Search - Nikolay Myaskovsky, Dmitry Liss, Yekaterinburg Ural Philharmonic Orchestra :: Myaskovsky: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 10

A Sixth to equal any ever recorded plus a bonus

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 07/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dmitri Liss and the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra are not names most are going to mention when asked what performers project the most Russian-ness in music emanating from that nation, but -- on the basis of this recording -- maybe they should be.



The Symphony No. 6 of Nikolai Myasksovksy (1881-1950) has had a handful of recordings over the years. The composer, the son of a Russian Army office born near Warsaw but always considered Russian, was born before the revolution and became, by some accounts, between the greatest and fourth-greatest composer of the Soviet era depending on judgments made about Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Khachaturian. He turned to music later in life than most composers but still had prolific output, publishing 26 symphonies including the two on this recording. An instructor at the Moscow Conservatory, his students inlcuded the aforementioned Khachaturian and Kabalevsky.



The Symphony No. 6, "a painfully and profoundly felt work," according to the notes to this issue, is the composer's lengthiest work in the genre, running to 61 minutes in this recording. The notes suggest it is the "most significant Russian symphony between Tchaikovsky's 'Pathetique' and Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony." It was premiered in 1924 and has also been characterized as the first work of Soviet realism, the government-defined tag given to compositions the musical Politburo liked in the Soviet era. Since no one ever figured out what Soviet realism in music actually was, we'll have to continue guessing whether the Symphony 6 was a projection of it.



What we do know is it is the composer's most famous and more diligent work, given to moments of great passion in four movements. It has often been called Mahlerian but I don't think the current recording says that. Under Liss, the Ural Philharmonic makes this music the epitome of late Russian passion, I believe. While other recordings, especially those by Kondrashin and Svetlanov (I subtract the Jarvi recording since he is, like usual, too international in this music), make more of the Mahlerian ethos, what I hear in this version is Tchaikovksy brought into the 20th century.



This becomes most apparent in the flowing lyrical sweep of the Andante and continues into the martial rhythm that kicks off the finale. The new-found Russian lyricism return in development for woodwind figures that maintain the thrust before the return of the main theme that turns into a Rachmaninoff-like closing after the brief choral interlude.



The Symphony 10 is another dramatic minor key edifice on a much smaller scale. Its 16 minute duration is almost totally dramatic, opening with brass-dominant flourishes that move unrelentingly for more than 10 minutes before quiet briefly ensues. Sure enough, the drama is back in a few minutes and takes you through to the hyperbolic conclusion.



While the Symphony 6 is clearly a masterpiece, 10 is a symphony that could've been composed by any of two dozen 20th century composers. It reminded me of film music from the 1950s and the ostinato theme was evocative of, in tenor if not exactly in note, music from Howard Hawks' "The Thing From Another Planet."



But it is Symphony 6, and not 10, that you should be interested in here, for this is a substantial 20th century symphony rarely played on the concert stage whose exposition is outstanding in this reading. The 2006 recording is modern and digital and the Ural Philharmonic plays well for Liss, who leads as if the future of Russian music was on the line. Warner Classics' outstanding package includes seven pages of interesting notes and the Russian text of the choral section plus an English translation. This is a treat for anyone that enjoys Russian music or wants to hear a masterpiece off the beaten path.

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