Shostakovich 5th - Tilson Thomas/SFS - 4th Mvmt (I)

By now, you should know there are specific reasons for doing the final section up- or down-tempo.

Shostakovich himself kept two versions of the finale, hiding the slower one until long after Stalin was safely buried (Bernstein did not have access to this version at the time of his recordings, as I understand).

The public version was the faster one -- the triumphant race to the finish that pleased you (and the Soviet authorities).

Slower, there's a more chilling effect -- like big jackboots.

i feel like his speed makes the finale end betr

sfs has many great players and individually love their playing; for some reason, this particular concert seems a little loose than usual as an orchestra...

Wish there was a "non-Proms" video of SF doing this -- as good as they sound here, this is far far short of how tight this orchestra really is.

You can hear the sections struggling mightily just to coordinate with each other in the Albert Hall's atrocious acoustic environment, and things get a little soupy.

Too bad, because this orchestra is noted for its flawless ensemble under any normal circumstances.

They did it in an episode of "keeping score". I havn't seen it but I was there and the performance was great.

3:45. Gold.

A beautiful horn solo. Beautifully written, beautifully played.

And great solo Bill Williams.

Agreed!

Who is Bill Williams?

Principal trumpet here. Very, very wonderful player...

I agree with your comment. This is a great performance.
Just don't say "frisco".