Sergei Prokofiev - The Complete Symphonies - *Classic Melodiya Archival Reissue* - Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky (recorded 1965-1967) - Melodiya 2014

Prokofiev's Haydn-esque (it was dedicated to Papa Haydn as well) Symphony No.1, which is a homage to the classical era and it's pristine symphonic structures, was one of the first pieces of classical music that I encountered at a young age. It blew me away, put a much needed bounce in my step with it's freshness and exuberance, and further fanned the already mighty flames of passion and curiosity that was growing inside my soul at the time. Yes Prokofiev was truly my "first love", And his symphonies I adore too much for words; like a parent loves their children. Symphony No. 1 the "Classical Symphony" is a rightly ubiquitous work in the repertoire yet at least four others are not-til this very day (Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 6) and it baffles me. I wish I could talk about each symphony now but I am rushing to post this for everyone before going to work :(

So, here is a review for now from musicweb that I feel is spot-on:

Melodiya, formerly the major state owned record label of the Soviet Union, is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary year. Here Melodiya has reached into its massive archive and re-issued its 1965/67 analogue set of the Prokofiev symphonies.

Of the major twentieth-century composers Prokofiev doesn’t receive the attention he deserves for his symphonies. Herbert von Karajan, so prolific in the recording studio, only recorded the Classical Symphony and the Symphony No. 5. Sir Simon Rattle too has only released a recording of the Symphony No. 5 and that was with the CBSO over twenty years ago in 1992. In retrospect I had not given the Prokofiev symphonies sufficient attention until my eyes were opened by attending a stunning Berlin concert of the Symphony No. 3 by the visiting London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski at the Philharmonie in 2010.

The Ukrainian-born Prokofiev wrote seven symphonies which span the years 1916/1952 and inhabit a recognisably individual sound-world. Prokofiev tended to write music as an emotional response to the challenges created by significant world events. It has been said that his symphonies mirror the turbulent history of the twentieth century.

Melodiya has managed to fit this Rozhdestvensky set of the Prokofiev symphonies onto only three discs and placed them in order of composition. The Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 was written in 1917 with Prokofiev adopting a neo-classical style in the manner of Haydn and Mozart. Now universally known as the Classical Symphony it received its premièred in 1918 just a few months before Prokofiev emigrated from Russia to America. A much loved work I should think it is played more than all the other six symphonies put together. This is polished playing from the Moscow RSO under Rozhdestvensky that mainly feels vivacious with a youthful zest. Only a curiously leaden feel to the opening movement spoils the overall effect.

Composed in 1924 whilst living in Paris the two movement Symphony No. 2 was Prokofiev’s response to a Parisian audience looking to his progressivism as a composer. This symphony that Prokofiev designed to be “made of iron and steel” is given a lucid and compelling reading - brash and robust in the first movement and suitably engaging in the second movement, a theme and variations.

Prokofiev’s dramatic Symphony No. 3 was first heard under Pierre Monteux in 1929 in Paris. There is extensive reuse of material from his opera The Fiery Angel. The writing may be deficient in overall coherence but the committed Rozhdestvensky doesn’t shirk from the challenges and delivers a well-judged performance. The opening Moderato evokes a nocturnal winter scene that sends an icy chill down the spine and the final movement advances powerfully forward like an unstoppable war machine.

In 1936 Prokofiev had moved back to the Soviet Union. In 1947 he set about completing the Symphony No. 4 in C major, Op. 112. This is an extensive revision of the Symphony No. 4, Op. 47 written almost twenty years earlier. In the C major score Prokofiev recycles material from his ballet The Prodigal Son. Rozhdestvensky’s Moscow players revel in the wide-ranging moods with resilient, sure-footed playing. The opening movement is memorable for its energetic, brightly lit playing and the Andante tranquillo just overflows with passion.

Although its gestation period was whilst the Second World War was at its fiercest Prokofiev completed his Symphony No. 5 in just one month in 1945. Something of a connoisseur choice, this is a work that a number of eminent conductors have championed. Focused and exercising a firm grip Rozhdestvensky excels in this marvellous score with its sheer physical excitement. I especially admire the passionate and colourful opening movement with its cinematic air. In the passionate Adagio how expertly Rozhdestvensky tightens and loosens the intensity of the densely textured writing.

The Symphony No. 6 completed in 1947 is undoubtedly the composer’s reaction to the war years and to his own failing health. Falling foul of the Soviet anti-formalism policies the work was denounced by the authorities. Proving a faithful interpreter Rozhdestvensky supplies plenty of rhythmic clarity. I love the way the stern central Largo grinds its way menacingly forward and the raucous final Vivace has a surfeit of potent energy.

A triumph at its 1952 première in Moscow the Symphony No. 7 was the last of his works he would hear; he died some five months later. In indomitable form Rozhdestvensky captures that special Russian colouration infused in the writing. The opening movement is evocative of a swirling fantasy world with darkly mysterious low strings providing underpinning. A favourite movement is the songful Andante espressivo which is rich in romance and can easily be heard to evoke the innocent love of a fairy-tale Princess.

There are a number of fine sets of the Prokofiev symphonies and those most likely to be encountered are from: LSO/Gergiev, Berliner Philharmoniker/Ozawa, Orchestra National of Paris/Rostropovich, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln/Kitajenko, LSO/Weller and Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Neeme Järvi. Overall this re-issued Melodiya set from Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra under Rozhdestvensky is hard to beat. Recorded nearly fifty years ago in Moscow the satisfactory sound quality is clear and decently balanced. Although there are a few rough edges the playing makes a striking impact and there is satisfying consistency of performance.     -Michael Cookson

-Enjoy these important recordings of some of the most original symphonies of the 20th century!!

Prokofiev_Symphonies_Disc1-Tzadik.zip

http://www27.zippyshare.com/v/ErMdAtyC/file.html

Prokofiev_Symphonies_Disc2-Tzadik.zip

http://www68.zippyshare.com/v/AcZgN4CL/file.html

Prokofiev_Symphonies_Disc3-Tzadik.zip

http://www69.zippyshare.com/v/scbJTM8f/file.html

Adelphi Saxophone Quartet: "Simply Four Saxophones" - Jean-Philippe Rameu - Jean Francaix - Gabriel Grovlez - Astor Piazzolla - Béla Bartók - Jean Rivier - G.F. Handel - J.S. Bach - Ferenc Farkas - George Gershwin - EMI Classics 1998

Someone recently (in a comment I haven't responded to yet, only noticed it in my gmail) requested the music of Ferenc Farkas, a very good lesser-known Hungarian composer. This fine recording  of music for Saxophone Quartet was the first disc that surfaced. I have the Toccata discs and some others and frankly now I'm quite eager to hear them all again! I have no time to comment, although I will quickly say that the Adelphi Quartet are exceptional. And, everything here is a great listen (if you enjoy saxophones...and if for some reason you don't...well, it's really about time you did!!)

Needless to say the Bartok is a "perfect 10" (the wonderfully rustic Romanian Folk Dances would sound good played on a kazoo!) and while I enjoy everything here, the Francaix, Farkas, Gershwin and Piazzolla also stand out the most imo.. 

The audio files for this album = 159 mb and yet when I compressed them, and then uploaded

the file to zippy it's 128.43 mb.. I would have expected it to be around 145 to 150mb. So I d/l it myself to check, and it seems to be fine. I dunnnooooooo

Enjoy the sax appeal.

Adelphi_Qt_Simply_Four_Saxophones-Tzadik.zip

http://www112.zippyshare.com/v/KEjgeq83/file.html

Birthdays for January 19th

Here we go. Smaller list for today (I'm sure I'm forgetting someone)

1613 - Jacques Huyn
1676 - John Weldon
1679 - Girolamo Chiti
1760 - Melchor Lopez Jimenez
1806 - Vaclav Jindrich Veit
1827 - Carlos Guido y Spano, Argentina, conductor
1832 - Ferdinand Laub
1832 - Salvador Giner y Vidal
1839 - Bohumil Pazdirek
1883 - Hermann Abendroth, German conductor
1884 - Albert Louis Wolff
1899 - [John] Herbert Whitton Sumsion, organist/composer
1906 - Lanny Ross, radio singer (Show Boat, The Swift Show), born in Seattle, Washington
1909 - Hans Hotter, German bass-baritone
1915 - Alvy West, American orchestra leader (Andy Williams Show), born in Brooklyn, New York
1917 - Rudolf Maros
1928 - Edward Gerard Schurmann
1936 - Elliott Schwartz
1938 - Eskil Hemberg
1943 - Janis Joplin, American rocker and blues singer-songwriter (I had to include Janis!)
1944 - Pehr Henrik Nordgren
1944 - Laurie London, English singer
1945 - Charles Amirkhanian
1955 - Simon Rattle, England, conductor
1973 - Antero Manninen, Finnish Cellist

*All individuals listed are composers unless their profession is listed ("conductor", "soprano", "violinist", Particle Collider Technician, balloon folder, Superstring theorist, pet psychiatrist etc.)

If anyone wants me to post/list the birthdays for all the days I wasn't online let me know.

Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Kopylov - Symphony in C Minor - Scherzo in A - Concert Overture in D Minor - Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Antonio De Almeida - ASV Records 1998

Here is another prime example of musical gold-mining courtesy of ASV (Academy Sound & Vision), one of the finest labels during the 1990s. One of their specialties as you likely already know if you know ASV, and to my extreme delight, was music by lesser-known composers of the former Soviet Union. The recordings under the batons of Loris Tjeknavorian and Antonio de Almeida are all gems especially. If you love lush, Romantic Russian music that can recall composers such as Borodin, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, you are definitely in for a treat. Aleksandr Kopylov's (1854-1911) symphony is a substantial and sweeping work, really quite tuneful and entirely memorable. The "Concert Overture" is my favorite work here after the symphony, however the memorable 12 minute "Scherzo in A" too is also a delight - one instantly feels as if they have always known this work; it has a certain familiarity that is almost uncanny! This recording is just superb, and it seems to do everything right, however as Kopylov wrote such a small amount of music, all of which is of the highest quality - I do hope that other labels will take a stab at his colorful palette (CPO/Naxos, Toccata, Chandos....anyone??).

One of the few images of Kopylov, likely aged around 30 years

This disc actually offers all of the published orchestral works of Alexander/Aleksandr Kopylov. He was a contemporary of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov and indeed an eloquent exponent of late 19th century Russian Romanticism. 

Unlike the major figures in Russian music of the period, who were mostly associated with highly influential schools (the Moscow and St. Petersburg Conservatories and Balakirev's Free Music School), Kopylov received his musical education at the Imperial Court Cappella. The Cappella was an important center for church music and provided singers for state and official occasions. It boasted the finest choir in Russia, and indeed it deeply moved Berlioz and Schumann during their visits to Russia. Kopylov entered the Cappella in 1862 at the age of eight. In addition to receiving training as a chorister he also took violin lessons with Mikhail Kremenetsky, who had himself been educated at the Cappella and had taught violin there since 1858. This training proved useful for in 1872 Kopylov became a violinist in the orchestra of the Aleksandrinsky Theater. Although he had failed to gain admission to the St. Petersburg Conservatory that year, he began taking lessons in harmony with one of his former teachers at the Cappella, the aging Czech-born Josef Hunke, and private lessons in composition from Rimsky-Korsakov and Liadov. Kopylov remained as a teacher at the Cappella for more than 20 years. 

Copy cover of the score for the Symphony, dedicated to Liadov.

In 1883 Balakirev was appointed administrator of the Imperial Cappella with Rimsky-Korsakov as his assistant. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote in his 'A Chronicle of my musical Life': "The four teachers - Smirnov, Azeyev, Syrbulov, and Kopylov were knowledgable and experienced people. Kopylov taught violin, piano, church singing and discipline". It was through Kopylov's professional association with Rimsky-Korsakov that he was drawn into the Belyayev Circle in the mid 1880s. (Mitrofan Belyayev was a wealthy timber merchant whose abiding passion for music led him to found the regular Russian Symphony Concerts and a publishing house for promoting the works of young Russian composers) Being an amateur viola player, he initiated weekly soirées of chamber music held on Fridays. Among the works played, and later published by Belyayev, were two books of short pieces for string quartet known as "Les Vendredis" which were composed by the members of the group. The last (seventh) piece of the second book was a Polka in C by Kopylov. In fact, Kopylov was drawn to chamber music and completed four string quartets, one of which was awarded the Belyayev prize in 1894. More Substantial and of greater interest, however, is the "Symphony in C Minor" Op. 14 (dedicated to Anatoly Liadov and published by Belyayev) and the other orchestral works recorded here. 

The actual cover, in earthy tones & text grey, black, and red.

The Symphony dates from the late 1880s and was first heard in St. Petersburg in a remarkable concert on Decemver 21st, 1889. In the first half Tchaikovsky conducted two of his own works and then handed over the baton to Rimsky-Korsakov who gave the first performance of two orchestral serenades by Glazunov and then the premiere of Kopylov's Symphony in C Minor. Some years later, Rimsky-Korsakov all but dismissed the work as "unimportant", finding as its only positive feature that it was "neat". Before we put too much trust in this assessment, however, it is worth remembering that in the same breath he was even more dismissive of Kalinnikov's First Symphony.

In their symphonies Kopylov and Kalinnikov owe an enormous debt to the earlier nationalist composers, and to Borodin in particular. Kopylov's orchestra, for example, is virtually identical to that employed by Borodin in his symphonies (double woodwind plus piccolo), and he begins his own work with an introduction based on the main subject in augmentation - a device clearly copied from Borodin's Symphony No. 1. The bold introduction bears all the hallmarks of the Russian school in the use of harmony, color, and orchestration; a feeling of anticipation is maintained throughout as the tempo is pressed forward urgently, and the main subject takes shape (Pesante. Allegro). The terse contours of the first subject are now properly revealed, its purely Russian qualities underscored by a certain similarity to the opening of theme of Mussorgsky's 'Intermezzo in B Minor'. One of the most appealing features of the music is the cleanness of the orchestral texture, and the engaging interplay between woodwind and strings (this is characteristic of Kopylov's work as a whole). The second subject, first presented by a solo clarinet, and later treated more expansively by the strings, is quite captivating. The Scherzo (Presto) is a ternary structure, whose bustling outer sections have unmistakable precedents in Russian symphonic music, and a central section (Allegretto) which again comes remarkably close to the sound world of Borodin (the scherzo of his Second Symphony). At the heart of the third movement (Andante) is a languorous theme which hovers intriguingly between sentimentality and nobility. The finale (Allegro), in the key of the tonic major, is optimistic in character and its themes are energetically worked out by the full orchestra.

The Scherzo in A, Op. 10 may have been intended as a preparatory study for the symphony, but in Liadov's 'Scherzo in D' Kopylov had a ready-made model for this independent orchestra piece. As with the symphony, the structure of the Scherzo is ABA, although here the presto outer sections are filled out by the addition of an enchanting second theme initially played cantabile by the cellos in a high register and a solo horn. The central trio (Moderato) presents a luscious melody announced first by the woodwind and then taken up by the strings against a decorative background provided by the woodwind and trumpets.

The style of the Concert Overture in D Minor is rather different from that of the Symphony or the Scherzo. It is dedicated to the orchestra of the Imperial Cappella, and the tone of the work is clearly quasi-religious. In the introduction (Andante) the first horn announces an arresting, solemn theme which is reiterated by the strings in imitation of a church chant. The lengthy and evocative introduction eventually gives way to an Allegro whose dramatic intensity and shifting accents recalls Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Easter Festival Overture'. The strings and woodwind respond to this restless music with a new theme in F major (meno mosso) of quiet but steadfast affirmation. What we have heard proves to be the exposition section of a sonata structure, and the themes are variously worked out in a development section of more than 150 bars. Finally the strings and brass again solemnly announce the opening theme and the recapitulation follows a slightly abridged form.              

Enjoy all!

Alexander_Kopylov-Orchestral_Works-Tzadik.zip

http://www26.zippyshare.com/v/mPil37n7/file.html

Sergei Rachmaninov - Symphony No. 2 in E Minor - The Rock - CSR Symphony Orchestra, Stephen Gunzenhauser - Naxos 1989

Hello everyone. I am sorry for my week plus absence. The dust has been 'settling' around here much to the chagrin of enthusiastic visitors I'm sure; the blog has been as clamorous as a John Cage work lasting less than 5 minutes. Life has been grueling around here but all one can do is try to hold on and hope for change. Ok on to the music.

I enjoy all three of Rachmaninov's symphonies yet the 2nd has always been my favorite. It's the first of the three that really swept me away; this could be the result of my early familiarity with it, or perhaps it's the 2nd's emotional impact on me with it's glorious Tchaikovskian romanticism that was everything my heart and ears desired at the time. Or likely both. Either way it's a piece that I have to listen to a couple times a year at the least. This is also a case of "nostalgic collecting" since this (early for Naxos) recording was my very first of Rach's Symphony No. 2. My father already had several at the time, but I adored this account the most. "The Rock" is here played very well too I must say!

Compared to many other recordings old and new, Gunzenhauser chooses slower, relaxed tempi and it's noticeable (almost) throughout. It's a refreshing account however as there is much nuance and color that the listener will discover here that is often muted in other more "energetic" accounts.  

Following the performances in January 1906 of his two one-act operas The Miserly Knight and Francesca da Rimini, Rachmaninov next turned to composing an opera on Maeterlinck's Monna Vanna, but this ran into difficulties and remains a fragment. Then in February 1907 he wrote to a friend about a rumour in the Russian press: "It's true, I have composed a symphony. It's only ready in rough. I finished it a month ago, and immediately put it aside. It was a severe worry to me, and I am not going to think about it any more. But I am mystified how the newspapers got onto it". He was bound to be wary of announcing a new symphony, for the only performance of his First, in 1897, had been a disaster.

Rachmaninov conducted the first performances of the Second Symphony in St Petersburg on 26 January 1908 and in Moscow a week later. He went on to conduct it several times in both Europe and the USA over the next six years, but never conducted it after leaving Russia in 1918, and unfortunately never had the chance to record it.

Sympathetic listeners agree that the Second Symphony contains the very best of Rachmaninov. Deliberately paced and rhythmically flexible, it is, above all, propelled by the wonderfully fertile melody of which he was such a master. The orchestral sound is full and rich, but unlike such contemporaries as Strauss and Mahler, Rachmaninov is relatively modest in his orchestral demands. He is also rather un-Russian in his approach to orchestration. Instead of the unmixed colours favoured by so many of his countrymen from Glinka to Shostakovich, Rachmaninov deals in varied shades and combinations, producing a full, sonorous orchestral blend, with horns and low woodwind (particularly the melancholy cor anglais and bass clarinet) supporting the middle of the texture, and the tuba doubling the long-held bass notes that frequently underpin the music.

The slow introduction begins with an entire group of motto themes heard one after the other: the initial unison phrase on cellos and basses, ominous brass and wind chords, and the phrase passed from first to second violins. This introduction, as well as being a rich mine of thematic material, also announces the scale of what follows.

The E minor Allegro moderato emerges organically from the introduction. Its yearning first theme is carried forward with the same sequential techniques that characterise the introduction, but the quicker tempo gives the music a more positive, striving character. The second theme, beginning and ending in G major, is not designed to contrast strongly with the first, but rather to continue its melodic narrative into a different and lighter-sounding tonal area. The turbulent development, fragmenting motives from the introduction and the first subject, spills over into the reprise of the first subject, which then leads to the movement’s most intense climax, with echoes of the music that described the infernal whirlwind in Francesca da Rimini. The return of the second theme marks the first appearance of E major, suggesting a major-key conclusion to the movement; but as the tempo quickens for the coda, the music darkens again and ends in a stormy E minor.

Although there is a great deal of activity in the Allegro moderato, its deliberate pacing and generally slow rate of harmonic change do not make it a really fast movement. The quick A minor Scherzo, therefore, follows in second, rather than in third place. It is one of Rachmaninov's most vigorous movements, rhythmically incisive and clear in design. The main horn theme is not only the source of the scampering contrapuntal ideas in the central section, but towards the end of the movement it declares its own derivation from the sinister wind chords in the symphony's first bars. The music dies away in an ominous murmur.

The Adagio turns the music from A minor vigour to A major lyricism. Its opening phrase, rising on violins, comes again from the world of Francesca da Rimini, this time its ecstatic love duet. It is one of the three main melodic elements in the movement, the others being the rapt clarinet solo which immediately follows it and the violin phrase motto from the symphony's introduction. The presentation, and then the subtle combination, of these three elements is vocal throughout, and sustained by a rich variety of accompaniment figures.

The breadth of scale is sustained in the finale, which is so balanced that reminiscences of the preceding movements are accommodated without losing momentum. It begins in proud, boisterous style, and this is how the symphony will eventually end. In the course of the movement, however, there is room for many shades of feeling and also for one of the very biggest of Rachmaninov's "big tunes", given at each of its two appearances to massed strings.

Enjoy everyone

Rachmaninov-Symphony_No.2_The_Rock-Tzadik.zip

http://www76.zippyshare.com/v/WDd11oDX/file.html

Message for CJVinthechair

Hello my friend. The last two weeks have been simply awful for me, with my sanity being pushed to the limits. During the last week especially. I just checked my email and blog for the first time since 1/8, I have not been online at all - and discovered a comment in my blog-related inbox from you; nothing has offended, I just didn't look at any comments (and didn't notice any with everything I have going on) and thus haven't responded to anyone, as far as I can remember. I would be disappointed if you didn't comment (or enjoy my blog anymore), I look forward to msgs from visitor-friends like yourself! I am posting this directly in the hope that you will notice. Please know that while things are not "okay" for me, everything else is indeed "okay" :)

-Tzadik

Birthdays for January 8th

Hi everyone. I only have time for today's birthdays:


1668 - Jean Gilles
1777 - Filippo Traetta, composer/musicologist
1779 - John White, English organist and violinist
1787 - Johann Ludwig Bohner,
1788 - Erik Drake
1792 - Lowell Mason, Medfield Mass, organist/composer
1812 - Sigismond Fortune Francois Thalberg
1812 - William Henry Holmes
1822 - Alfredo Carlo Piatti
1824 - Per August Olander
1830 - Hans von Bülow, German pianist/composer
1846 - Albert Cahen
1846 - William Wallace Gilchrist
1873 - Lucien Capet
1883 - Josue Teofilo Wilkes
1892 - Werner Wehrli
1896 - Jaromir Weinberger
1905 - Giacinto Scelsi, composer and surrealist poet
1906 - Serge Poliakoff, Russian/French painter/guitarist
1911 - Andrej Ocenas
1912 - Rudolf G Escher
1914 - Charles Borromeo Mills
1922 - Abbey Simon, pianist
1924 - Antai Ribari
1924 - Benjamin Lees
1924 - Robert Starer,
1926 - Evelyn Lear, soprano
1926 - Jani Christou
1935 - Ian Bargh, jazz pianist and composer
1936 - Zdeněk Mácal
1937 - Robert Moran
1951 - Paul Dresher