Nikolay Miaskovsky (1881-1950)

[vandermolen]

All heresy, of course, for which you should be put in the blocks, or worse .

My own favorite M slow movements are those from No.16, 25(I), & 27.

Yes, in a less tolerant age snyprrr would have been burnt at the stake. 

[amw]

Slow movements of Nos. 2, 6, 11 and 20 should also get a mention.

[J]

Slow movements of Nos. 2, 6, 11 and 20 should also get a mention.

Yes, - in fact which Miaskovsky Symphonies DON'T have an attention grabbing romantic sounding slow movement, for those of us who like that sort of thing (contra snyprr)? 

[amw]

3, 10, 13, 21.

(hmm, four of my favourites actually)

[vandermolen]

Mistaken over what I referred to as the "Titov recording" of Symphony No.21 on Northern Flowers. Jeffrey.  In fact the conductor is Leonid Nikolayev (It's Titov that conducts the other Miaskovsky Symphonies on NF, hence my confusion).  Probably you can 'place" it now in your memory.

Greg,
I finally got round to listening to the Nikolayev today. Thank you for reminding me how good it is. I don't think that I had appreciated it properly before. I loved the deliberate spacing of the opening notes, creating a more tentative, hesitant and eloquent effect compared with any other recording. This version has a uniquely searching quality to it and the climax has more urgency than other recordings. The recording was better than I recalled. This is a genuinely classic performance of Symphony No. 21.

[snyprrr]

All heresy, of course, for which you should be put in the blocks, or worse .

My own favorite M slow movements are those from No.16, 25(I), & 27.

I know. Maybe I'll try again today!

His sadness is just so... so... "wrought".

[Scion7]

A composer I am just beginning to spend a little time with.  One day I will be able to recliner-chair his aural output at my leisure.   

With his military experience he should be able to transfer the emotions/life situation from that to the music - he was highly regarded as a teacher.

[Scion7]

Violin Sonata in F major, Op. 70
(for violin and piano)
I. Allegro amabile
II. Tema con variazione. Andante con moto a molto cantabile
Composed in 1947, when Myaskovsky [Miaskovskii] was around 66 years old


Violin Sonata

No recordings, alas, of the 1946 Op. 70 Violin Sonata but I'd like to put in a plea for one. There has only been one broadcast on British radio in the last twenty years that I'm aware of, and that was by Nona Liddell, ever-questing musician, and Daphne Ibbott. David Oistrakh went to Prokofiev's dacha outside Moscow in 1946 to find not only the laconic Prokofiev but also the pensive Miaskovsky both clutching manuscripts of new works for him to try out. And this was one of them, the elusive, lyrical violin sonata. It's songful, expressive with some clotted piano writing in the first movement, double-stopping and G string intensity; in the second movement beautiful tumbling leaf violin writing and a muted section and fascinating trilling over the piano's rolled chords; in the finale propulsive, energetic and emphatic, reminiscent of Franck and Grieg. Light-headed, light-hearted, never simple-minded. Surely there's a record company and violinist out there prepared to end 55 plus years of discographic silence?

- Nikolai Miaskovsky. A Survey of the Chamber Works, Orchestral Music and Concertos on Record, By Jonathan Woolf  [MusicWeb]




- from Nikolay Myaskovsky: The Conscience of Russian Music, By Gregor Tassie

[vandermolen]

Violin Sonata in F major, Op. 70
(for violin and piano)
I. Allegro amabile
II. Tema con variazione. Andante con moto a molto cantabile
Composed in 1947, when Myaskovsky [Miaskovskii] was around 66 years old


Violin Sonata

No recordings, alas, of the 1946 Op. 70 Violin Sonata but I'd like to put in a plea for one. There has only been one broadcast on British radio in the last twenty years that I'm aware of, and that was by Nona Liddell, ever-questing musician, and Daphne Ibbott. David Oistrakh went to Prokofiev's dacha outside Moscow in 1946 to find not only the laconic Prokofiev but also the pensive Miaskovsky both clutching manuscripts of new works for him to try out. And this was one of them, the elusive, lyrical violin sonata. It's songful, expressive with some clotted piano writing in the first movement, double-stopping and G string intensity; in the second movement beautiful tumbling leaf violin writing and a muted section and fascinating trilling over the piano's rolled chords; in the finale propulsive, energetic and emphatic, reminiscent of Franck and Grieg. Light-headed, light-hearted, never simple-minded. Surely there's a record company and violinist out there prepared to end 55 plus years of discographic silence?

- Nikolai Miaskovsky. A Survey of the Chamber Works, Orchestral Music and Concertos on Record, By Jonathan Woolf  [MusicWeb]




- from Nikolay Myaskovsky: The Conscience of Russian Music, By Gregor Tassie

Interesting post. Would be great to have a recording. Have been listening to the Sonatine for piano - my favourite piano work by Miaskovsky with a moving and entirely characteristic central movement.

[torut]

Interesting post. Would be great to have a recording. Have been listening to the Sonatine for piano - my favourite piano work by Miaskovsky with a moving and entirely characteristic central movement.

I like Myaskovsky's piano sonatas. My favorite is No. 4, the most adventurous piece, imo. The last 3 sonatas are also very nice, more accessible with many attractive melodies. Hagedus's set which I only have does not contain Sonatine Op. 57. It seems that the only recording of Sonatine is McLachlan's disc, which has been OOP I think, but I found that alto is going to release this disc in August.

Myaskovsky Piano Sonatas Nos. 4 & 5, Sonatine, Prelude - Murray McLachlan
[asin]B00KAIALII[/asin]

Is it a reissue of McLachlan's Olympia disc? I am looking forward to listening to Sonatine.

[vandermolen]

I like Myaskovsky's piano sonatas. My favorite is No. 4, the most adventurous piece, imo. The last 3 sonatas are also very nice, more accessible with many attractive melodies. Hagedus's set which I only have does not contain Sonatine Op. 57. It seems that the only recording of Sonatine is McLachlan's disc, which has been OOP I think, but I found that alto is going to release this disc in August.

Myaskovsky Piano Sonatas Nos. 4 & 5, Sonatine, Prelude - Murray McLachlan
[asin]B00KAIALII[/asin]

Is it a reissue of McLachlan's Olympia disc? I am looking forward to listening to Sonatine.

I have the CD in your picture. It has presumably been released over here (UK) sooner than in the USA. It is an Olympia reissue but the remastered sound on the Alto disc  is much better than what I remember from the Olympia. You will enjoy the Sonatine (called Sonatina in Gregor Tassie's recent biography of the composer).

[torut]

I have the CD in your picture. It has presumably been released over here (UK) sooner than in the USA. It is an Olympia reissue but the remastered sound on the Alto disc  is much better than what I remember from the Olympia. You will enjoy the Sonatine (called Sonatina in Gregor Tassie's recent biography of the composer).

Thank you. I hope alto will reissue all the McLachlan's albums. I am satisfied with Hagedus, but I would like to listen to the other piano pieces of Myaskovsky.

[torut]

Violin Sonata in F major, Op. 70
(for violin and piano)
I. Allegro amabile
II. Tema con variazione. Andante con moto a molto cantabile
Composed in 1947, when Myaskovsky [Miaskovskii] was around 66 years old

This seems to be it.
https://www.youtube.com/v/PLtPjQqnxwo
Eloquent and melodious. It is a nice piece.
Google translated:
N. Myaskovsky - Sonata for Violin and Piano in F Major
Ilya Konstantinov (violin), Victoria Grishchenko (piano). Recorded in the Small Hall of the House of Scientists
25.05.2007

[cilgwyn]

Measham's recording of No.21 was the first to be issued on CD and my initial exposure to the work, - but I recall after reading so often previously about this being Miaskovsky's finest Symphony feeling somewhat let down by it at the time.  It was only with the appearance of Svetlanov's take on the piece that it really became significant for me, and Gould unveiled another dimension entirely that deepened my absorption.  The Titov recording is different again, and my other favorite among those now available.  As I hear them, Titov expertly brings out the counterpoint in the score, - one can hear all the layering and individual voices within it clearly exposed and contrasted, whereas Svetlanov emphasizes the Symphony's Russian Romantic roots, - dark, heavy, and throbbing.  Gould OTOH makes it sound as anticipatorily modern as the music can bear, - streamlined and seamless, completely unsentimental, unindulgent, and unlingering, with perfect ensemble and unflagging direction.  Whatever the approach, in its combination of structural coherence and thematic distinction I now cede to the consensus judgement that No.21 is Miaskovsky's most perfect and effective Symphony. There may be individual movements in some of the others that move or excite me more while listening, but No.21 I find makes the deepest impression and stays in my consciousness the longest.

J (how's that for short and sweet!) is absolutely right,vandermolen! I loved the Measham Miaskovsky Twenty First (and it's coupling) as a youngster. I played it over and over again! Having said that I downloaded the Gould performance from Klassik Haus yesterday,coupled with his recording of Rimsky Korsakov's Antar Symphony for a measly Five dollars (comes out on my bank statement as £4.31,or at least it did last time!). The performance is superb. The way he shapes it! It feels so perfect. And I mustn't leave out Antar! I love this piece of music and I think this is the best performance I have heard. I do like Abravanel's recording (Utah seems appropriate for a storyline which takes in a desert!) but Antar does need a more sumptuous sound,good as the old Utah recording is! The RCA recording is superb for it's era and the Klassik Haus resoration sounds very good (I have some of their Brian restorations). I have no comparison transfer,of course and I did listen on Sennheiser wireless headphonnes!! I coupled the recordings with another RK favourite,The Tale of Tsar Saltan suite (and Bumblebee!) conducted by Ashkenazy. Maybe not the finest recording,but it's the only one I have at the moment  and it sounds okay to me (I chose it for the coupling,Antar and it's included on a DG 'Panorama' 'twofer!').

Apologies,this is,after all,a Miaskovsky thread. I really would recommend the Gould recording and the Klassk Haus transfer certainly won't break the old bank!

[vandermolen]

The Morton Gould is on a Bearac Reissues CD too with Antar. I like Ormandy's recording of Symphony 21 too.

On a separate note the 4th Symphony is apparently being performed by the Rotterdam PO tonight (13th September 2014) and is on NL Radio 4 at about 8.15 pm local time. The conductor is Gergiev.

[vandermolen]

New Melodiya release - all amongst his greatest works:
[asin]B00NWZIOGM[/asin]
Features symphonies 16, 17, 21, 22, 25 and 27. Conductors Ivanov and Svetlanov.

This set included the 16th and 21st symphonies conducted by Konstantin Ivanov, never before released on CD as far as I am aware. Both recorded in 1950 and both very fine performances and interesting alternatives to Svetlanov's later recordings. A pity that Melodiya chose to include Svetlanov's fine but already released version of the valedictory 27th Symphony instead of the even more moving earlier recording by Alexander Gauk which has never been released on CD - an opportunity missed but never mind, this is still a fine set.

[vandermolen]

Have now listened to the new Melodiya set (see above message).

It is worth having alone for the wonderful theme five minutes into the first movement of Symphony 25.

[vandermolen]

I've defected from the Havergal Brian thread.

Just to say the Melodiya new release, pictured two message above this, would be a great introduction to NM's symphonies, as it contains a selection of his best ones with, in my opinion, the exception of symphonies 3 and 6 (possibly his greatest). I agree with how fine Morton Gould's fine old RCA LP was which contained perhaps the best performance of the poetic and concise 21st Symphony along with Rimsky's 'Antar'. Sad that together with some other fine RCA LPs (Bax, Symphony 3/Downes, Khachaturian's First Symphony/Tjeknavorian - much better than the ASV version) it was never released on CD. If you only have time to hear one Miaskovsky symphony, No 21 would be a great choice (there are several fine recordings on CD).

[cilgwyn]

Indeed....I actually thought the Havergal Brian thread WAS the Miaskovsky thread;when I 'popped in' a while back!!
Gould was a fine conductor,it seems. I particularly like his recordings of Copland's Billy the Kid and Rodeo,on RCA Living Stereo.
I didn't know Ormandy had recorded Miaskovsky's Twenty First! Sounds interesting!

[calyptorhynchus]

In response to the outbreak of Myaskovskism on the Havergal Brain thread I dug out some downloads from my unsightly MP3 pile and listened to the Symphony 27 and the SQ 13.

I wasn't expecting what I heard... which was music that sounded like late Dvorak, almost devoid of chromaticism, seeming to have completely ignored the C20. I mean, I quite liked it, and I can understand why Myaskovsky would have ignored the C20, which was a little bit disastrous for Russia, to say the least. But are these typical works, or are they nostalgic, valedictory pieces looking back to his youth?

What's the rowdiest symphony he wrote?