Nikolai Miaskovsky - Sinfonietta for Strings, Op. 32/2 - Theme and Variations - Two Pieces - Napeve - St. Petersburg Chamber Ensemble, Roland Melia - ASV 1995

I have been sick with fever all week, always doubly frustrating in the midst of summer weather! So here's a post late night Thursday that was meant for Tuesday. More journeys into sound shall be added over the weekend.

This is by far my favorite non-symphonic Miaskovsky/Myaskovsky disc, although there are several runner-ups on Olympia and other labels; one of the very fine Olympia discs I posted in 2014, which like this ASV disc also contains the "Sinfonietta", and the Olympia offers up as well the other two works that make up Opus 32 (the Sinfonietta for Strings is Op. 32 No.2). The Sinfonietta is wonderful, and I imagine that many of you will already be familiar with it. "Theme and Variations" is another strong work, and lesser known. Lesser known still, and my favorite piece on this ASV gem is the "Two Pieces", which has its glimpses of moodiness but much more light-and it's quite lyrical and gorgeously pastoral (yes, pastoral!). For me it's always been something special. "Napeve" closes the program and is barely 2 minutes long, yet it is tender and poignant, and it manages to compress much feeling within it's tiny duration.

Nikolai Yakovlevich Miaskovsky was born on April 20th 1881 in a Russian fortress town near Warsaw. A perceptive aunt discovered and nurtured his musical talents and by the age of 15 he was already composing. He began his studies privately in Moscow with Gliere but while visiting St. Petersburg he fell in with, and was inspired by, a group of progressive composers, among them Prokofiev. They provided the catalyst he needed to resign a career in the army and enter the St. Petersburg Conservatory where his teachers were to include Liadov and Rimsky-Korsakov.

By 1921 he had been appointed professor of composition at the Moscow Conservatory (a post he held until his death in 1950) and was on his way to earning an international reputation. A thorough and perceptive teacher he numbered Kabalevsky, Khachaturian, and Shebalin amongst his pupils and his unselfish criticism earned him the affectionate nickname "the musical conscience of Moscow". Despite his introverted and pessimistic personal nature he attempted to communicate deeply with the Soviet listener through a direct and objective style.

Although the company that he kept was progressive Miaskovsky was a stabilizing force rather than an innovator: "The tireless quest for the last word in musical technique and invention did not constitute an end in itself for me". He was a composer of principles and discipline whose music, rooted in Russian traditions, developed from complexity to clarity, from extreme chromaticism to simpler diatonicism, from polyphony to homophony. 

The "Sinfonietta for Strings" (1928/29) is redolent of the writing of Frank Bridge (Suite and Sir Roger de Coverley) and even Elgar (Introduction and Allegro). The first movement, 'Allegro, pesante e serioso. Mosso e resolute' is introduced with a unison statement of the principle theme whose weight and serious nature pervade the second movement. A faster version of this theme follows, attempting to break away from the menacing grip of the introduction- pessimism and vitality conflict dramatically The theme is treated fugally, at one point giving the impression of repeated, almost physical, resistance. The second subject introduces a rather lyrical, even comforting voice-its intimacy enhanced by the use of solo voices. The two juxtaposed themes have a dialog until the apparently useless pleading of the second theme finally gives way to harsh reprimands from the jagged first. The second movement begins with a radiant 'Andante' theme with a touch of 'Hollywood' about it, in the very best possible way and out of this Miaskovsky spins four miniature variations. These variations explore extreme characters and require a deal of virtuosity, especially from the solo violin in Variation 1 (Allegro e leggiero). In Variation 2 (Poco meno allegro, energico) violin and cello soloists engage in a heated dialog which gives way, in Variation 3 (Quasi adagio) to a dreamy duet between viola and cellos. Variation 4 (Allegro - andante) begins with a burst of energy leaving the reconciliatory voice of the solo violin to lead us, via a short burst of aggression from a solo cello, back into the embrace of the theme. The third movement is introduced by an unsettling triplet figure over which Miaskovsky develops thematic material now angular, now graceful. A prevailing sense of unease is carried over into the second theme which, although now in the major key (and thus recalling the optimism of the second movement theme), contains darker chromaticism in the accompaniment which does not allow hope to triumph. We are then assaulted by a brief but bombastic unison rhythm; Russian drama painted in the most primary of musical colors. Further development of the first and second themes brings us again to this figure and the movement ends with dramatic assertion very much anchored in the darkness of G minor.

The "Theme and Variations" begins with the statement of a theme by Grieg of vulnerable simplicity, at first in unison celli and bass, then taken over by the violins with harmony that promises of riches to come. The subsequent variations, each simply and boldly characterized, develop the potential of the theme, both rhythmically and harmonically. Variation 5 features an expansive melodic line which develops in one breath over sonorous, generous harmony, whilst Variation 8 is a fully worked out fugue and as such involves the listener in complex polyphonic rhythm. The overall impression is of a freshness which is born of the theme, although Miaskovsky cannot resist a conclusion which again, using a darker chromaticism, warns us that all is not so well as it may seem.

The modestly titled "Two Pieces" (1945) are headed 'Andante serioso e pietoso' and 'Moderato'. The first begins in the shadowy depths of the celli and bass and only gradually emerges into sunlight. There are moments of austerity reminiscent of Vaughan Williams and others which recall the best musical evocation of the English countryside (indeed we are in a universe far removed from his 27 symphonies!). The second piece is more boisterous and jaunty with a middle section which takes away abruptly from the sheer enjoyment of a country lane into the threatening world of anxiety and instability. However, we are returned as suddenly as we left, and allowed to continue to bathe in luxuriance to the end. Only in the closing bars do we sense a stab of memory-we are warned of the continuing presence of a harsher reality. Simple yet magnificent music to these ears!  

"Napeve" is a soulful, caressing melody very much in the Russian folk tradition. Miaskovsky clothes it in ever increasing chromatic harmony until at a point of maximum poignancy-it must return to the simplicity with which it began. A reflective and fitting end to a delight of a recording.   

A few of my favorite photos of Mia/Myaskovsky:

With a young Khachaturian

Great friends-Prokofiev and Myaskovsky

Enjoy!

Miaskovsky_Sinfonietta_Two_Pieces_Etc.-Tzadik.zip

http://www80.zippyshare.com/v/93JhmiZw/file.html

Lev Konstantinovich Knipper - Symphonietta for Strings - Concert Poem for Cello & Orchestra - Myaskovsky - Symphony No. 7

Here's a gem from Melodiya-->Olympia originally recorded in 1977-78. For an AAD recording I'm happy to say it sounds pretty damn good...although this could in fact be due simply to the quality of the music :) Lev Knipper has become a composer that I am most fond of; I'm certain that if more of his works were to be recorded (fingers crossed!!) I'd be in (full-blown) love. I already have a stable, long-term relationship with Myaskovsky of course; so many recordings are available, the symphonies are a *must* and then there's so many smaller works and tone-poems, chamber music and so on. 

First up is Knipper's "Symphonietta for Strings", and a stirring work it is. *The first movement begins with a stern homophonic introduction in which the germinal theme is presented in the lower strings. 
There follows an agitated fugue (full orchestra) which seems to recall Hindemith in it's stylish flavor.
The open-ended fugue is abruptly terminated and followed by an extended chamber-concerto section with solo violin, then cello and finally solo viola soar over pizzicato chordal outbursts from lower strings. All 3 solos are derived from the germinal theme, displaying lyrical and dynamic possibilities. The fugue reappears, further extended and the chamber-concerto section is recalled in the upper strings before an energetic coda closes the movement in triple-time. *The second movement begins with the gentle oscillation of D flat and C major tonic triads over a long D flat pedal in the lower strings. A solo violin line glides over the rich harmonic background, resulting in much lyricism as the upper strings take over its melody. With the return of the A section extra-part movement from second violins, violas, and cellos comes an even richer texture before the movement closes serenely in D flat.
*In the third movement passages for solo instruments are juxtaposed with writing for full orchestra. A solo violin enters in the intermezzo, with a folk-inspired melody contrasted with a murmuring chordal sequence. The pastoral flavor of the movement is continued as a solo cello enters, using the violin's phrase over interesting coloristic effects from the strings. *The last movement opens with exciting dynamic music for full orchestra which makes much use of rhythmic ostinati and the same harmonic devices (pedal points, pivotal pitch-centers) from the inner movements. A short, quiet contrapuntal section follows in which each section of the orchestra enters in turn before the vigorous music reappears with more rhythmic ostinati. The germinal theme and fugal development from the 1st movement returns, extending the finale in music of great excitement and closing the work firmly in C. *The "Concert Poem for Cello and Orchestra" can perhaps be best described as an improvisation in which cadenza-like lines for solo cello of fiendish difficulty link various episodes. Knipper's use of percussion is particularly effective in this piece and some striking coloristic effects are achieved by combining sustained percussion sonorities, eg. vibraphone and gong, with solo cello lines. Several episodes are especially important for percussion, and cuckoo calls for xylophone and other instruments provide an eastern counterpart to a messianic use of birdsong.  

And as for Myaskovsky's 7th, well I'm going tol assume that many visitors are at least somewhat familiar with it, thus saving me from continued writing... So, enjoy...I'm off to bed!

Knipper_Myakovsky_Tz.zip

http://www30.zippyshare.com/v/38147377/file.html

Nikolai Myaskovsky-Symphonies No. 6 and 10

The (almost) ubiquitous 6th here performed by the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra under Dmitri Liss, plus the 10th symphony (The Bronze Horseman). Enjoy!

The Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor, Op. 23 by Nikolai Myaskovsky was composed between 1921 and 1923. It is the largest and most ambitious of his 27 symphonies, planned on a Mahlerian scale, and uses a chorus in the finale. It has been described as 'probably the most significant Russian symphony between Tchaikovsky's Pathétique and the Fourth Symphony of Shostakovich. (Myaskovsky in fact wrote part of the work in Klin, where Tchaikovsky wrote the Pathétique.) The premiere took place at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow on 4 May 1924, conducted by Nikolai Golovanov and was a notable success.

Soviet commentators used to describe the work as an attempt to portray the development and early struggles of the Soviet state, but it is now known that its roots were more personal. The harsh, emphatically descending chordal theme with which the symphony begins apparently arose in the composer's mind at a mass rally in which he heard the Soviet Procurator Nikolai Krylenko conclude his speech with the call 'Death, death to the enemies of the revolution!' Myaskovsky had been affected by the deaths of his father, his close friend Alexander Revidzev and his aunt Yelikonida Konstantinovna Myaskovskaya  and especially by seeing his aunt’s body in a bleak, empty Petrograd flat during the winter of 1920. In 1919 the painter Lopatinsky, who had been living in Paris, sang Myaskovsky some French Revolutionary songs which were still current among Parisian workers: these would find their way into the symphony's finale. He was also influenced by Les Aubes (The Dawns), a verse drama by the Belgian writer Emile Verhaeren, which enacted the death of a revolutionary hero and his funeral.

The Symphony No. 10 in F minor, Op. 30 by Nikolai Myaskovsky is among the more remarkable of the Russian composer's large output of 27 symphonies.

Composed in Moscow in 1926–27, it was inspired by Alexander Pushkin's poem The Bronze Horseman, which tells of a young man whose fiancée is drowned by the disastrous flooding of Saint Petersburg by the River Neva in 1824 and who curses the prominent equestrian statue of Peter the Great, only to be pursued through the city by the statue until he too is drowned.

The basic events of the poem may be discerned in Miaskovsky’s music, notably the flood in the opening passage (marked Tumultuoso), plus themes for the principal characters (the sole lyrical element, played Patetico on solo woodwind or violin, symbolizes the drowned fiancée) and the pursuit by the statue, a Presto Tempestoso fugue on a subject using ten of the twelve pitches of the chromatic scale. In fact Miaskovsky was not so much inspired by the poem as by Alexander Benois's illustrations to it.

In its form Miaskovsky's Tenth Symphony "collapses the elements of a four-movement symphony into a densely argued single-movement form lasting little more than quarter of an hour".

It requires a large orchestra, rich in brass instruments. Miaskovsky commented that the symphony was "filled with the deafening racket of four trumpets, eight horns and so on" and described it to Sergei Prokofiev as being "as massive as if it were made of iron".

The premiere was given in Moscow on 2 April 1928 by the conductorless orchestra Persimfans, but the complexity of the music defeated them. In 1930 Prokofiev managed to persuade Leopold Stokowski to give a well-received U.S. premiere in Philadelphia.

http://www21.zippyshare.com/v/75307875/file.html

Nikolai Myaskovsky-Sinfonietta for String Orchestra etc.

One of my favorite Myaskovsky discs, especially as his smaller scale works have a shadow cast permanently upon them from his massive (and brilliant) symphonic output; these are compositions of a different, lighter nature and a sheer pleasure to listen to.  

Myaskovsky's Op.32 is unusual in that it consists of three full-size works that are usually performed individually. All three works are described in the composer's autobiography as "musical entertainments". The Salutatory Overture was composed in 1939 on the occasion of Stalin's 60th birthday. Enjoy! 

Review: "The Serenade has great charm and strong lyrical appeal; the Lyric Concertino, and particularly its slow movement, has considerable harmonic subtlety. The performance under Samoilov is much finer than...(Verbitzky) and he gives a sensitive reading of the Sinfonietta for Strings. These are endearing pieces.." © Penguin Guide, 3 stars

http://www4.zippyshare.com/v/44731861/file.html