An audiophile-grade LP transfer of a 2006 hit from the Brilliant Classics catalogue: stylish and exuberant accounts of some of Shostakovich's most popular orchestral music.Shostakovich's fluency in light music, and the sharp profile of his personality in an unexpected context, can still come as a shock. Yet he always sounded like himself, no less than Prokofiev or Stravinsky did, whether writing for string quartet or jazz band. And even in these suites of sly foxtrots and waltzes, a double-edged quality emerges, at once smoochy and sinister, depending as much on the mood of the listener as the intrinsic nature of the music. From 1934, the First Jazz Suite vividly brings a smoky Soviet jazz club to the mind's eye, with it's wailing solo trumpet and parody mandolin. At the same time, the distilled invention of the three brief movements sheds light on Shostakovich's early experience as a pianist accompanying silent films - capturing a scene or at atmosphere in sound almost at will. The Second Jazz Suite - also confusingly known as the First Suite for Variety Orchestra - is a later concoction by Gerard McBurney after the score of the original, composed in 1938, was lost during the war.While the Festive Overture is well known as a riotous concert-opener, it's later companion is still a rarity, at least in concert. Shostakovich wrote the Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Folk Songs in 1963, in honour of the centenary of Kirghizia's voluntary incorporation into the Russian State. As an occasional work, solemn and ceremonial, it has been overlooked alongside the Twelfth Symphony from two years earlier, but this Ukrainian recording colours it with an authentically sharp edge and steel gleam.Reviewing the Jazz Suites on their original release, Classics Today remarked that 'The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine achieves an authentic sound - lithe rather than lush - for this music and plays with excellent ensemble. Conductor Theodore Kuchar deserves credit for making the suite consistently entertaining. The listener at least gets to hear these chips from the master's workbench in friendly performances.'
Release date:
April 4, 2025
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Nobsound Little Bear T7 Tube Preamp
Delivers rich, warm audio through its high-quality vacuum tubes, featuring multiple inputs and adjustable gain
-
Denon DP-400
Featuring a high-precision, belt-driven mechanism and an adjustable tonearm that ensures optimal tracking and minimal resonance
-
Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge
Features an elliptical stylus that accurately tracks the grooves of vinyl records, delivering a rich, detailed sound with an output voltage of 5.5 mV
-
Ortofon 2M Blue Premounted
Mounted on the SH-4 Black Headshell, this setup delivers exceptional clarity, dynamic range, and accurate sound reproduction.
-
Turntables - Top Picks
A selection of reliable record players you can buy today, for every budget
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Thrice Horizons / West
Epitaph
October 3, 2025 -
Wednesday Bleeds - Eco Mix
Dead Oceans
September 19, 2025 -
Soulwax All Systems Are Lying [2xLP]
Because Music
October 17, 2025 -
Deftones Private Music (Amazon Exclusive)
Reprise
August 22, 2025 -
Mappe Of Afterglades
Paper Bag Records
September 19, 2025 -
Old Dominion Barbara
Sony Music Nashville
August 22, 2025 -
Panic Shack Panic Shack (Red)
Brace Yourself
August 1, 2025 -
Nation of Language Dance Called Memory (Clearwith Black & Blue Mix)
Sub Pop
September 19, 2025 -
Oasis (What's The Story) MORNING GLORY? (30Th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) [3xLP]
Big Brother Recordings Limited
October 3, 2025 -
Trapper Schoepp Osborne
Blue Elan
September 19, 2025 -
Hunx and His Punx Walk Out On This World
Get Better Records
August 22, 2025 -
Mono Inc Darkness
No Cut
August 15, 2025 -
Mariah Carey Here For It All
Gamma.
September 26, 2025 -
Karl Ratzer Trio Vienna Red (Audiophile; Signature Edition)
In And Out Records Gmbh
August 1, 2025