March 2013 I declare Russian Symphonies Month - Who's in? :)

[Karl Henning]

Well, I'll be jiggered, but I am enjoying the symphonies of Glazunov, Taneyev & Rimsky-Korsakov very well indeed.  I noted in the WAYLT thread, that the finale of Taneyev's First uses (for its first theme) one of the same carols which Stravinsky has made famous in the West in Petrushka.

[Brahmsian]

Well, I'll be jiggered, but I am enjoying the symphonies of Glazunov, Taneyev & Rimsky-Korsakov very well indeed.  I noted in the WAYLT thread, that the finale of Taneyev's First uses (for its first theme) one of the same carols which Stravinsky has made famous in the West in Petrushka.

Really, Karl?    I did not realize this.  Perhaps that is why the Taneyev 1st is making such an impression on me this month.  And you probably know that Petrushka has been a long-time favourite Stravinsky work!

[Brahmsian]

Well, I'll be jiggered, but I am enjoying the symphonies of Glazunov, Taneyev & Rimsky-Korsakov very well indeed.  I noted in the WAYLT thread, that the finale of Taneyev's First uses (for its first theme) one of the same carols which Stravinsky has made famous in the West in Petrushka.

Hmm, I can't seem to detect it.  Is it specifically one of the dances in Tableau IV. of Petrushka?  I must be a nincompoop. 

[mszczuj]

Ok, I'm starting just now my very first Miaskovsky All Symphonies Adventure (have heard only the 6th so far).

[mszczuj]

I have listened and immediately relistened to the 1st Symphony of Miaskovsky. Just couldn't resist. Very nice work with very long movements - I suppose this concept was probably inspired somehow by the 2nd of Rachmaninov from the same year.

[Karl Henning]

Hmm, I can't seem to detect it.  Is it specifically one of the dances in Tableau IV. of Petrushka?  I must be a nincompoop. 

Pshaw! You are no nincompoop, Ray.

It is the Dance of the Coachmen & Grooms, track 13 on the Composer's Own recording.  Characteristically of Stravinsky, the tune is a bit heavier of tread (to suit the coachmen) and "atomized."

[Brian]

OH my gosh. Just put on the Taneyev to see if I could tell - and that's actually my favorite part of Petrushka (if I had to choose)!

Stravinsky did a similar thing transforming Rimsky-Korsakov's Night on Mount Triglav into the danse infernale from Firebird.

[mszczuj]

The 2nd Symphony of Miaskovsky is less in Rachmaninov style and more in that of programme compositions of Tchaikovsky and especially of Scriabin. As the 1st Symphony it has still some aspects of a school work (I wonder if the later symphonies lose this feature) but nevertheless listening to it was for me the real pleasure.

[Brian]

Well as promised, Monday I listened to all the Prokofiev symphonies... asterisks* denote that these were the first time I ever heard the pieces.

#1: An old favorite. It almost shouldn't count, it's so different from the other six.
#2: Great symphony. Liked the first movement, loved the variations. The quieter Prokofiev gets, the more interesting I find him.
#3*: Enjoyed this the least of the seven.
#4*: Loved the slow movement, meh on the rest.
#5: My appreciation of this has definitely gone up recently, although the catchiness of the scherzo definitely still gets most of my attention.
#6*: The largo slow movement might now be my favorite movement from any Prokofiev symphony. It's utterly incredible. The rest I didn't take to as quickly, but I liked it.
#7*: Definitely want to hear this again, stat. This will almost certainly be my favorite of the seven. Just what I'd spent the first six symphonies waiting to hear, in a way.

[TheGSMoeller]

Well as promised, Monday I listened to all the Prokofiev symphonies... asterisks* denote that these were the first time I ever heard the pieces.

#1: An old favorite. It almost shouldn't count, it's so different from the other six.
#2: Great symphony. Liked the first movement, loved the variations. The quieter Prokofiev gets, the more interesting I find him.
#3*: Enjoyed this the least of the seven.
#4*: Loved the slow movement, meh on the rest.
#5: My appreciation of this has definitely gone up recently, although the catchiness of the scherzo definitely still gets most of my attention.
#6*: The largo slow movement might now be my favorite movement from any Prokofiev symphony. It's utterly incredible. The rest I didn't take to as quickly, but I liked it.
#7*: Definitely want to hear this again, stat. This will almost certainly be my favorite of the seven. Just what I'd spent the first six symphonies waiting to hear, in a way.

Well done, Brian.

For the 3rd I would suggest listening to The Fiery Angel, the opera containing the music where Prokofiev pulled his symphony together. It's quite impressive how he dissected the opera, even placing the music in the symphony in a different order than how it appears throughout the opera.

Did you hear both versions of the 4th?

The 6th will grow on you. I think I dismissed it myself for a few years while I was getting into Prokofiev. I find it to be his most enigmatic symphony, but with the right performance it can be the most rewarding.

The 7th has long been a favorite of mine, it was written for a children's program, but instead of seeing as music for children, I imagine it being more a nostalgic look back at being a child.

[Brian]

Did you hear both versions of the 4th?

I heard the shorter 1930 version only.

I can imagine that the Sixth will grow on me - it was the violent, abrupt ending that threw me most, but again, that central slow movement I connected with immediately and deeply. Can't imagine that the Seventh was for children! Now I think I need to hear it again in that context.

[Karl Henning]

Well, IIRC, the two middle movements of the Seventh were cannibalized from music for a melodrama of Evgeny Onegin . . . not exactly a children's story : )

[TheGSMoeller]

I can imagine that the Sixth will grow on me - it was the violent, abrupt ending that threw me most...

The finale is a big reason why I refer to it as enigmatic. The opening bars seem cheerful, only to be disrupted by the low pounding of the piano and low strings. This sort of back and forth, light and dark is found throughout. At once it's triumphant, but can quickly turn sour. And the ending is a punch to the face. But, it does end on a major chord, kinda tricky.

Well, IIRC, the two middle movements of the Seventh were cannibalized from music for a melodrama of Evgeny Onegin . . . not exactly a children's story : )

I'm searching online for a good write up on the 7th (I'm sure I can find some good stuff in a few of my disc booklets) but it was written for a children's radio program. I know the score by Prokofiev (for the Evgeny Onegin play) was never actually performed when it was written, so perhaps he did re-use some of the music.

[Brahmsian]

Pshaw! You are no nincompoop, Ray.

It is the Dance of the Coachmen & Grooms, track 13 on the Composer's Own recording.  Characteristically of Stravinsky, the tune is a bit heavier of tread (to suit the coachmen) and "atomized."

Ah yes!  That is also one of my favourite moments in Petruskha.  The D of the C&G. 

[huntsman]

How about a symphony conducted and played by Russians...? That ok?

[TheGSMoeller]

How about a symphony conducted and played by Russians...? That ok?

Do they make Sibelius sound Russian? 

[Karl Henning]

Do they make Sibelius sound Russian? 

Well, he was born in Russian territory ; )

[huntsman]

Well, he was born in Russian territory ; )

'Zakli....thanks kh! 

[TheGSMoeller]

Well, he was born in Russian territory ; )

Ah, a little history lesson, I was unaware. Grand Duchy of Finland as part of the Russian Empire until the Russian Revolution.
Learn something new everyday.

[Cato]

Working my way backward through the Gliere symphonies:



Back when most of you were still souls at the bottom of the sea, I remember enthusiastic discussions of the 2-record set by Hermann Scherchen and the Vienna State Symphony vs. the heavily edited Stokowski version.

Scherchen was the winner in my circle!