The love of my life, Dmitri.

Look what I got today! It's so exciting!

Yes, that's right. It's a recording of the USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra playing Shostakovich's symphony no. 1, and symphonies no. 3-6. And half of the notes are in Russian, and it's just absolutely fantastic. See?

I started listening to the Fifth Symphony (my favorite, pictured above) but it was so warped that I just couldn't stand to listen to it. I guess that's what happens with old vinyl. However, I'm listening to the First Symphony right now and it sounds great. Shostakovich wrote this when he was still in school, when he was only a little older than I am now.

The reason why I love this so much is because I'm writing a paper on Shostakovich's relationship with Stalin and Soviet Russia for my European history class, and it's fascinating. Because of the lack of concrete evidence from Shostakovich's life, there is a historical debate about his true allegiances. If you're interested, try reading Shostakovich: A Life by Laurel Fay (buy it here).

Okay, now the First Symphony just skipped back to the beginning. These records seriously have problems. But I'm listening to the Fourth now and, so far, it's going great! The first movement kind of reminds me of the last movement of the Fifth; but it's very military. Less "life-affirming," as his work was so often described. Though most of his music is dark, emotional, and melancholy, he is a master of the optimistic finale (see the end of the Fifth Symphony).

A Reckless Adventure

Reckless Records, located in Chicago at Madison and Wabash* (just off the El stop).

Christmas lights line the windows, handpainted records hang on the walls and records are organized by genre. Upon entering, you are hit will a wall of pure, driving rock, probably Led Zeppelin or something. It seems like the type of place the guy from High Fidelity would hang out, or where Henry DeTamble would look for the perfect punk record, or where suburban hipsters would flock to in search of the latest Animal Collective.

Not so much for the classical enthusiast. Sure, my inner indie kid was in heaven; I loved finding Belle and Sebastian's "The Boy with the Arab Strap" on vinyl and the store-made labels on most albums, for example, "Tallahassee is the tenth album by The Mountain Goats. Sufjan Stevens might have to battle it out with these guys for the Florida concept album, cuz it seems like these guys have got it nailed." I browsed through the Iron and Wine and Fleet Foxes for a while before returning to my original mission: get some classical.

I asked one of the skinny-jean-clad employees where they kept their classical records, and the result was rather dismal. The classical music was sort of tucked away under the main records, and their entire collection took up about half a box. As uncomfortable as it was to crouch under the shelf and search through records I could hardly reach, I did find some interesting ones. Howard Hanson conducting the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra, and Verdi's Otello (Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra). Their classical CD collection was somewhat redeeming, with some Shostakovich, Brahms and Tchaikovsky thrown into the mix. No Mahler, however.

As I was leaving, I was approached by a customer who proved to me that it isn't only conventional hipsters who hang out at this record store. He saw that I was carrying my viola, and immediately asked, "Are you going to see Rite of Spring this weekend?" I was a little taken aback by a guy who talked normally about the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a predominately rock-oriented store, but it was refreshing to meet someone who lived in both worlds. We talked about Stravinsky for a while, and then I left for rehearsal, satisfied with the day's expedition.

In short, this store is for any die-hard music fan. The girl (or guy) who is in love with both Sam Beam and Shostakovich, the Andrew Bird followers and the metalheads, the punks and the geeks. This store is eclectic in the best sense of the word, and offers at least something for everyone.

*There are two other Chicago locations, on Belmont and Milwaukee.