Following acclaimed performances on tour in Japan and South Korea, Robin Ticciati and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin have recorded one of Rachmaninov’s best-known works. In contrast with the disastrous reception of the First Symphony and the ensuing three-year compositional hiatus, the Second Symphony was a resounding success when it was premiered by the composer in 1908. Its thematic unity, archlike melodic lines, rich orchestral colours and expansive structure still inspire awe, particularly when performed by musicians of the DSO’s calibre. The score is presented in its original unabridged version which reveals Rachmaninov’s regained confidence in his power to compose and his true symphonic achievement. This exhilarating performance marks Ticciati’s sixth album with the DSO.

Listen to the Naxos Podcast to learn more about this release

Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is one of the most passionate and beloved concertos in the repertoire, its lyricism and virtuosity charting a trajectory from darkness through idyll to dazzling triumph. The Etudes-tableaux, Op. 33 are richly characterized musical evocations, expressive and often explosive, that reflect a more angular, modern aspect. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra was formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra and became the Scottish National Orchestra in 1950. It was awarded Royal Patronage in 1977. Throughout its history the orchestra has played an integral part in Scotland’s musical life, including performing at the opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament building in 2004. Many renowned conductors have contributed to its success, including George Szell, Sir John Barbirolli, Walter Susskind, Sir Alexander Gibson, Neeme Jarvi, Walter Weller, Alexander Lazarev and Stephane Deneve. In 2012 the RSNO welcomed British-Canadian musician and conductor Peter Oundjian as its latest music director and Danish conductor Thomas Sondergard as principal guest conductor. The RSNO has a worldwide reputation for the quality of its recordings, receiving two Diapason d’Or de l’annee awards for Symphonic Music and eight Grammy Award nominations over the last decade.

-----

REVIEWS:

He has the chops to handle the concerto's technical challenges, as great as those in any other work Rachmaninov wrote, and also to get beyond conservatory dryness and put across the emotion of the work, the sense Rachmaninov had of rediscovering a musical wellspring after a long, creatively fallow period. There are flashier performances of these, but Giltburg is probing, not trying to be flashy. The two transcriptions at the end bring down the curtain on a satisfying performance of some familiar works.

– All Music Guide (J. Mannheim)

Rather than imitating the composer, Giltburg seems to imbibe his spirit. He provides the best testimony I know of that this 116-year old signature concerto still has a long, healthy life ahead of it.

– Gramophone

Also available on Blu-ray

Exactly 80 years before the Opening Concert of the 2019 Lucerne Festival, Sergei Rachmaninoff himself appeared for the first time on August 11, 1939 at the "International Music Festival Weeks". The roaring success of the performance stands in direct contrast to the need for retreat, seclusion and concentration that the star pianist sought as a composer. Marking three stages in his career, the concerto, étude, vocalise and symphony presented in 2019 take the listener to these places of retreat. And yet, they call to mind phenomena of public perception that still influence the way they are received today. In their diversity, these works invite us to appreciate the versatility of this extraordinary artist, to question, break through and expand patterns of perception.

 

REVIEW:

 

The pianist is musically involved, and so is Chailly. However unexpectedly, they form a superb partnership, and the entire reading is suffused with unabashed Romanticism. Matsuev shows himself perfectly willing to play delicate passages with the appropriate lyricism. The opening theme is unusually gentle, in fact. The impression of effortless virtuosity is especially vivid in the finale, where the pianist is magisterial. I would call this a Gilels-like performance in its authority and breadth rather than an electrifying Horowitz-like one. But it’s thrilling nonetheless.

 

– Fanfare

This well filled CD (79 minutes) contain the complete transcriptions for piano that Rachmaninoff made of compositions of various composers. Being a celebrated pianist and a genius composer, Rachmaninoff didn’t literally transcribe, but added his own unique pianistic and compositional features to them, creating as much his own masterwork as is the original. Ranging from Bach (3 movements from the Violin Partita in E), through transcriptions of his own and Tachikovsky’s songs, Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream of hair-raising difficulty, he ends with fashionable transcriptions of Kreisler’s Liebesleid and Liebesfreud, a pianistic tour de force and favourite encore.

As a substantial bonus Alexander Ghindin plays the complete Moments Musicaux Op. 16. Ghindin, one of Russia’s foremost young pianists, has the true Rachmaninoff feeling, a mix of melancholy and grandeur, playing with stunning virtuosity and panache. Alexander Korsantia, born in 1965 in Tiblisi, Georgia, won first prize at the prestigious Arthur Rubinstein Competition in 1995. He has an active international concert career, and is based in Boston, USA.

Shortlisted for the Gramophone Awards!

Following her triumphs on the stages of the Salzburg and Bayreuth festivals and at Covent Garden, Asmik Grigorian now belongs to the world’s vocal elite. She joins Alpha Classics for several projects and presents here her very first recital, devoted to one of her favorite composers, Sergei Rachmaninov. This album, titled Dissonance, assembles vocal works carefully chosen by the soprano for the contrasts they generate when grouped together: ‘Most of Rachmaninov’s songs really call for operatic power. In fact, he wrote mini-operas lasting a few minutes.’ While this album is called Dissonance, in reference to the ‘internal conflicts’ that punctuate these songs, the duo formed by the Lithuanian singer and her pianist compatriot Lukas Geniušas is one of total consonance!

"[Grigorian's] powers of expression are as fierce in front of the microphone as they are on the stage...Her tone at its fullest, all velvet-wrapped steel, gleams with enough edge to cut through anything a full-throttle Rachmaninov piano part can throw at it, and Geniušas does not give the impression of holding back[.] As a duet partner, he’s just soloistic enough, with an attentive ear for the detail of what Grigorian wants to achieve with the shape of a phrase.

"The program, in a sequence chosen by the performers, ranges from some of the Op. 4 songs Rachmaninov wrote as a student to his Op. 34. Some last barely 90 seconds, but here they still seem like a scene rather than merely a song – a panoramic view, not a snapshot. Grigorian and Genušias will make you wonder why you don’t hear them more often." -The Guardian

"There’s a palpable energy between the [performers] on this recording. [Grigorian] unfurls her otherworldly quality—what Barrie Kosky once called 'Planet Grigorian'—like a banner; [Geniušas] provides the breeze to hold it aloft. By no means are the songs on Dissonance calm or gentle, but Grigorian and Geniušas handle them lovingly." -Van Magazine

Today in the West, Sergei Rachmaninoff is known mostly as a great pianist and composer of piano works. His piano concertos, especially the second, and his Paganini Variations are among the most popular works in their respective genres. Orchestral works, too, such as the Second Symphony, the symphonic poem Isle of the Dead, and the Symphonic Dances are still frequently heard in concerts and on recordings. Less well known is that Rachmaninoff also composed operas, songs and sacred vocal works.

Thanks in part to this recording, Rachmaninoff is no longer ignored as an opera composer.

SET CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS (Complete Works):

• Aleko • Skupoy ritsa (The Miserly Knight), Op. 24 • Francesca da Rimini, Op. 25 • Songs (6), Op. 4 • Songs (6), Op. 8 • Songs (12), Op. 14 • Songs (6), Op. 38 • Russian Songs (3), Op. 41 • Kolokola (The Bells), Op. 35 • Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 • Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 • Piano Concertos 1-4

REVIEW:

There are a few very old recordings—Rachmaninoff playing `Whiten my Rouged Cheeks’ (1926) and conducting a transcription of his Vocalise (1929); Chaliapin singing Aleko’s cavatina (1929)—but the bulk of the material is from the 1950s, with a few contributions from the '40s and '60s.

The operas are here, all from Bolshoi productions: two Alekos (1951, 1953), The Miserly Knight (1958), and Francesca da Rimini (1956). In addition there is an entire disc of fragments from the operas. We have lots of songs—complete opus numbers 4, 8, 14, 21, 26, 34, 38, but also dozens of individual songs...[several] were orchestrated, so we have a disc of songs with orchestra or instrumental ensemble. Choral music is included, but not the Liturgy or the Vespers; rather, we have The Bells (two performances, 1948 1962), his O Mother of God, Vigilantly Praying, written in 1893, and Spring for baritone, choir, and orchestra.

The Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is played by Viktor Merzhanov and the Symphonic Dances were dedicated to Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Then to top it off we have the four piano concertos, played by Richter, Gilels, and Zak.

Only a few of these performances seem to have been available: Concertos 1 & 4 with Richter & Zak were on Appian 6005; the 1962 Bells with Kondrashin appeared on Urania; and perhaps a few more. Much, though, may be considered historical recordings from the Bolshoi Theatre with little-known (to us) Russian artists from the postwar period.

Three of the four opera recordings are appearing for the first time.

The biggest names [among featured singers] are Galina Vishnevskaya and Jussi Bjoerling, but they have only two songs each. You can find the operas and songs in more modern productions, but if you want a sense of Russian performance in the opera house in the '50s, these are invaluable. I got even greater pleasure from the concertos, since the pianists—Richter in particular—are wonderful and exciting.

-- American Record Guide

The music of the Russian Orthodox Church was an essential part of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s musical background. As a boy he was deeply moved by the sound of St Petersburg’s cathedral choirs, and phrases reminiscent of liturgical chant permeate his music. His Vespers has long been admired as a summit of Russian liturgical music. It has unfortunately tended to overshadow the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, his earlier large-scale sacred composition. Named after the fourth-century Archbishop of Constantinople and Church Father, the Liturgy consists of a sequence of prayers, psalms and hymns, which are sung or chanted by the different participants in the service. Rachmaninoff did not make use of any existing chants (as he would later do in his Vespers), but chose to reflect their style and spirit with music entirely of his own. The sonorities he creates is rarely achieved by plain four-part writing: instead the voices are frequently divided, solos emerge from the choir, and the range of textures shows great imagination. The Liturgy is here performed in the warm acoustics of the Niguliste Church in Tallinn by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir – listed among the ten best choirs in the world by the BBC Music Magazine in 2020 – conducted by Kaspars Putninš.

REVIEW:

Rachmaninoff himself esteemed this work highly, and when it receives the careful performance it gets here, it is indeed lovely. Choral music in the Baltic countries maintains a very high level of quality, and this small choir is arguably the jewel in the crown. Note that some online sources designate this as a reading of "excerpts," but it is not; Putniņš omits only some short responsorial sections, including one short movement, in accordance with the preference of modern editors. A wonderful performance of this Rachmaninoff masterwork.

-- AllMusicGuide.com (James Manheim)

Sony Classical is pleased to announce a new batch of reissues from the CBS/Sony and RCA Victor/BMG back catalogues. This latest instalment of the popular series showcases Mozart and Chopin along with conductor Robert Craft’s pioneering Webern recordings and the global journeys of that irrepressible musical explorer Yo-Yo Ma.

The supremely versatile Yo-Yo Ma has been aptly referred to as a musical omnivore. In addition to all the significant classical works written for his instrument, the eclectic cellist has passionately embraced the music of Latin America and Asia as well as American bluegrass and jazz. Seven of his most adventurous and acclaimed musical journeys have been collected by Sony Classical in a CD box entitled “Crossing Borders”. They include Appalachia Waltz and Appalachian Journey with Mark O’Connor and Edgar Meyer (Grammy 1998: “Best Classical Crossover Album”); Soul of the Tango – The Music of Astor Piazzolla (Grammy 1997: “Best Classical Crossover Album”); Obrigado Brazil – traditional songs and compositions by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Pixinguinha (Grammy 2000: “Best Classical Crossover Album”); Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet and Japanese Melodies; Anything Goes: the cellist playing mostly Cole Porter with Stephane Grappelli; and, last but not least: Hush, his famous collaboration with Bobby McFerrin.

Review excerpts of previously released volumes included in this set:

Appalachian Journey / Yo-Yo Ma, O'Connor, Meyer

The Mark O’Connor/Yo-Yo Ma/Edgar Meyer power trio took a while to follow up their 1996 hit Appalachia Waltz, yet, no doubt about it, Appalachian Journey was worth the long wait. I love the gnarly funk of the opening cut, “1B”, with hard swinging fiddle and cello lines anchored by Meyer’s earthy, off-center pedal points. The less driving, more reflective reels, and lyrical Duet for Cello and Bass fuse bluegrass, wistful folk tunes, and stark Copland-esque landscapes into organic wholes that sound better with each rehearing. The deliciously virtuosic Caprice for Three proves that players of this caliber can channel their super-chops toward listening out loud. Guest vocal stints by James Taylor and Alison Krauss add the spice of variety to the mix, along with a potential wider audience. And why not? The arrangements are judiciously varied, perfectly paced, and exploit the violin/cello/string bass configuration in ingenuous ways. One wonders how this trio might approach certain pieces over a looser, more extended improvisational time frame. I hope we won’t have to wait another three and a half years to find out. If you’re in a blue mood, this disc will provide an antidote with long-range positive side effects. Fun, fun stuff.

-- ClassicsToday.com (10/10, Jed Distler)

Obrigado Brazil / Yo-Yo Ma:

The music on this enchanting, flavorful CD varies from classical to samba to bossa nova; the combinations range from guitar, flute, and cello to female voice (the remarkable Rosa Passos), cello, guitar, percussion, piano, and bass; to simple cello and piano; to cello and two guitars. The overriding element is rhythm; each selection has a beat which is both infectious and sensual, but the contexts are splendidly varied. It's impossible to get bored or tired listening to this creative CD; it's unique--just like Yo-Yo Ma himself--and endlessly surprising. It may not be quite what we'd call "classical" music, but it is many kinds of music, and they all will delight. The other musicians are as impressive on their instruments as Ma is with his cello, and that's saying a great deal.

-- ClassicsToday.com (Robert Levine)

Silk Road Journeys - When Strangers Meet

Silk Road Journeys is an invigorating, eye-opening ride. To be sure, some pieces fare better than others, but as with any unforgettable trip, you tend to forget the occasional bumps you hit along unknown roads. Our guides are a generally stellar selection of master artists, including the luminary pipa player Wu Man and kemencheh and setar player Kayhan Kalhor. These two musicians in particular can go head-to-head in virtuosity with Yo-Yo Ma any day. Complemented by cleanly articulated sound, Sony Classical has produced a real keeper in its Yo-Yo Ma catalog, but the cellist makes his collaborators the true focus of this album.

-- ClassicsToday.com (10/10)