Rachmaninoff Orchestral & Favorite Symphony Cycles

[Fritz Kobus]

For symphony cycles, I like to include Symphonic Dances and The Bells.  Either way, what are your favorites?  What are some good ones?

[Cato]

For symphony cycles, I like to include Symphonic Dances and The Bells.  Either way, what are your favorites?  What are some good ones?

The DECCA/London set with conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy also offers Isle of the Dead.

If you can find a set with Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra, you will not regret those performances!

[Daverz]

For symphony cycles, I like to include Symphonic Dances and The Bells.  Either way, what are your favorites?  What are some good ones?

The Ashkenazy set on Decca is very good.

[mabuse]

Eloquence Classics had reissued all of the symphonies conducted by Edo de Waart three years ago ...
It really deserves to be taken into consideration:
https://www.eloquenceclassics.com/releases/rachmaninov-mussorgsky-prokofiev-orchestral-works/

[Fritz Kobus]

I hadn't considered de Waart.

I currently have
Anissimov
Ashkenzxy
Dutoit
Kogan
Ormandy
Rozhdestvensky
Slatkin (St. Louis)

[vandermolen]

The DECCA/London set with conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy also offers Isle of the Dead.

If you can find a set with Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra, you will not regret those performances!

These would be my choices as well + the new DGG recording of No.1 (Nézet-Séguin/Philadelphia Orch.) and Previn's LSO No.3

[Roasted Swan]

These would be my choices as well + the new DGG recording of No.1 (Nézet-Séguin) and Previn's No.3

There was an exceptionally glowing review recently on MusicWeb for the new set from Alexander Sladkovsky and his Tartarstan SO on Sony.  His Shostakovich was really fine but the problem with this Rach is it seems to be download only (perhaps for the time-being only).  Also, no "Bells" as far as I recall.  I recently downlaoded the BIS/Shui/Singapore SO set as Studio Masters - they sound fantastic but again no "Bells".

Surprised no mention of Petrenko yet but he's another Bell-less collection!

[Daverz]

For Symphony 2, Litton on Bis is one of the best of recent years.  I'm still very fond of the Temirkanov on EMI (he also did it for RCA).

[Roasted Swan]

For Symphony 2, Litton on Bis is one of the best of recent years.  I'm still very fond of the Temirkanov on EMI (he also did it for RCA).

Litton's cycle with the LPO (again no Bells) on Virgin is very good.  One of the few conductors to use all (nearly all?) the percussion Rachmaninov wrote in Symphony 1.  Not heard this BIS remake

[vandermolen]

For Symphony 2, Litton on Bis is one of the best of recent years.  I'm still very fond of the Temirkanov on EMI (he also did it for RCA).

Great cover art too!

I agree that every self-respecting cycle should include 'The Bells' and 'The Isle of the Dead' as well.

[MusicTurner]

I've been comparing a bunch of recordings of the 2nd symphony recently and was very surprised by the big differences between them, say in the presented orchestral sound picture, the varied degree of integration of instrumental groups, and also just the phrasing, for example in the scherzo and the finale.

[Brian]

Would be curious to hear any notes you made, Turner.

For Symphony 2, Litton on Bis is one of the best of recent years.  I'm still very fond of the Temirkanov on EMI (he also did it for RCA).

I get to see Litton do this piece live next spring. Pretty excited. (An all-warhorse program with Stephen Hough joining for Tchaikovsky 1.)

[aukhawk]

I like Gergiev / LSO Live, too.  I especially like his Symphonic Dances.



I have also recently acquired Rattle / LSO Live Symphony No.2 - haven't yet formed a view on it though.  Perhaps LSO should make their minds up about the spelling ...

[Fritz Kobus]

I have Litton Symphony 3 and Dances.

I have Zinman Symphonies 2, 3 and Dances.  Did he record symphony 1?

Isle of the Dead was my intro to Rachmaninoff in the 1970s.  Heard it on the radio and ran out and bought an LP of it.

[Brian]

Now listening to the de Waart 2 from the Rotterdam cycle. It's a very light, fleet, fast, dancing vision of the music. This is not really fleet music ordinarily - it can be heavy or Hollywoody or grandiose - which makes this quite an interesting alternative. I'll be honest, at places like the first movement climax, I do prefer the brass section to blast away at higher volume and with bigger impact. But I have a ton of respect for how transparent and clear this makes Rachmaninov's orchestration sound. The music sounds more carefully written and less melodramatic than usual. Although it downplays the biggest climaxes and tunes, the result definitely puts the composer's skill and craft in a good light.

The first movement's final chord includes the incorrect timpani thwack.

[Fritz Kobus]

Professional conductors and musicians so why can't they get it right. 

[Brian]

There's also a missing cymbal crash in the second movement. Hmmmm.

[mabuse]

Thank you for your feedback, Brian 

These "mistakes" may correspond to differences depending on the edition which is used because the history of this score has evolved a lot over time ... I am thinking in particular of the cuts.

But probably there are mistakes, too...   

[Cato]

Thank you for your feedback, Brian 

These "mistakes" may correspond to differences depending on the edition which is used because the history of this score has evolved a lot over time ... I am thinking in particular of the cuts.

But probably there are mistakes, too...   

Yes, cuts made in and for the vinyl era, so that the work would fit on two sides, rather than three.

[MusicTurner]

Yes, cuts made in and for the vinyl era, so that the work would fit on two sides, rather than three.

Sanderling/Philharmonia on the Apex series uses almost 27 minutes for the 1st movement of the 2nd Symphony, most recordings up to 10 minutes less. Gergiev/LSO close to 23 minutes.