"Transparenz, Artikulationsgenauigkeit und Klangkultur hat diese Neuafnahme von Schostakowitschs "Babi Yar"-Sinfonie reichlich zu bieten ... Am besten gelingen folgerichtig die drei letzten Sätze, in denen Kirill Karabits einige schöne orchestrale Details offenlegt"

"Transparenz, Artikulationsgenauigkeit und Klangkultur hat diese Neuaufnahme von Schostakowitschs "Babi Yar"-Sinfonie reichlich zu bieten. Aber ob das ausreicht, einem Werk interpretatorisch gerecht zu werden, in dem es (vor allem) um die Schrecken von Antisemitismus und staatlicher Gewalt geht? ... Am besten gelingen folgerichtig die drei letzten Sätze, in denen Dirigent Karabits einige schöne orchestrale Details offenlegt"

"This beautifully engineered studio recording under Kirill Karabits has all the necessary adrenaline to keep the listener fully engaged. Karabits is particularly effective in negotiating the tricky changes of tempo in the opening 'Babi Ya' movement and ensures that the tension is sustained right to the very end ... The new release certainly benefits from the fine singing of Tsibulko and the more authentic vocal timbres of the combined Russian choirs"

"This release on Chandos had the misfortune to appear in the wake of the live reading of the work by Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony, with bass Alexey Tikhomirov ... but there is much to recommend in this recording with the fine Russian National Orchestra under Kirill Karabits, with Oleg Tsibulko as the soloist ... The Muti recording may have forever dispelled the notion that it takes Russian musicians to get the depths of Shostakovich, but this one certainly shows they're still in the game"

"I wish I could recommend the recording unreservedly, as I greatly admire this conductor and orchestra. But the readings by Petrenko, Wigglesworth and Muti are more wholly successful than this new release"

Vurdering: 4/5

"Pentatone's cycle of Shostakovich symphonies is evolving slowly but surely ... Kirill Karabits is impressive in this symphony and those who are following this RNO cycle will find this a valuable addition to the series"

"Recording of the week: Notwithstanding the Ukrainian on the podium, this performance strikes me as a particularly Russian-spirited one. The emotional commitment from all concerned is palpable; Yevtushenko's dissenting texts need to be heard as much now as they did in the 1960s, and Tsibulko and Karabits are more than capable of imbuing them with weight and urgency"