Search - Nikolay Myaskovsky, Evgeny Svetlanov, Russian Federation Academic Symphony Orchestra :: Myaskovsky: Symphonies Nos. 15 & 27

A belated yet a nice continuation in the survey of Myaskovsk

David A. Hollingsworth | Washington, DC USA | 11/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After Olympia Compact Discs Ltd went defunct some years ago (around 2004 I believe), there was wonder what would happen to the Myaskovsky ongoing symphony cycle the company was engaged upon. While the defunct was a sad occurrence (and Olympia did a wonderful service in rescuing obscure works from the cold), it is indeed a welcoming news that Alto is taking the Myaskovsky project forward, with the release of the great composer's 15th & 27th symphonies. Many thanks to the website dedicated to the composer ([...]) for that encouraging development.



The pairing per se could not have been more apt and appealing than it is here. The Fifteenth Symphony was composed in 1935, shortly before the Sixteenth (his masterpiece), and it is generally the sunniest of his symphonies (at least to my mind). Not entirely devoid of the Tchaikovskian seriousness and drama (the busy yet melodious first movement in particular), it is a work with plenty of warmth and individuality. The waltz-like third movement, which he borrowed from his earlier piano work Epilogue of 1908 (and which he re-used again in the Sinfonietta no. II for strings in 1946), is especially stylish and graceful. And my oh my how much I love that brassy peroration of the finale and the way it builds up to this exhilarating coda that just simply shines. Nope. No cheap music here, although as the policies of Socialist Realism was heightening up by the mid-1930s, Myaskovsky was somehow admonished by the officials soon after the symphony had its 1935 premiere. Go figure!



Yet that inner strength, defiance, and resolve never abandoned this ever so honest yet self-effacing composer & pedagogue even in his final days, and his Twenty-seventh symphony and his Thirteenth String Quartet (1949-1950) show just how much he adhered to the true principles of musical art (and how much he adhered to his true self dare I say). Posthumously awarded the Stalin Prize in 1950, this symphony serves as a pinnacle of all that went on before in his life, musically & otherwise. To deem this work a masterpiece (as it is so generally considered after Gauk premiered it in December of 1950) is an understatement. There's something true, defiant, yet sublime in the work that I've grown to love and admire over the years, and the true value of it never waned. He came up with this work just under two years after the infamous yet abhorrent Zhdanov affair of 1948 and its quiet sense of protest is all the more compelling (by quiet, I mean it does not have the bombast of a Shostakovich, but its profound dignity & solidity would've done Tchaikovsky proud). I'm thinking of not just the slow movement (arguably the best he has ever written), but also the tenacity of the symphony's beginning and the ensuing development; that bittersweet melancholy mixed in with the angst that never runs that risk of shallowness and lip-servicing. It's only in the finale where the material sounds a bit 'forced' and conformed. But this work overall will continue to garner admiration as it has over the years.



Yevgeny Svetlanov shows apparent feel and sympathy for the work and his structural approach to it is immaculate & ideal (taking from where Gauk leaves off, but with more of a poetic appeal). And his ensemble, the Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation plays with admiring relishment and artistry. They definitely outshine the otherwise good performance by Polyansky et al on Chandos. Problems, however, do arise in their rendition of the Fifteenth, where the orchestra, especially the strings, found themselves rather off-guard in places throughout (and not helped by a rather congested recording). Only Kondrashin, in a more dated though a more acceptable recording, has a better feel and pacing of the score (and with a more alert USSR Radio & Television Large Symphony at his disposal). That original Melodiya recording is now reissued by AudioPhile Classic (APL 101.503). But with that said, Svetlanov's otherwise read-through performance shows commitment and overall, the release of this album is a welcome in more ways than one.



And with such glowing warmth & enthusiasm I can't help possessing.

"

Rare recordings resurrected

Dennis F. Siebert | Arlington, VA | 11/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Admirers of Myaskovsky should be grateful to Alto for bringing back these earlier Olympia recordings. Olympia, a defunct label, recorded all of the Myaskovsky symphonies in a series no longer available. Apparently, Alto plans to release additional Olympia recordings in the months ahead. Myaskovsky deserves a wider listening audience, and any effort to promote that aim needs to be congratulated."

Great news for Russian music lovers

Patrice Chevy | paris, france | 11/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nobody thought this would happen, after Olympia had to stop the fantastic Svetlanov / Myaskovsky cycle. And yet, they are back ! ALTO fulfills the dream of so many Myaskovsky lovers, in this first volume, with the rare and great N° 15, and the testimony of N° 27. 3 other volumes are announced to complete the cycle, and will in particular bring to light the rarest of all, N° 16 and 23, never released on CD as far as I know !

And Svetlanov in his garden, probably especially close to this injustly underrated composer !"