Rachmaninov - The Symphonies 3 CDs

Rachmaninov - The Symphonies - Ashkenazy (1998)
Vladimir Ashkenazy's love of Rachmaninov's music is evident not only on the keyboard, but also at the podium. His conducting of Rachmaninov's music is absolutely first rate, with an ample mix of passion and precision. I am certain that these fine recordings undoubtedly helped raise his stature as a noteworthy conductor. Under his direction, Bernard Haitink's Concertgebouw Orchestra gives distinguished, technically perfect performances steeped in emotion. Their level of playing is superior to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's under Lorin Maazel's baton (Maazel and the BPO recorded a set of Rachmaninov's symphonies for Deutsche Grammophon around the time of Ashkenazy's recordings.). The best performance of Ashkenazy's Rachmaninov cycle has to be that of the Second Symphony, but the others, especially those of the tone poems, are almost as good too. Of course, Decca's sound engineers did a wonderful job capturing the Concertgebouw's (the orchestra's hall, that is) warm acoustics. If these aren't the definitive recordings of Rachmaniov's symphonies, then they ought to be.

CD1
1-4. Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13
5-7. Symphonic Dances, Op. 45
CD2
1-4. Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
5. The Isle of the Dead, Op. 29 (symphonic poem)
CD3
1-3. Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44
4-7. The Bells, Op. 35 (choral symphony for soprano, tenor, baritone, chorus & orchestra)

Natalia Troitskaya (soprano, track 5)
Ryszard Karczykowski (tenor, track 4)
Tom Krause (baritone, track 7)
Chorus of the Concertgebouw Orchestra (Arthur Oldham, chorus master)

Rachmaninov - The Symphonies:

Symphony No.1: Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote his Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13 at Ivanovka, an estate near Tambov, Russia, between January and October 1895. Despite its poor initial reception the symphony is currently seen as a dynamic representation of the Russian symphonic tradition, with British composer Robert Simpson calling it "a powerful work in its own right, stemming from Borodin and Tchaikovsky, but convinced, individual, finely constructed, and achieving a genuinely tragic and heroic expression that stands far above the pathos of his later music." The premiere, which took place in St. Petersburg on March 28, 1897, was an absolute failure for reasons which included under-rehearsal and the poor performance of the conductor Alexander Glazunov. Rachmaninoff subsequently suffered a psychological collapse, but did not destroy or disavow the score,which was left in Russia when he went into exile in 1917 and subsequently lost. In 1944, after the composer's death, the separate instrumental parts of the symphony were discovered, and from these the full score was reconstructed. The symphony's second performance took place at the Moscow Conservatory on October 17, 1945, conducted by Aleksandr Gauk. Following a general reassessment of Rachmaninoff's music the First Symphony has been performed frequently, and has been recorded several times.
The symphony is scored for 3 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B♭, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in B♭, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, cymbals, bass drum (movements 1, 2 and 4 only), triangle (movements 2 and 4 only), snare drum, tambourine, tam-tam (movement 4 only) and strings. A typical performance has an approximate duration of 45 minutes.

Symphony No.2: Sergei Rachmaninoff composed his Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 in 1906–07. The premiere was conducted by the composer himself in St. Petersburg on 8 February 1908. Its duration is approximately 60 minutes when performed uncut; cut performances can be as short as 35 minutes. The score is dedicated to Sergei Taneyev, a Russian composer, teacher, theorist, author, and pupil of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The symphony is in four movements:

1. Largo — Allegro moderato (E minor)
2. Allegro molto (A minor)
3. Adagio (A major)
4. Allegro vivace (E major)

It consists of a dramatic sequence that is identified with Russian symphonic tradition. The tradition, established by Rachmaninoff's predecessors, places emphasis on a motif and an “unending and beautiful flow of melody”, e.g. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 (also in E minor) and, later, Balakirev's Symphony No. 2 and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5.

Symphony No.3: Sergei Rachmaninoff composed his Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44 between 1935 and 1936. The Third Symphony is considered a transitional work in Rachmaninoff's output. In melodic outline and rhythm it is his most expressively Russian symphony, particularly in the dance rhythms of the finale. What was groundbreaking in this symphony was its greater economy of utterance compared to its two predecessors. This sparer style, first apparent in the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, enhances the emotional power of the work.
The symphony was premiered on November 6, 1936, with Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. Critical opinion was divided and public opinion negative toward the work. Rachmaninoff remained convinced of the piece's worth, however, and conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra in the first recording of the work in 1939. Following the reevaluation of Rachmaninoff's work in the 1970s, the symphony has been viewed in a more favorable light and has been frequently played and recorded.