Moscow-Cheryomushki-Suite / Jazz Suite No. 1 / etc

SACD Hybrid MultiChannel. Plays on all SACD and CD Players

Much of Shostakovich's music in popular style is quite good; it just doesn't sound much like Shostakovich. Most other great composers writing in a lighter vein retain more of their "serious music" style. But here, despite the brilliant orchestration and the occasional rhythmic game, the music sounds merely, indeed anonymously, popular, even if it is "good" popular. Perhaps that's why Shostakovich reused much of it from work to work. For example, the second movement of the Jazz Suite No. 2 appears as the "Folk Festival" in the suite from The Gadfly. Tahiti Trot pops up in one of the ballets; all of the waltzes sound similar.

This isn't to denegrate the music, and it's also no mark against Steven Sloane's ability as a conductor to point out that this isn't the kind of stuff that requires much in the way of interpretive effort. Set the right tempo, play it well, and it just goes merrily along. In short, there is absolutely nothing here that begs to be criticized. The Suite from the musical Moscow Cheryomushki is particularly welcome, although not quite the equal of Chailly's Decca performance in terms of sheer orchestral finesse. Never mind; I like this music, and I enjoyed these very well recorded performances (in regular and surround formats). You will too.