Nikolay Miaskovsky (1881-1950)

Started by vandermolen, June 12, 2007, 01:21:32 PM

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SymphonicAddict

Quote from: cilgwyn on April 05, 2017, 11:44:56 AM
Another incentive! ;D I tend to agree with SymphonicAddict about the early symphonies. I recall not being too excited by No 6,for example,when a recording was broadcast some years ago. The Sixteenth was a differnt kettle of fish (sorry to call it that!). I was just thinking wouldn't it be a good idea if someone was to package the later symphonies separately,and then you posted that! Interesting that I like the later Miaskovsky symphonies first. In the case of Havergal Brian it was the bigger,more expansive ones I liked first (bar 10 & 16,which I've always enjoyed). Of course,unlike HB,Miaskovsky doesn't actually abandon the 'punctuation marks',which makes the discourse allot easier to follow. The fact that Miaskovsky's later symphonies are on a smaller,more pared down scale is hardly a surprise,though. Allot of composers seem to follow this trajectory. Even a throwback like Holbrooke took this approach later in his composing career. Indeed,are there any composers whose symphonies progressively became bigger and more expansive in scale....perhaps finishing off with a final blockbuster?

Glière comes to my mind. He didn't compose many symphonies, but the scale on them was growing until finalizing in the sumptuos 'Ilya Murometz' (at least in duration).

vandermolen

Quote from: SymphonicAddict on April 05, 2017, 05:32:19 PM
Glière comes to my mind. He didn't compose many symphonies, but the scale on them was growing until finalizing in the sumptuos 'Ilya Murometz' (at least in duration).
He was one of the teachers of Miaskovsky.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

cilgwyn

Quote from: SymphonicAddict on April 05, 2017, 05:32:19 PM
Glière comes to my mind. He didn't compose many symphonies, but the scale on them was growing until finalizing in the sumptuos 'Ilya Murometz' (at least in duration).
;D Yes,that's the one I couldn't think of!! Way to go!! ??? ;D

SymphonicAddict


vandermolen

Quote from: SymphonicAddict on April 06, 2017, 04:11:55 PM
A good coincidence!  :)

Apparently NM had some private lessons with Gliere. Gliere's 'Ilya Murometz' Symphony and NM's 3rd Symphony are both sprawling epics which I greatly enjoy. I have also been lucky enough to see both performed live.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

cilgwyn

Where did you see the live performance of the 3rd. Was it in Russia? I will have a listen to the third on Youtube this weekend. I would buy that box set,but I'm trying to save at the moment,and there are twenty seven to collect!! ???

vandermolen

#326
Quote from: cilgwyn on April 07, 2017, 03:21:33 AM
Where did you see the live performance of the 3rd. Was it in Russia? I will have a listen to the third on Youtube this weekend. I would buy that box set,but I'm trying to save at the moment,and there are twenty seven to collect!! ???

Sorry, I meant NM's 6th Symphony and Gliere's 3rd Symphony. I heard the Gliere' at the Barbican in London and the Miaskovsky at the Festival Hall in London as well as attending the rehearsal and getting to talk to the conductor Vladimir Jurowski who was very nice. You should listen to NM's 3rd however as it is IMHO the best of the very early symphonies. The old Olympia recording with the lovely Lyric Concertino is usually available cheaply on CD unlike nearly all the other Olympias:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Myaskovsky-Lyric-Concertino-Symphony-Minor/dp/B000LTW2P6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1491630340&sr=8-3&keywords=Myaskovsky+symphony+3

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-Concerto-Lyric-N-Miaskovsky/dp/B000003EFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491630489&sr=8-1&keywords=miaskovsky+symphony+3
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

cilgwyn

Yes,but then,if you like it,you want all the others! That's the main reason I've always avoided Miaskovsky! Havergal Brian composed more;but when I started listening to him,all those years ago,there weren't many on Lp. The result? Brown packages filled with off air cassettes arriving in the post. All for the price of a couple of D90 cassettes!! I must admit,I still find Brian the more compelling (or is that compulsive?) of the two! So far,anyway! The other problem? Limited room here! Much more and I will have to hang the furniture from the ceiling,or devise some ingeniious contraption,as in one of those brilliant old W Heath Robinson illustrations. Or vice-versa?!!
Having said that,Derek Bourgoise,who has a few fans at the AMF it seems,makes Miaskovsky look like Liadov by comparison!! You'd need that spare room for the cycle!! ??? :(



vandermolen

#328
Quote from: cilgwyn on April 08, 2017, 12:58:59 AM
Yes,but then,if you like it,you want all the others! That's the main reason I've always avoided Miaskovsky! Havergal Brian composed more;but when I started listening to him,all those years ago,there weren't many on Lp. The result? Brown packages filled with off air cassettes arriving in the post. All for the price of a couple of D90 cassettes!! I must admit,I still find Brian the more compelling (or is that compulsive?) of the two! So far,anyway! The other problem? Limited room here! Much more and I will have to hang the furniture from the ceiling,or devise some ingeniious contraption,as in one of those brilliant old W Heath Robinson illustrations. Or vice-versa?!!
Having said that,Derek Bourgoise,who has a few fans at the AMF it seems,makes Miaskovsky look like Liadov by comparison!! You'd need that spare room for the cycle!! ??? :(


Always good to see a Heath Robinson image.  :)
I rather like the fact that he called his cat Saturday Morning. Sorry, a bit off topic here but blame cilgwyn  8).
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

#329
The Third is my favourite of the earlier Miaskovsky symphonies (until the epic No.6). It seems influenced by Scriabin and Cesar Frank. There are two CDs of it (same performance I think) both on the sadly disappeared Olympia label. The newer release is now increasingly expensive online (with Symphony 13) but I actually prefer the earlier release coupled with the fine Lyric Concertino - my favourite of the composer's shorter works. Despite the diminutive title its middle movement has one of the most darkly impressive moments in Miaskovsky - a troubled ostinato passage. The outer movements are very charming. Amazingly the earlier release is still available incredibly cheaply (around £2 or $2) on both the U.S. and UK Amazon sites. It would be an ideal introduction to the music of Miaskovsky. Can't get the picture to appear but here is the link to the U.S. Amazon site:
https://www.amazon.com/N-Myaskovsky-Lyric-Concertino-Symphony/dp/B000LTW2P6/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1506848508&sr=8-11&keywords=Myaskovsky+symphony+3

Here is the more recent issue:
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"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

This is a reissue of the classic Rostropovich/Sargent recording of the Cello Concerto. If you only wanted one Miaskovsky CD in your collection this is a great introduction to the composer and, in my view, incomparably the best performance on disc. Would appeal to admirers of Elgar's Cello Concerto.
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"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

#331
I realise that I'm largely talking to myself here ( 8)) but I have been greatly enjoying symphonies 24 and 25 - two of the best in the series of 27 symphonies I think. 24 is dedicated in memory of Miaskovsky's friend and is a dark and poetic work and Symphony 25 has one of Miaskovsky's most characteristically soulful themes early on in the opening movement. Both works are together on a Naxos CD and form a great introduction to NM's music.
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"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

kyjo

Quote from: vandermolen on March 29, 2018, 12:40:27 AM
I realise that I'm largely talking to myself here ( 8)) but I have been greatly enjoying symphonies 24 and 25 - two of the best in the series of 27 symphonies I think. 24 is dedicated in memory of Miaskovsky's friend and is a dark and poetic work and Symphony 25 has one of Miaskovsky's most characteristically soulful themes early on in the opening movement. Both works are together on a Naxos CD and form a great introduction to NM's music.
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Those are two of my favorite of Miaskovsky's symphonies. Eloquent, dramatic, and lyrical music. I've only heard the Svetlanov recordings.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

vandermolen

Quote from: kyjo on April 01, 2018, 07:51:55 PM
Those are two of my favorite of Miaskovsky's symphonies. Eloquent, dramatic, and lyrical music. I've only heard the Svetlanov recordings.

The Svetlanov is the  best version I think Kyle. He invests the fine theme towards the start of Symphony 25 with more gravity than Yablonsky, by taking it slower but the Yablonsky is very enjoyable as well.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

cilgwyn

While downloading one,or two files,from the Art Music Forum's "library" of music upoads,I decided to have a quick look to see if there was anything I'd missed out,or new. I discovered an upoad of a performance of Gergiev conducting Miaskovsky's Fourth. It was in very good sound,and I rather enjoyed it. It could be,roughly described,I think,as a cross between Scriabin and Gliere;with a bit more of the former,perhaps? The slow movement was rather beautiful. I don't know Miaskovsky's music really;beyond the twenty-first;there's just so much. I always avoid buying any cd's of his musicbecause of the potential expense! If I like these Simpson symphonies I bought,the other week;at least there will only be another four cd's at the most!! Just imagine if Derek Bourgeois ever get's a complete cycle?!!!! I gather it's not a Miaskovsky "fan" favourite;but I rather enjoyed it.

vandermolen

Quote from: cilgwyn on April 07, 2018, 12:59:40 AM
While downloading one,or two files,from the Art Music Forum's "library" of music upoads,I decided to have a quick look to see if there was anything I'd missed out,or new. I discovered an upoad of a performance of Gergiev conducting Miaskovsky's Fourth. It was in very good sound,and I rather enjoyed it. It could be,roughly described,I think,as a cross between Scriabin and Gliere;with a bit more of the former,perhaps? The slow movement was rather beautiful. I don't know Miaskovsky's music really;beyond the twenty-first;there's just so much. I always avoid buying any cd's of his musicbecause of the potential expense! If I like these Simpson symphonies I bought,the other week;at least there will only be another four cd's at the most!! Just imagine if Derek Bourgeois ever get's a complete cycle?!!!! I gather it's not a Miaskovsky "fan" favourite;but I rather enjoyed it.
Good morning cigwyn! You could try the Naxos CD of symphonies 24 and 25 - two of the best I think, as does Kyle. I have three different versions of that coupling ( ::)) by Yablonsky, Svetlanov and Titov, not to mention a fine Japanese version of Symphony 24. However, the Yablonsky on Naxos is very enjoyable and one of my favourite Naxos CDs.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

cilgwyn

No,I've got to resist for the time being. So much temptation and so many symphonies! If I could sell something now;and get that boxed set?!!  Of course,I could filch them all off Youtube. That would go against my own personal values,though. The odd cd-r is okay,if the material is unobtainable,very old,or for evaluation purposes. But people do have to earn a living;and I like to feel I'm supporting recording labels and musicians. On the other hand;if I like a cd-r I make I usually end up buying the recording. Cdr-s just aren't the same! And getting all twenty seven off Youtube,even if they are up there,would be hell on earth,anyway! I spent a couple of hours converting sound files and burning cdr-s yesterday;and it's the sort of thing that almost makes me yearn for the days of sitting next to a radio,usually tuned to Radio 3,with my finger poised next to "Play" and "Record". I enjoyed the Miaskovsky.....and Boris Asafiev,for what it was worth! I have to say though,that the Symphony No 4 "Epitaph" by Karen Khatchaturian,was one of the worst I've ever heard. It was dated 1985;but it sounded like some of the worst kind of 60's trendy c***! There were noises like someone sneezing,too?!! ??? I only downloaded it because I read that he was a nephew of Aram (Khatchaturian,of course) and I remember seeing his name in the old Russian Record Company and Melodiya lists. His name stood out,because of the erm,name!! :D

vandermolen

Quote from: cilgwyn on April 07, 2018, 04:46:50 AM
No,I've got to resist for the time being. So much temptation and so many symphonies! If I could sell something now;and get that boxed set?!!  Of course,I could filch them all off Youtube. That would go against my own personal values,though. The odd cd-r is okay,if the material is unobtainable,very old,or for evaluation purposes. But people do have to earn a living;and I like to feel I'm supporting recording labels and musicians. On the other hand;if I like a cd-r I make I usually end up buying the recording. Cdr-s just aren't the same! And getting all twenty seven off Youtube,even if they are up there,would be hell on earth,anyway! I spent a couple of hours converting sound files and burning cdr-s yesterday;and it's the sort of thing that almost makes me yearn for the days of sitting next to a radio,usually tuned to Radio 3,with my finger poised next to "Play" and "Record". I enjoyed the Miaskovsky.....and Boris Asafiev,for what it was worth! I have to say though,that the Symphony No 4 "Epitaph" by Karen Khatchaturian,was one of the worst I've ever heard. It was dated 1985;but it sounded like some of the worst kind of 60's trendy c***! There were noises like someone sneezing,too?!! ??? I only downloaded it because I read that he was a nephew of Aram (Khatchaturian,of course) and I remember seeing his name in the old Russian Record Company and Melodiya lists. His name stood out,because of the erm,name!! :D

I think that the Symphony by Khachaturian's wife Nina Makarova is excellent - you might enjoy that much more.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

cilgwyn

And not so many collect! ;D Someone did post,that they thought Nina Makarova might even be a finer symphonies than her husband. I don't know if it was you. It might be true. It might not. She wouldn't be the first talented person,overshadowed by an even more talented relative,sibling or "other 'arf! Did Melodiya ever record any of her music? As to Karen Khatchaturian? Maybe he was just trying to keep up with the times? I read that his works have been recorded by Heifetz,Oistrakh and Rostropovich and received numerous awards. So,I will be kind and reserve judgement,for now!

vandermolen

Quote from: cilgwyn on April 08, 2018, 02:33:31 AM
And not so many collect! ;D Someone did post,that they thought Nina Makarova might even be a finer symphonies than her husband. I don't know if it was you. It might be true. It might not. She wouldn't be the first talented person,overshadowed by an even more talented relative,sibling or "other 'arf! Did Melodiya ever record any of her music? As to Karen Khatchaturian? Maybe he was just trying to keep up with the times? I read that his works have been recorded by Heifetz,Oistrakh and Rostropovich and received numerous awards. So,I will be kind and reserve judgement,for now!

The Symphony I have is on Russian Disc cilgwyn.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).