Kitajenko Shostajovich

When this cycle of the symphonies of Shostakovich with Dmitri Kitajenko conducting the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln was released in 2005, Shostakovich cycles were no longer the novelties they had been in the latter years of the twentieth century. There were already several superlative cycles in circulation – the monumental Kondrashin, the modernist Rozhdestvensky, the anguished Barshai – and a pair of superlative cycles nearing completion – the commanding Jansons and the compelling Gergiev – when the Kitajenko – Köln cycle was issued on Capriccio in superaudio sound…

The influential critic Karl Flodin commented after the première of Sibelius’ Second Symphony, 'A symphonic poem the like of Sibelius’ Second Symphony has never been heard before, it’s something rarely heard in the genre of modern symphony. The more you listen to this brilliant work, the more powerful its contours seem, the deeper its soul appears and the more striking become the clues which hint at an understanding of this composition'. Oehms Classics has found the perfect partners for this recording in Dmitrij Kitajenko and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, whom have paired it delightfully with two short pieces by Edvard Grieg.

Chandos’ Rimsky-Korsakov symphony cycle effectively steals the thunder from Neeme Järvi’s set on Deutsche Grammophon. Dmitri Kitajenko’s grittier and bolder readings better present the music. While Järvi luxuriates in Gothenberg’s smooth sonorities, Kitajenko draws more stark sounds from his Bergen Philharmonic players. This is especially telling in the Antar Symhony (which Rimsky-Korsaskov later published as a “symphonic suite”) where Kitajenko’s gruff approach makes the second movement’s growling argument more forbidding.

For this 2015 release on Oehms Classics, Dmitri Kitayenko and the Gürzenich-Orchestra of Cologne present two of Sergey Rachmaninov's most popular works: the Symphony No. 2 in E minor and the Vocalise in C sharp minor. If this album seems like any number of CDs with this pairing, be prepared for a surprise, because the Vocalise is performed by Valer Sabadus, a German countertenor whose florid voice may be more familiar from performances of Baroque opera. This rendition of the Vocalise hearkens back to Rachmaninov's original version for soprano voice, as the last of the 14 Lieder, Op. 34, which was subsequently arranged for various solo instruments and orchestra.

This compilation brings together popular orchestral works and ballet music by Tchaikovsky. Dmitrij Kitajenko and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, of which he has been Honorary Conductor since 2009, have recorded the complete symphonies by Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. These recordings have been awarded with numerous international prizes and are considered important reference recordings. Their recording of Tchaikovsky’s opera Iolanta in 2015 (with Olesya Golovneva, Alexander Vinogradov and Andrei Bondarenko in the lead roles) caused a sensation, and it received the "Opera of the Year" Award of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA).

The Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne's honorary conductor Dmitrij Kitajenko has associated with the orchestra since 2009, a co-operation spanning more than 30 years and producing many excellent recordings. With this orchestra, OehmsClassics released the Second Symphony by Jean Sibelius in June 2018, which was named the best recording in the category of symphonic music at the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) in 2019.

Dmitri Kitayenko directed various orchestras in Moscow before becoming chief conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic in 1976 and subsequently conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the Hessischer Rundfunk in Frankfurt am Main, from 1990 to 1996. He went on to hold principal positions with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul and finally, in addition to his worldwide activities as a guest conductor, was appointed honorary conductor of the Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne.