Nikolay Miaskovsky (1881-1950)

[snyprrr]

Thanks NErato!  I may have to go that route.  Amazon (even Amazon marketplace) seems excessively pricey on some of the Northern Flowers/Taneyev Q. recordings of the 5 volumes (?) of Miaskovsky's string quartets.

I must have them! 

Ahh, I can't believe you disrupted my Frenchy Thing with Myaskovsky!! what now?!?!

[Brahmsian]

I bought mine here:

http://www.russiancdshop.com/?lang=en

No hassles.

Took the plunge and ordered mine today, from the Russian CD shop. 

[amw]

This past week I obtained, cleaned up and uploaded scores of nine of Myaskovsky's string quartets to IMSLP. I don't have recordings of any of them, yet just from examining the individual score pages for scanning artifacts and the like, I've already got large portions of them stuck in my head. Bloody Myaskovsky. :\ Ah well, there's always NML, even if it is only 64kbps/44.1kHz (on the plan my institution subscribes to) and thus makes string instruments sound rather dreadful

[snyprrr]

This past week I obtained, cleaned up and uploaded scores of nine of Myaskovsky's string quartets to IMSLP. I don't have recordings of any of them, yet just from examining the individual score pages for scanning artifacts and the like, I've already got large portions of them stuck in my head. Bloody Myaskovsky. :\ Ah well, there's always NML, even if it is only 64kbps/44.1kHz (on the plan my institution subscribes to) and thus makes string instruments sound rather dreadful

Which ones has piqued your interest? I like 11 and 7.

[amw]

Which ones has piqued your interest? I like 11 and 7.

The odd-numbered ones look especially promising (5, 7, 9, 11, 13), but I think I'll listen to all of them before settling on favourites.

I'm pretty familiar with Myaskovsky's symphonies from the Svetlanov box, plus the Violin Concerto and the first two volumes of piano sonatas on Olympia (I've tried a few of them out—bit of a chore to play, but easier than Skryabin and often more interesting; 7, 8, 9 are a bit meh) but string quartets often contain some of the most telling music of a composer's output so I'm not sure why I neglected Myaskovsky's for so long. Apart from the difficulty of finding Northern Flowers in NZ.

[Octave]

Late thanks for the online shop tip, Erato.

[Brahmsian]

Took the plunge and ordered mine today, from the Russian CD shop. 

Already received my order from the Russian CD Shop today (complete Miaskovsky string quartets).  Actually, it arrived yesterday, but I was at work, and had to pick them up today.

Impressed by the fast delivery.

I had my doubts when Igor from the Czech Republic emailed me from his personal email address, saying my order was being shipped. 

Major hat tip to The New Erato (or New Erato Virgin)! 

[Brahmsian]

Have just now finished my first run through the entire 13 string quartets, performed by the Taneyev Qt. on Northern Flowers.

I fully enjoyed my first run through Miaskovsky's symphonies, and now the string quartets?  Even more so! 

Major thumbs up, and Miaskovsky is most definitely, hands down, my 'composer of the year' discovery for 2013!

[kyjo]

Have just now finished my first run through the entire 13 string quartets, performed by the Taneyev Qt. on Northern Flowers.

I fully enjoyed my first run through Miaskovsky's symphonies, and now the string quartets?  Even more so! 

Major thumbs up, and Miaskovsky is most definitely, hands down, my 'composer of the year' discovery for 2013!

Thrilled to read this, Ray! Miaskovsky is definitely a composer of great substance and one of my favorite "unsungs". What are you favorite works by him that you've heard thus far? Mine are Symphonies 6, 21, 24, 25, and 27, String Quartet no. 13 and Cello Sonata no. 2. Love your avatar BTW!

[Brahmsian]

Thrilled to read this, Ray! Miaskovsky is definitely a composer of great substance and one of my favorite "unsungs". What are you favorite works by him that you've heard thus far? Mine are Symphonies 6, 21, 24, 25, and 27, String Quartet no. 13 and Cello Sonata no. 2. Love your avatar BTW!

Well, it is too early for me to name outright favourites, for both the symphonies and quartets.

Definitely Symphony No. 27 and String Quartet No. 12 stand out, but I'll need multiple listens before I can name a handful of faves.

I've heard many great things about the Cello Sonatas (especially from Vandermolen), so I will have to check those out. 

Thanks, I hope Vandermolen doesn't mind sharing Miaskovsky avatars for awhile (at least it is a different one).   

[kyjo]

Well, it is too early for me to name outright favourites, for both the symphonies and quartets.

Definitely Symphony No. 27 and String Quartet No. 12 stand out, but I'll need multiple listens before I can name a handful of faves.

I've heard many great things about the Cello Sonatas (especially from Vandermolen), so I will have to check those out. 

Thanks, I hope Vandermolen doesn't mind sharing Miaskovsky avatars for awhile (at least it is a different one).   

Yep, SQ no. 12 is another great one! I'm sure Jeffrey (vandermolen) will be thrilled to have another Miaskovskian in his company!

[amw]

Have just now finished my first run through the entire 13 string quartets, performed by the Taneyev Qt. on Northern Flowers.

I fully enjoyed my first run through Miaskovsky's symphonies, and now the string quartets?  Even more so! 

Major thumbs up, and Miaskovsky is most definitely, hands down, my 'composer of the year' discovery for 2013!

Since mine got here a couple of weeks ago (not NFlowers but Ru Disc, from Japan... internet is a weird place) I've not been in the mood to listen to "traditional" music very much—mostly sound art, soundscapes, etc—but when I have it's been mostly the quartets. I'm also very impressed so far, even more so than I was with the symphonies (of course, the Taneyev Quartet is a superb ensemble—occasional intonation problems aside—whereas the State Orchestra of the Russian Federation, while valiant, is often outclassed). And sort of shocked that no one else seems to have taken this cycle up in thirty years. I mean... imagine if Schoenberg decided to compose another thirteen string quartets in a late-romantic style instead of adopting serialism, or Webern kept on writing in the style of Im Sommerwind up into the 1940s. E: Should also not understate the similarities to Debussy. Really, just imagine a German Impressionist.

Perhaps it's explained to some extent by the fact that in the USA copyright over all of Myaskovsky's works was "restored" by a Congressional amendment a few years back, but no active publisher currently owns the copyright, so physical copies of the score (& parts) are near impossible to find. But they've all been available on the internet for years now, and presumably that problem doesn't apply in Europe, let alone Canada or NZ (where Myaskovsky is public domain). And he will enter the public domain almost worldwide (except Russia) in 2021, so perhaps we'll see a more significant Myaskovsky revival around then.

[vandermolen]

Thanks, I hope Vandermolen doesn't mind sharing Miaskovsky avatars for awhile (at least it is a different one).   

On the contrary, I am shocked and appalled and take a very dim view of this kind of thing 

Hahaha - of course I don't mind - am only too delighted to find another admirer of this fine composer. 

[Brahmsian]

On the contrary, I am shocked and appalled and take a very dim view of this kind of thing 

Hahaha - of course I don't mind - am only too delighted to find another admirer of this fine composer. 

  Hello Jeffrey.  He's my 'composer discovery of the year'.  Hands down.

[vandermolen]

  Hello Jeffrey.  He's my 'composer discovery of the year'.  Hands down.

Delighted to hear it

I'm ashamed to say that I should know the quartets better than I do.  The problem is that I intended to play them all recently and then got stuck on No 13, which I play over and over again. No 12 next I think from the above recommendations. Cello Sonata No 2 remains one of my very favourite works by Miaskovsky.

[amw]

Delighted to hear it

I'm ashamed to say that I should know the quartets better than I do.  The problem is that I intended to play them all recently and then got stuck on No 13, which I play over and over again. No 12 next I think from the above recommendations. Cello Sonata No 2 remains one of my very favourite works by Miaskovsky.

So far No. 9 is leading the pack for me, though not by much. 7, 11 and 12 have stood out as well, along with 2, which is possibly the most overtly wacky of the lot. (Well, the Myaskovskian sort of wackiness. It is in C minor after all. ) I haven't yet listened to 3 or 6.

[vandermolen]

So far No. 9 is leading the pack for me, though not by much. 7, 11 and 12 have stood out as well, along with 2, which is possibly the most overtly wacky of the lot. (Well, the Myaskovskian sort of wackiness. It is in C minor after all. ) I haven't yet listened to 3 or 6.

Thank you 

No 9 is now high on my agenda too.

[Brahmsian]

What I found through my first run of the quartets, is that they seemed 'easier' for me to enjoy or 'get into' as I went towards the middle and late quartets (which was my opposite experience many years ago with Beethoven's quartets).

Time will tell though through multiple listens.

[Mirror Image]

I'm seeing double. Double Myaskovskys!

[kyjo]

I'm seeing double. Double Myaskovskys!

Miaskovsky*