Nikolay Miaskovsky (1881-1950)

[vandermolen]

https://en.sgaf.ru/vkz

Here are some more details about the (free) live-streamed concert next month. I hope to at least be able to tune in for the one featuring the SQ No.13, 'The Kremlin at Night' and Symphony No.17.

[vandermolen]

I fear that this will go offline soon. It is one of the recent concerts. This one featured the wonderful String Quartet No.13, the cantata 'The Kremlin at Night' and Symphony No.17. For those who don't know it 'The Kremlin at Night' is a must here (from about 1 hour and 8 minutes into the concert):
https://sgaf.ru/afisha/28089

[Maestro267]

Idk why I'm feeling the need to post about this, but I didn't really realize until now that Symphony No. 16 has two slow movements in the middle. I'd say the 3rd is the "proper" slow movement, with the weight that that implies. But the 2nd movement is far from a scherzo or any conventional dance movement. It might be considered an intermezzo as it's rather light in mood.

[vandermolen]

Idk why I'm feeling the need to post about this, but I didn't really realize until now that Symphony No. 16 has two slow movements in the middle. I'd say the 3rd is the "proper" slow movement, with the weight that that implies. But the 2nd movement is far from a scherzo or any conventional dance movement. It might be considered an intermezzo as it's rather light in mood.

Yes, I listened to it today (Konstantin Ivanov's 1950 recording). I agree that the second movement has more of an 'intermezzo' feel to it and that the main emotional weight is carried in the funeral march (for the victims of an aircraft disaster) of the third movement. I think that it is one of the finest of Miaskovsky's slow movements (No.8 has another fine example). Ivanov takes the movement much faster than Svetlanov but it conveys just as much depth of feeling:

[vandermolen]

Nikolai is getting quite a lot of interest on the WAYLTN thread so I thought that he deserved a 'bump up' here as well.
I've been especially enjoying revisiting this CD recently (great notes  ). I'd forgotten how good the doom-laden early tone poem 'Silence' (1909) is, with its echoes of Rachmaninov's 'Isle of the Dead', it's also a step on the way to the epic Third Symphony of 1914. The lyrical Sinfonietta (the first of two written by Miaskovsky) is a charming and, in its central movement, deeply moving work; in fact the relationship between the soulful 'Andante' central movement and the upbeat finale reminded me, for the first time, of that between the poignant central movement and the life-affirming finale of the valedictory 27th Symphony from the end of NYM's life.

'Silence' was first performed on 31st May 1911 in Moscow. NYM came to Moscow and stayed with the conductor Konstantine Saradjev, where he met and befriended Vladimir and Ekaterina Derzhanovsky (who became the most highly respected performer of his songs). I like Ekaterina's description of the composer:

Miaskovsky came to Moscow for his performance...and stopped over with Saradjev who lived close to our place. Once I saw from the window a gentleman with a beard wearing a straw hat on his head, as if it was a jar with precious water...He appeared to be Miaskovsky whom we were waiting to see...he was moving very slowly and talking quietly, he was restrained and never smiled...Nikolai Yakovelich would rarely laugh...yet, one's first meeting with him left a delightful impression.

[Karl Henning]

Cross-post from WAYLT:

https://www.youtube.com/v/S6eUcehCm6I

[vandermolen]

Cross-post from WAYLT:

https://www.youtube.com/v/S6eUcehCm6I

This is a very nice, usually inexpensive CD, from the old and usually difficult-to-get-hold-of Olympia releases, featuring IMO two of his finest works:

[JBS]

I'm a bit confused at the moment. Are the performances in the Alto set of symphonies the same as those in the Warner set, but remastered and a different name given to the orchestra? Or is it actually a different group of recordings?

[relm1]

I'm a bit confused at the moment. Are the performances in the Alto set of symphonies the same as those in the Warner set, but remastered and a different name given to the orchestra? Or is it actually a different group of recordings?

I had the same confusion.  I think they are the same recording and Soviet orchestras frequently changed names depending on which regime they were under at the time of release but one is better than the other - unfortunately, I forgot which one is better.  I think it was the Alto that everyone here steered me towards but just know one is preferable to the other so before buying wait till you get more solid recommendations or search this thread as it came up before.

[Irons]

I had the same confusion.  I think they are the same recording and Soviet orchestras frequently changed names depending on which regime they were under at the time of release but one is better than the other - unfortunately, I forgot which one is better.  I think it was the Alto that everyone here steered me towards but just know one is preferable to the other so before buying wait till you get more solid recommendations or search this thread as it came up before.

I have the Alto set which come in a nicely presented box. The notes, unlike the CDs, are a bit of a mess in presentation but I understand an improvement on the Warner set. A Mr Per Skans, a leading authority on the composer gives valuable insight but unfortunately he passed away and our Jeffrey (vandermolen) stepped in and filled the breach. The last thing I wish to do is embarrass Jeffrey but I'm actually of the view he is the leading authority of Miaskovsky in the West. The booklet by Per Skans and Jeffrey is packed with information on each symphony but room for improvement on layout and order.

[vandermolen]

I'm a bit confused at the moment. Are the performances in the Alto set of symphonies the same as those in the Warner set, but remastered and a different name given to the orchestra? Or is it actually a different group of recordings?

They are the same recordings Jeffrey but remastered by Paul Arden-Taylor. Svetlanov is the only conductor to have recorded the whole lot.

[vandermolen]

I have the Alto set which come in a nicely presented box. The notes, unlike the CDs, are a bit of a mess in presentation but I understand an improvement on the Warner set. A Mr Per Skans, a leading authority on the composer gives valuable insight but unfortunately he passed away and our Jeffrey (vandermolen) stepped in and filled the breach. The last thing I wish to do is embarrass Jeffrey but I'm actually of the view he is the leading authority of Miaskovsky in the West. The booklet by Per Skans and Jeffrey is packed with information on each symphony but room for improvement on layout and order.

I'm most honoured and flattered that you should think such a thing Lol but an academic, like Gregor Tassie, who wrote the biography of Miaskovsky in English, is much more of an authority than I am. I am more of a 'CD Nutter Miaskovsky enthusiast'. This is not false modesty but many thanks for the kind thought. 
PS I only wrote the notes for symphonies 17, 21 and 23 but I wrote nearly all the notes for the shorter works which were, unfortunately not included in the Alto box, but available on separate individual Alto CDs. I also was very thrilled to write the notes for the recent Alto CD of Kondrashin's classic recording of the 6th Symphony (with Svetlanov's Slav Rhapsody). I also was thrilled by being in contact with the grand-niece of Miaskovsky, who lives in the USA and who helpfully provided material from her Great Uncle's letters and diaries, which I got translated by using two Russian girls at my school as slave-labour translators - although I did thank them in the relevant booklets and gave them both a copy of the CD (just what every Russian teenage girl wants). That's enough showing off for tonight 
PPS Come to think of it, one advantage that I did have was that I had taught 19th and 20th Century Russian and Soviet History over many decades, so possessed a reasonably sound knowledge of the historical context in which Miaskovsky lived.

[André]

You're too modest, Jeffrey. Willy-nilly, you ARE an authority on Myaskovsky  .

[JBS]

Thanks for the answers. I have the Warner set. Now I need to figure out which box it's stored in.

[vandermolen]

You're too modest, Jeffrey. Willy-nilly, you ARE an authority on Myaskovsky  .

[vandermolen]

Thanks for the answers. I have the Warner set. Now I need to figure out which box it's stored in.

Coincidentally today I was emailed the latest Musicweb reviews which included another one for the Alto box set:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2021/Apr/Myaskovsky-sys-ALC3141.htm

One thing to mention is that due to a mistake (Lol is right about the formatting of the booklet) the notes for four symphonies (4,5,11 and 12) were missed out of the booklet but you can down them from the 'extra pages' yellow link (typed out by me!) on the Alto website. See below:

https://altocd.com/product/alc3141/

PS One symphony which doesn't receive much discussion is Symphony 15, which is one of my favourites. There is an excellent recording conducted by Kondrashin as well as the Svetlanov one:

[vandermolen]

I've been listening to the late 'Divertissement' Op.80 from 1948, the year in which Miaskovsky, along with Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Popov and Shebalin was condemned during the notorious Zhdanov purges. It's a much more interesting work than I realised and lasts 26 minutes; sections (the first movement's waltz) reminded me of Ovchinnikov's score for the film 'War and Peace'  - altogether a most enjoyable work:

[Karl Henning]

I've been listening to the late 'Divertissement' Op.80 from 1948, the year in which Miaskovsky, along with Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Popov and Shebalin was condemned during the notorious Zhdanov purges. It's a much more interesting work than I realised and lasts 26 minutes; sections (the first movement's waltz) reminded me of Ovchinnikov's score for the film 'War and Peace'  - altogether a most enjoyable work:

This disc landed just yesterday.

[Irons]

You're too modest, Jeffrey. Willy-nilly, you ARE an authority on Myaskovsky  .

Exactly what I thought! Denies the charge and then presents a pretty impressive CV.

[Karl Henning]

(* chortle *)