Topic: Lesser known Russian/Soviet composers

[Drasko]

I'm afraid nothing I've heard of Tischenko (7th Symphony, Cello Concerto (1st?)) made me very eager to go for more.

But I'd like to second on Nosyrev, great colorist if not always the most concise. Particularly fond of 1st Symphony, totally anachronistic but utterly gorgeous.

[Dundonnell]

I'm afraid nothing I've heard of Tischenko (7th Symphony, Cello Concerto (1st?)) made me very eager to go for more.

But I'd like to second on Nosyrev, great colorist if not always the most concise. Particularly fond of 1st Symphony, totally anachronistic but utterly gorgeous.

Yes, the 7th Symphony is a wildly bizarre work and wouldn't have made me enthusiastic for more Tishchenko either The 6th Symphony is a huge, choral tedious work too....but I DO like the 5th!

Glad you like Nosyrev! The poor guy had a horrendous experience at the hands of Stalin's regime

[ezodisy]

I'm afraid nothing I've heard of Tischenko (7th Symphony, Cello Concerto (1st?)) made me very eager to go for more.

The first CC is rather cool (the one with Rostropovich playing) but the second (with R. conducting) is absolutely mindnumbingly dull. I couldn't believe the amount of repetition Tishchenko used. Completely killed it for me. Anyway it's a shame I no longer have his VC 2 because otherwise I would upload it for you. It is very intense with a killer finale, only criticism I would say is that the very long second movement cadenza is really quite bad (or unmusical). I remember Harry Collier quite rightly pointed out here just how bad, though I think he missed the point of the work as a whole. If I get it again I'll let you know.

[Dundonnell]

Tishchenko's Violin Concerto No.2, op 84(Sergei Stadler and the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Vassily Sinaisky).

1. Allegro moderato

http://www.mediafire.com/?vqt5zzfilxb

2. Presto

http://www.mediafire.com/?hiyz9ykbwdx

3. Allegro

http://www.mediafire.com/?m73z49iicvx

4. Andante

http://www.mediafire.com/?isn2o9mpd5j

If-by any chance-these links suggest that these are the movements from Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Serenade Melancolique ignore that info'!! They are in fact the Tishchenko Violin Concerto No.2-I promise you

[M forever]

Thanks! Very interesting. Why does the file info say it is Tchaikovsky with other interpreters?

[ezodisy]

Tishchenko's Violin Concerto No.2, op 84(Sergei Stadler and the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Vassily Sinaisky).

Thanks so much!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Thanks, Colin! (I have changed the info accordingly.)

[Dundonnell]

Thanks! Very interesting. Why does the file info say it is Tchaikovsky with other interpreters?

Search me! Windows Media Player came up with that info' when I put the CD into my PC to rip to MP3 format. I changed that info' to the correct details for the Tishchenko which is actually on the disc but when I uploaded the files to Mediafire it had all reverted to Tchaikovsky.
I tried to change it again on Mediafire but without success

[vandermolen]

And let us not forget Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (1859-1935), another interesting composer. The Caucasian Sketches are his best know work but I also really like the Three Musical Tableaux from Ossian and much of his other music. I think that he would appeal to admirers of Rimsky-Korsakov and Liadov.  The emotion in his music is understated, which makes it all the more poignant in some ways; an endearing figure I think.

[tab]

Thank you very much! I had been curious about Tarnopolsky's music, but never had the chance to listen to any work of his. For the moment, I have listened to Chevengur and I must say I'm impressed. By the way, do you know who the performers are? Cheers!

Here is the site of these performers: http://www.ccmm.ru/en/index.php?page=studio&part=about

I often attend their concerts. Here are the pieces of Tarnopolsky's pupils (Sound plasticity group): http://www.sound-p.rapsody.ru/Sound%20Plasticity.rar.

[Drasko]

Please let us know your opinion on Knipper's fourth !

Well, nomen est omen in this case is accurate - symphony being subtitled Poem of the Komsomol Fighter. It's big burly, dramatic revolutionary* oom-pah of a piece brimming with brass fanfares, side drums and fervent choir passages. First three movements basically revolve around working, re-working and over-working of Polyushko Pole theme in all imaginable combinations of soloists, orchestra and choir. Finale, almost unexpectedly, departs from till then omnipresent theme. Strictly choral with orchestral accompaniment, first part, joyous sounding folk based morphs halfway through into typical militaristic triumphant march; in the coda Polyushko Pole theme returns, first in orchestra and then to end in some top of the lungs choral shouting.
So, if you want to get in the right mood for storming bunkers it's pretty good but otherwise I believe the song Polyushko Pole (actually derived from symphony) as sung by Red Army Choir distills all best moments of the symphony into three minutes.

For those who aren't familiar with the song I've uploaded relatively rare version by Red Army Choir from late 30s, presumably conducted by their founder Alexander Alexandrov.
[mp3=200,20,0,left]http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/7/24/2018019/polpol2.mp3[/mp3]

* which is somewhat odd given the fact that Knipper spent the revolution fighting on the opposite side, under baron Wrangel, leaving the Russia in 1920 with rest of the Wrangel's forces to return few years later to become Chekist. His life seems rather interesting, does anyone perhaps have some more precise info?   

[some guy]

I often attend their concerts.

You lucky lucky bastard!

Here are the pieces of Tarnopolsky's pupils (Sound plasticity group): http://www.sound-p.rapsody.ru/Sound%20Plasticity.rar.

This link gives me a 404. Could you update that for us? I for one would love to hear this.

[tab]

This link gives me a 404. Could you update that for us? I for one would love to hear this.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/4qidmr

[some guy]

tab,

Большое спасибо

some

(I got that off babelfish, so can only hope that it's right.)

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

For those who aren't familiar with the song I've uploaded relatively rare version by Red Army Choir from late 30s, presumably conducted by their founder Alexander Alexandrov.
[mp3=200,20,0,left]http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/7/24/2018019/polpol2.mp3[/mp3]

I know it. I had a record once with the Red Army Choir on which this was the first track. Thanks.

[Christo]

oh my god, Chevengur!!!!!! Do you know that that is the major work by Platonov which has not been translated into English yet? I have been waiting yeeeeeeeeeears to read that. Bloody Russian, can't read it properly, and with him it wouldn't make much sense anyway unless you were a native speaker or extremely advanced. Apparently Robert Chandler is working on a translation. Anyway thanks for mentioning it, it undoubtedly will be one of the major translations of the decade when it finally comes out. Going to listen to the music now....

  it seems that Chevengur has been edited here in Spain (Ediciones Cátedra, 1998). I had never heard about this novel, but after listening to Tarnopolsky's music and reading about it, I'm definitely looking forward to read it.

Apparently, one is better served with translations from Russian literature in Spanish - and Dutch, as we can boast a translation of Chevengur as well. You better learn Spanish or Dutch, perhaps!  (I've been told there are actually more translations of Russian literature available in Dutch than in English, but I can't check it). Anyhow, this is how it looks like in this translation:

           

(BTW, I didn't read it, but the reviews weren't over-enthusiastic, so perhaps this is not the Platonov to go for ... )

[Dundonnell]

Well, nomen est omen in this case is accurate - symphony being subtitled Poem of the Komsomol Fighter. It's big burly, dramatic revolutionary* oom-pah of a piece brimming with brass fanfares, side drums and fervent choir passages. First three movements basically revolve around working, re-working and over-working of Polyushko Pole theme in all imaginable combinations of soloists, orchestra and choir. Finale, almost unexpectedly, departs from till then omnipresent theme. Strictly choral with orchestral accompaniment, first part, joyous sounding folk based morphs halfway through into typical militaristic triumphant march; in the coda Polyushko Pole theme returns, first in orchestra and then to end in some top of the lungs choral shouting.
So, if you want to get in the right mood for storming bunkers it's pretty good but otherwise I believe the song Polyushko Pole (actually derived from symphony) as sung by Red Army Choir distills all best moments of the symphony into three minutes.

For those who aren't familiar with the song I've uploaded relatively rare version by Red Army Choir from late 30s, presumably conducted by their founder Alexander Alexandrov.
[mp3=200,20,0,left]http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/7/24/2018019/polpol2.mp3[/mp3]

* which is somewhat odd given the fact that Knipper spent the revolution fighting on the opposite side, under baron Wrangel, leaving the Russia in 1920 with rest of the Wrangel's forces to return few years later to become Chekist. His life seems rather interesting, does anyone perhaps have some more precise info?   

Your excellent description inspires me to give the symphony another hearing Doubt if I have listened to it more than once

I wonder why more of Knipper's music was not recorded given that he was semi-politically acceptable to the Soviet regime? Not that I could face buying twenty Knipper symphonies

There is a nice sentence in David Fanning's chapter on The Symphony in Soviet Russia in 'A Companion to the Symphony'-

"None of his(Knipper's) later works hit the headlines, though they were occasionally given a ritual nod of disapproval for their supposed 'excessive individualism', a remarkable inversion of the truth".

[some guy]

Very interesting concert, tab. Thanks again for the link.

I was pleased to hear some evidence that the instrumental music tradition of Galina Ustvolskaya is apparently being furthered in the pupils of Tarnopolski. I've often wondered what had happened with that thread.

Do you ever hear much Russian electroacoustic music, either in concerts or on the radio (or on CD)? (Am I correct in assuming that you reside in Russia?)

[Dundonnell]

Right...I have just listened to Knipper's 4th Symphony again....all of it

I can honestly say that it is probably one of the worst pieces of music I have ever had the misfortune to endure(and buy )
No wonder I hadn't listened to it again since I bought the bloody CD It is the most ghastly piece of tub-thumping Soviet era patriotic garbage imagineable!

When one compares this with the music that Miaskovsky, say, was writing around the same time....words fail me!!

In fact, there are no words to express how awful this was   so I am going to lapse into grateful silence

[ezodisy]

(I've been told there are actually more translations of Russian literature available in Dutch than in English, but I can't check it).

I believe it. When in Amsterdam I came across a Dutch bookshop specifically dedicated to Russian literature. It was a charming little store crammed with Russian books in Dutch and with a very nice guy working there.