Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov(1844-1908)

Started by Dundonnell, September 16, 2008, 01:42:13 PM

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Brahmsian

Had another listen just now to the 'Christmas Eve Suite' and wonder to myself why I haven't listened to it more often.  Really enjoyed, and especially the absolutely wonderful Polonaise movement.  :)

Roasted Swan

Quote from: ChamberNut on December 19, 2018, 01:54:22 PM
Had another listen just now to the 'Christmas Eve Suite' and wonder to myself why I haven't listened to it more often.  Really enjoyed, and especially the absolutely wonderful Polonaise movement.  :)

the whole opera is a gem

Jo498

I am only very superficiously acquainted with the Opera, but the suite is my favorite of all Rimsky suites with opera extracts. It certainly deserved more popularity. The polonaise is as good as the far more famous one from Tchaikovsky's Onegin.
(I rather dislike the frequent use of an orchestrated version of Chopin's A major Polonaise for the opening of festive dances etc. they should use Onegin or the Rimsky instead.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

kyjo

Quote from: SymphonicAddict on December 19, 2018, 12:08:04 PM
Same here. For my ears the No. 3 is not at the same level of the first 2 symphonies (including Antar), but again, I must revisit it to make a better idea of it.

The one problem with the 3rd Symphony that has probably prevented it from gaining popularity is that the first movement is the weakest, IMO at least. I do agree that it's not as strong as the 2nd Symphony (Antar), which is an undoubted masterpiece. I must admit I don't know the 1st Symphony yet.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

vandermolen

Goes straight to the top of my list of favourite Scheherazade recordings (first CD release). Markevitch was a great conductor (Rimsky, Stravinsky, Honegger) and a composer of considerable interest ('Icarus'):
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

I was going through some of my collection the other night and I ran across this:

[asin]B000PFT1Y6[/asin]

I'm definitely going to have to dig back into Rimsky-Korsakov again. I also have Järvi's set of the symphonies on DG plus many, many recordings of Scheherazade. I know Rimsky-Korsakov wrote a lot of operas, but I have less interest in those works and will probably just stick with the opera suites recording from Järvi on Chandos.

vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on June 11, 2020, 04:33:15 PM
I was going through some of my collection the other night and I ran across this:

[asin]B000PFT1Y6[/asin]

I'm definitely going to have to dig back into Rimsky-Korsakov again. I also have Järvi's set of the symphonies on DG plus many, many recordings of Scheherazade. I know Rimsky-Korsakov wrote a lot of operas, but I have less interest in those works and will probably just stick with the opera suites recording from Järvi on Chandos.
He was my first favourite composer, before VW and well before Miaskovsky. I don't listen to the operas either but love old recordings by Ansermet of the suites. Favourites orchestral works are Christmas Eve, Mlada, Sadko, Russian Easter Festival Overture, Tsar Sultan and Antar
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on June 11, 2020, 11:11:43 PM
He was my first favourite composer, before VW and well before Miaskovsky. I don't listen to the operas either but love old recordings by Ansermet of the suites. Favourites orchestral works are Christmas Eve, Mlada, Sadko, Russian Easter Festival Overture, Tsar Sultan and Antar

Would you say he's still one of your favorite composers, Jeffrey? I'll have to check out those recordings of Ansermet, but I really need to get to that Svetlanov box set soon.

vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on June 12, 2020, 06:22:02 AM
Would you say he's still one of your favorite composers, Jeffrey? I'll have to check out those recordings of Ansermet, but I really need to get to that Svetlanov box set soon.
No, I wouldn't say that John but I have never lost my admiration for him and continue to enjoy his music. I forgot to mention another favourite, the wonderfully titled 'Invisible City of Kitezh'.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on June 12, 2020, 07:38:51 AM
No, I wouldn't say that John but I have never lost my admiration for him and continue to enjoy his music. I forgot to mention another favourite, the wonderfully titled 'Invisible City of Kitezh'.

Very nice, Jeffrey. Truth be told, I like Rachmaninov, Glazunov, Mussorgsky, Lyadov and Borodin more than Rimsky-Korsakov if we're talking about the Russian Romantics, but, like you, I admire much of his work.

Symphonic Addict

Good to see this composer is getting more attention lately. One of his hidden gems, IMO, is the String Sextet in A major. In fact, his chamber music is rarely commented.

Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Cato

Quote from: Mirror Image on June 12, 2020, 06:22:02 AM
Would you say he's still one of your favorite composers, Jeffrey? I'll have to check out those recordings of Ansermet, but I really need to get to that Svetlanov box set soon.

Quote from: vandermolen on June 12, 2020, 07:38:51 AM
No, I wouldn't say that John but I have never lost my admiration for him and continue to enjoy his music. I forgot to mention another favourite, the wonderfully titled 'Invisible City of Kitezh'.

Yes, Rimsky-Korsakov is an all-around fave!  And his operas are all marvelous, especially The Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya!

Here is a rarity: the enigmatic and powerful At the Tomb...


https://www.youtube.com/v/Xgy7x91sbLo
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Mirror Image

#172
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on June 12, 2020, 12:01:05 PM
Good to see this composer is getting more attention lately. One of his hidden gems, IMO, is the String Sextet in A major. In fact, his chamber music is rarely commented.



I haven't seen this one before, Cesar. Looks interesting. I might have to investigate. You're right in that Rimsky-Korsakov's chamber music doesn't get mentioned much, but given his fastidious and opulent approach to orchestration, it's no a wonder that it tends to get overlooked. [Think Respighi, Strauss, etc. --- all composers who wrote a fair amount of chamber music that doesn't get mentioned enough.]

Mirror Image

Quote from: Cato on June 12, 2020, 12:27:59 PM
Yes, Rimsky-Korsakov is an all-around fave!  And his operas are all marvelous, especially The Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya!

Here is a rarity: the enigmatic and powerful At the Tomb...


https://www.youtube.com/v/Xgy7x91sbLo

Ah yes, that work At the Tomb is in that Svetlanov set I own. 8)

vandermolen

Quote from: Cato on June 12, 2020, 12:27:59 PM
Yes, Rimsky-Korsakov is an all-around fave!  And his operas are all marvelous, especially The Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya!

Here is a rarity: the enigmatic and powerful At the Tomb...


https://www.youtube.com/v/Xgy7x91sbLo
What an impressive work! I don't think that I've heard it before. It sounded more like Liadov to me. Thanks very much for posting it Leo.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on June 12, 2020, 01:19:40 PM
What an impressive work! I don't think that I've heard it before. It sounded more like Liadov to me. Thanks very much for posting it Leo.

You don't own Svetlanov's Rimsky-Korsakov box set, Jeffrey? :o

vandermolen

#176
Quote from: Mirror Image on June 12, 2020, 01:28:25 PM
You don't own Svetlanov's Rimsky-Korsakov box set, Jeffrey? :o
No, I don't John  ???
A panicky search of the internet, however, reveals that 'At the Tomb' is available on an old Olympia CD - not cheap however.
And here he is:
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov:

and here he is again with Stravinsky on the left and his son-in-law Maximilian Steinberg (standing):

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on June 12, 2020, 01:37:02 PM
No, I don't John  ???
A panicky search of the internet, however, reveals that 'At the Tomb' is available on an old Olympia CD - not cheap however.
And here he is:
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov:

and here he is again with Stravinsky on the left and his son-in-law Maximilian Steinberg (standing):


That is rather surprising, Jeffrey. I bought the Rimsky-Korsakov Svetlanov set back in 2010 according to my Amazon order history. There's also this newer reissued set, but it's missing the 5th disc from the set I have, which contains a few of those opera suites:

[asin]B00IO56UBQ[/asin]

kyjo

#178
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on June 12, 2020, 12:01:05 PM
Good to see this composer is getting more attention lately. One of his hidden gems, IMO, is the String Sextet in A major. In fact, his chamber music is rarely commented.



Indeed, a fine work! I'm surprised it's never been paired with the Tchaikovsky Souvenir de Florence either on disc or in concert, at least to my knowledge. I need to investigate the Quintet for Piano & Winds and the Piano Trio. He also has a couple string quartets (!) that have been recorded, but I haven't heard very good things about them...

[asin]B000025ZU6[/asin]
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Symphonic Addict

Quote from: kyjo on June 12, 2020, 08:25:52 PM
Indeed, a fine work! I'm surprised it's never been paired with the Tchaikovsky Souvenir de Florence either on disc or in concert, at least to my knowledge. I need to investigate the Quintet for Piano & Winds and the Piano Trio. He also has a couple string quartets (!) that have been recorded, but I haven't heard very good things about them...

[asin]B000025ZU6[/asin]

That CD of the SQs looks intriguing. I don't know them either.

I've heard his Piano Trio and Quintet for piano and winds, but they didn't do much for me. The Trio sounded rather prosaic IIRC, and the Quintet was pleasant enough, but nothing else.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky