STEREORMANDY, Vol. 3

Eugene Ormandy, conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra, offers an intensely dramatic reading of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, playing with rhythmic tension and expansive orchestral surfaces. The approach balances incisiveness and clarity, with winds and brass outlining the contrasts and strings building warm masses. The Largo opens in lyrical suspense, while the finale regains vigor and moral ambiguity. Clear dynamics and careful timbre support a powerful and enveloping vision with a profoundly incisive character.