Although their earlier
Shostakovich recordings had been quite disappointing,
Günther Herbig and the
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken's 2006 recording of the Fourth Symphony is much more convincing. Heretofore somewhat stiff and standoffish in
Shostakovich,
Herbig seems more involved with the Fourth's expressive intensity, enigmatic irony, and vulgar brutality. With sure control and firm command,
Herbig's opening Allegretto poco moderato is elusively evocative, his central Moderato is evasively mysterious, his closing Largo -- Allegro is persuasively monstrous, and the final impression of his interpretation is overwhelming. Although the
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken is still not an entirely polished ensemble, the direct colors, rugged rhythms, and rough strength work well in the Fourth. While there are other recordings of the Fourth the novice should hear first -- certainly, the 1962 world-premiere recording by
Kiril Kondrashin and the
Moscow Symphony, probably the 1981
Rozhdestvensky, the 1989
Ashkenazy, and the 2004
Gergiev --
Herbig's Fourth is worth hearing if you are already a fan of the work. Berlin Classics' sound is gray in tone and chalky in texture, but still somehow very atmospheric.