Search - Alexander Tcherepnin, Lan Shui, Singapore Symphony Orchestra :: Alexander Tcherepnin: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4; Piano Concerto No. 6

The third symphony is a masterpiece

SRS | Ohio | 02/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's very strange that Tcherepnin's Third Symphony is practically unknown in the musical world. It should be part of the canon. Melodic 20th century music is generally preferred by audiences and this is an example of melodic music that isn't anachronistic. Symphonies all over the world should embrace this piece. How many more times does Cincinnati's symphony need to play Tchaikovsky's 4th, for instance? Critic Leslie Gerber dismissed the piece, finding fault with his use of the pentatonic scale. Well, that's what makes the symphony so beautiful. To me, the piece sounds like a combination of Asian and British themes, and that unusual combination works extremely well.



I haven't warmed up to Tcherepnin's other symphonies. The clarity and warmth the pentatonic scale brought to the Third made the difference between decent symphonies and a masterpiece.



The piano concerto is somewhat bombastic and I definitely prefer the sparse and crystalline 5th. Get the other disc from BIS with Lan Shui for that. It's a very idiosyncratic composition, but one I've listened to countless times (as with the Third symphony)."