Nikolay Miaskovsky (1881-1950)

[vandermolen]

Any other nutter fans of this great Russian composer? Am listening to Polyansky's fine recording of Symphony 27 (Chandos) with a fine coupling of the Cello Concerto (Alexander Ivashkin, soloist).

The 27th is a valedictory work, written when the composer was dying of cancer (he postponed an operation to complete the work) and , to add insult to injury, was under the displeasure of the soviet regime having had his music denounced (alongside that of Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Khachaturian, Shebalin and Popov) at the notorious 1948 denunciation of composers from party hack Zhdanov. Miaskovsky's creative reply was the 27th Symphony a work of great autumnal beauty and power which (ironically) received a posthumous Stalin prize for the composer.

The slow, movement in particular is terribly moving and the symphony (from 1949/50) is, I believe, the last great,belated flowering of the spirit of Russian Romanticism that had moved Glazunov and Rachmaninov to create some of their finest work.

Miaskovsky (or Myaskovsky) is the link between the Russian nationalist composers of the 19th Century and the great figures of the 20th Century like Shostakovich and Prokofiev.

[Guido]

The cello concerto is a superb work. It has the same sort of world weary nostalgia as the Elgar cello concerto, and was written at the end of the second world war (rather than the first). It's been recorded a few times, but I only recently heard the Rostropovich version - don't know why I'm surprised but it's easily the best version out there - his first recording. There's a live version too that is also superb. I thought I already loved the piece, but Rostropovich reveals it to be great work that it is - his colouring of the solo part is just wonderful.

[vandermolen]

The cello concerto is a superb work. It has the same sort of world weary nostalgia as the Elgar cello concerto, and was written at the end of the second world war (rather than the first). It's been recorded a few times, but I only recently heard the Rostropovich version - don't know why I'm surprised but it's easily the best version out there - his first recording. There's a live version too that is also superb. I thought I already loved the piece, but Rostropovich reveals it to be great work that it is - his colouring of the solo part is just wonderful.

I agree. EMI have just reissued the studio recording with Malcolm Sargent. The Chandos version is very good too.

[Harry]

The only works I have are on Naxos, and what I have heard of it, its right in my alley, but to find good recordings is another matter. The Naxos is very good, but were to go from there.

[tjguitar]

No idea if this is a new recording, but I just saw this review of Op. 9:


http://www.goldenscores.com/?a=classical&id=63

[Nunc Dimittis]

Any other nutter fans of this great Russian composer? Am listening to Polyansky's fine recording of Symphony 27 (Chandos) with a fine coupling of the Cello Concerto (Alexander Ivashkin, soloist).

Listened to that CD last night. I love the theme in the first movement at about the 3 minute mark.   The only other works I have by him are the Symphony no. 5 and the Violin Concerto, both on Melodiya LPs.

[Harry Collier]

The violin concerto is excellent. There is a good modern recording of it by Vadim Repin with Gergiev. Also a 1939 recording with Oistrakh, or a recording by Grigory Feyghin.

[The new erato]

I love nr 22 under Svetlanov on Olympia, elegic, nostalgic and very sad.

[vandermolen]

No idea if this is a new recording, but I just saw this review of Op. 9:


http://www.goldenscores.com/?a=classical&id=63

No, it's an old recording but a fine one. There is a good, underrated, performance of Miaskovsky's 6th Symphony on Marco Polo (Stankovsky).

[m_gigena]

The violin concerto is excellent. There is a good modern recording of it by Vadim Repin with Gergiev. Also a 1939 recording with Oistrakh, or a recording by Grigory Feyghin.

And there's a fourth one on Naxos, coupled with Vainberg's vc.

[vandermolen]

Very good news that the company Alto will issue all the Svetlanov Myaskovsky symphonies that did not appear when Olympia crashed. They will be available (in the UK) at budget price (£4.99) and will feature the same cover art as the Olympias (with letters on the spine that will eventually spell the composer's name). Symphony15 and Symphony 27 (a wonderful valedictory score) will be available in August 2007 with the remaining issues (nos 16,17,19,21,23,24) being issued in 2008.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/announce.html

[Don]

And there's a fourth one on Naxos, coupled with Vainberg's vc.

And that's a fantastic disc and coupling.

[The new erato]

From the note on musicweb it seems that only the unreleased symphonies will be released. Since Olympia cuirrently is unavailable, does anybody know what will happen to those CDs already released and which currently seems to be unavailable?

[vandermolen]

From the note on musicweb it seems that only the unreleased symphonies will be released. Since Olympia cuirrently is unavailable, does anybody know what will happen to those CDs already released and which currently seems to be unavailable?

Good point. I don't know. Some of them are available, usually at incredibly expensive prices on Amazon. I hope that Regis might issue them in due course as they have done with other Olympia issues.

[The new erato]

Regis was my hope as well until I heard about the Alton reissues. I'm interestyed in the complete series.

[johnQpublic]

The news about the reissues is indeed good.

It was less than a week ago I listened to the Violin Concerto. It's very much a delight except for an eratic last movement. It always hits me as a letdown.

[vandermolen]

From the note on musicweb it seems that only the unreleased symphonies will be released. Since Olympia cuirrently is unavailable, does anybody know what will happen to those CDs already released and which currently seems to be unavailable?

Alto has the option of issuing the old Olympia Myaskovsky symphony discs once the four, previously unissued discs are released in 2008.

[jurajjak]

I love Svetlanov's old recording of the Symphony #27--the final movement is perfect (though I wish it were longer).

Miaskovsky's Symphony #10 is, apart from the #27, the best work of his I've heard.  This is the "modernist" Miaskovsky we rarely see--a tumultuous, driving, moderately dissonant one-movement symphony, brilliantly conceived and orchestrated.


andrew 

[The new erato]

And the first Alto issue (15/27) is listed in the August prerelease list on mdt!

[vandermolen]

And the first Alto issue (15/27) is listed in the August prerelease list on mdt!

Just received it; a wonderful disc and a great introduction to Myaskovsky's music. Both symphonies are amongst Myaskovsky's finest and I had forgotten what a great work Symphony 15 is. The valedictory No 27 is perhaps my favourite (together with nos 6, 17, 21 and 25), very moving in view of the circumstances of its composition (Myaskovsky dying of cancer and under critical dissaproval following Zhdanov's denunciation of leading composers).

All this for £5.00