Derevianko’s skeleton exposes the nub of the argument in a way that may prove instructive for those who prize Shostakovich above all as a manipulator of symphonic form. And what a relief to encounter a properly articulated percussion pattern at the close. There are some implausibly tinny moments along the way, but much of the music-making is spellbinding, and one is struck again and again by the players’ unerring sensitivity. I can think of few recent performances of the orchestral score – and certainly none on disc – that embody so many convincing interpretative decisions. The finale’s massive non-peroration is evidently as taxing for Kremer as it is for an orchestral string section. Elsewhere, technical standards (whether of playing or recording) are beyond reproach.
The Schnittke makeweight is equally well served; it is one of his more effective lamentations, concise as well as deeply felt. Notwithstanding the short measure, I would recommend this package to adventurous spirits. DG’s booklet-notes report that the pocket symphony made a deep impression at an impromptu concert during the 1995 Lockenhaus Festival. Whether it works so well on CD is a moot point.'