Search - Miaskovsky :: Integrale Des Symphonie

A very complicated history behind this current Myaskovsky se

David A. Hollingsworth | Washington, DC USA | 10/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The late Yevgeny Svetlanov was a known Myaskovskian, and the most well-rounded and versatile of Russian conductors to date. So when Melodiya commissioned this great conductor to do `an almost' complete set of Myaskovsky's orchestral works in 1990 (or 1991), Svetlanov had already recorded about a handful of the composer's symphonies along with the popular cello concerto. And besides, he had the great Russian Federation Symphony Orchestra (then the USSR State Symphony) at his disposal. So, it was indeed a logical choice on Melodiya's part. But there is a catch. The project was done in haste and performing (in most cases for the first time) nearly all of Myaskovsky's orchestral music in just a three-year span (1991-1993) inevitably impacted on the orchestra's high standards of execution (particularly the strings, which at times sounded not like its usual alert, coherent, full-bodied self). But the commitment and the authenticity in performances and sound are obvious and in full glory, even though there's a give and take proposition given the obvious surprises they've found themselves in here and there.



After Melodiya released two discs featuring Symphonies nos. 17, 24, & 25 by 1991, it sold its rights to BMG by 1992 and another label, Russian Disc, essentially picked up the tab. By the mid-1990s, however, Russian Disc faced a number of serious lawsuits and their efforts to release the Myaskovsky series (and other works of Russian and Non-Russian composers either freshly recorded or re-issued from the original Melodiya) were put on ice. Svetlanov himself used his own initiatives and personal funds to help see the project through and finally, Russian Disc released its 16 discs set in the summer of 2001 distributed by Records International. But it was a limited edition and questionable disc quality (sometimes copied as though through a personal computer or stereo system) made it rather short-lived. And when Olympia Compact Disc Ltd. took over in reissuing this cycle in 2002 (in a very expensive deal it had reached with Svetlanov and his wife, Nina Svetlanova), the recording market was already hit hard and Olympia, by then a struggling label, went under. Alto (Musical Concepts) took over the project and as it continues on with it, Warner Classics (Warner France) inaugurated its 16 compact discs set of that same cycle this past summer in a more economical packaging.



Warner's advantage over Alto, other than the lesser voluminous set for the space-conscious collectors, is its inclusion of the miscellaneous works the latter label is skipping over (at least for now). But Alto scores hands down in maintaining Olympia's high tradition of intrepid, scholarly presentation (courtesy of the late Per Skans and others). In the meantime, the mysteries behind the Myaskovsky `ongoing cycles' under Neemi Jarvi with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under the BIS/Deutsche Grammophon label & Dmitri Yablonsky and the Moscow Philharmonic under Naxos remain mysteries. Nevertheless, this set under review here will do well enough amidst its drawbacks, presentation-wise. But if you're okay with spacing and are already committed in collecting the Olympia/Alto series (which means waiting patiently for the remaining disc(s) to come forth), then there's really no compelling reasons to switch over, again for now.



Nikolay Yakovlevich Myaskovsky (1881-1950), as great of a musical journeyman as Bax and Martinu, is hardly a household name even in Russia. He continues to be looked upon as an important historical figure, due to his pedagogical commitments as Professor of composition at the Moscow Conservatory of Music (where every significant Muscovite composer were under his guidance) and his friendship with Prokofiev, who benefited from his advice especially after his return to Soviet Russia by 1936. As a composer, he's chiefly remembered for his Cello Concerto and to some extent his 6th & 21st Symphonies. But, unless you're a listener more familiar with Myaskovsky, you'll realize that there's much more to it than that.



The truth is that Myaskovsky comes across as a composer with depth and substance, capable of moving the subconscious in ways that are reflective and memorable. Like Bruckner and even Bax, Myaskovsky is at his best in slow movements (indeed a relatively rare quality for a composer). His music (especially his slow music ) is typically deep, melancholic, lyrical, & at times philosophical, with ideas that are clearly poignant and wrought. This composer had been through a lot and there's something biographical in his music. He was no doubt a Boris Pasternak of a persona in his keen observations of all that went on around him that ultimately and movingly got transmuted onto paper. L' homme du monde, and unapologetically so, whose music is of narrative reflectiveness with an unrelenting creative spirit, of the cleansing of the soul through the in-depth communications of his innermost feelings relatable to the masses. Musical creations out of circumstances at the expense of considerations of musical substance was not his thing, and for decades his idiom does pose problems for that reason. Nevertheless, Myaskovsky was indeed, both literally and figuratively speaking, The Musical Conscience of Moscow whose music forcefully crossed national and international borders. His fame he had achieved during the 1920s and the 1930s was no accident. But then again, the neglect of even his strongest music is ultimately our loss.



And there's no flag waving either, for Myaskovsky was neither a Soviet Realist composer or a highly defiant one in veins similar to Shostakovich or Prokofiev (and to some extent Shebalin). He was really a quietist, a sort of a 20th Century Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky who was, in terms of mannerism and musical thought, went neither here or there, and rather unapologetic in maintaining the profound virtues of musical art deeply rooted in Russian music while not paying much lip service to Socialist Realist policies. Composers around him (Shebalin, Khachaturian, Peiko, Boris Tchaikovsky, et al.) learned a good deal from his spiritually protesting stance. Eminently resourceful, varied in both style and tone, exalted, honest, and classy in expression, in-your-face humanity of a composer on the one hand, Myaskovsky can be, from time to time, turgid, routine, longwinded, and calculated. But make no mistake about it, serious critics and listeners especially in Soviet Russia deemed Myaskovsky as among the most significant of Soviet composers (and the most significant of symphonists) with good, legitimate, even compelling reasons.



This set will be daunting for those not so familiar with his vast output of music (and skimpy presentation here will not help much). Do try the Thirteenth Symphony for its striking ambiguity (perhaps his most daring work) or the Twentieth for its wonderfully dignified Adagio movement and just go from there. The Sixth Symphony, a highly personal, cataclysmic, yet an important early Soviet work (championed by Leopold Stokowski, Artur Rodzinski et al.) will likewise be an ideal start as will any of his later symphonies (like his 25th or his 27th, the pinnacles of his musical art). His miscellaneous works (like the striking Slavonic Rhapsody on Ancient Russian Themes or the Divertissements) are also definitely worth a try.



In the end though, this set (and the Olympia/Alto series) is of high importance, not only because it confirms the contributions of Myaskovsky towards musical art in Soviet Russia (and beyond), but also because it confirms his contributions in maintaining and, dare I say, enhancing the credibility of such an art that gave it immeasurable ounces of authenticity.



Do Enjoy & Absorb!!

"

History's interesting & relevant, but let's talk about the s

Dace Gisclard | Houston, TX | 01/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an indispensable purchase for those interested in the Russian or Soviet symphony, but Miaskovsky's vast "terra incognita" is more important as music than a statistic. His decision to stick to a conservative idiom during the musical upheavals of the 20th century makes him different from, not inferior to, say, Shostakovich or Stravinsky. A composer's worth has nothing to do with whether or not he is a stylistic weathervane, blown about by every passing fad. Miaskovsky took what he wanted, and left the rest alone.



In the last three months I have compulsively devoured this set four times. The very fact that the booklet notes are sketchy (one page!) has forced me to assess the music as music, separated from its political environment (although I am familiar with the basics of Soviet political and musical history). No one insists that the ONLY way of appreciating Beethoven is to consider him against a background of footnoted essays on the Napoleonic wars. Likewise, one is in danger of minimizing Soviet music to a mere soundtrack to history--to say nothing of ignoring its significance as a universal human statement--if one is preoccupied with searching for Stalin in every corner!



So what can the newcomer expect? Of the early works, it has been said that the harmony is Scriabinesque--but there is little, if any, of Scriabin's ecstatic flight. I am reminded more of early Zemlinsky and the hyper-charged expressionism of pre-atonal Schoenberg, testing tonality to its limits (No.10 is particularly drastic), as well as the Russian "futurists"--Roslavets, Mossolov, etc.



Later, the emotional tone becomes less angst-laden. Mostly, the music becomes more orthodoxly tonal, lushly "romantic," and even, at times, "bright". Still, Miaskovsky almost always has something important to say. He always retained his gift for steering a slow movement to a climax of exalted lyricism, or (usually) making a triumphant close convincing--and his "futurism" doesn't vanish completely. Also, he never stopped experimenting with the shape of the symphony. Most are in three or four movements, but there are a few in one or two, and even one in five!



Symphonies 18, 19 and 20 acquiesce to populist "Soviet optimism"--one had to placate the authorities in order to survive. However, Miaskovsky recovers his true voice in No.21. No.23 proves he could write a lightweight yet substantial work based on folk tunes, with deliciously novel harmony. The three so-called "Sinfoniettas" are also substantial, fully worthy to be counted among the symphonies, and most of the fillers are important works.



Throughout, there are homages to Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, Mussorgsky, Rimsky, etc. Yet, surprisingly, some later scores recall Delius and Elgar (Nos.25 and 27--these are masterpieces!). There are suggestions of Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Hindemith, Honegger and other "modernists" (No.14). A great deal of Miaskovsky might not be taken for "Russian music" at all. Some works (No.13 of 1933) even resemble dissonant American academicism of the 30's and 40's! However, no single style dominates. "Modernist" works jostle, cheek by jowl, with lushly romantic ones, in no particular order, and certainly not in predictable alternation. He is a stylistic chameleon, tremendously adept at assimilating influences into his own unique voice.



The booklet notes ARE inadequate (although George Calvin Foreman's dissertation is a great help--more about this below), and the track analysis is full of errors. I have tried to correct as much as I could with the help of Foreman's dissertation, Ikonnikov's "Soviet optimism"-slanted biography, and Groves's:



(Symphony) No.11 is in B-flat minor; in No.8 (on disc 4), the tempo indication for the finale is "Allegro deciso"; No.12 is subtitled "Collective Farm"; the "Symphony-Suite" on disc 10 is No.23; No.16 is subtitled "Aviation Symphony"; the duplicate "No.8" on disc 11 is really No.18; No.2 is in C-sharp minor; No.13 is in B-flat minor; in No.6, Svetlanov omits the optional chorus (Dudarova includes it); No.21 is in F-sharp minor; the "Serenade" on disc 14 is Op.32, No.1, NOT "No.1"; Sinfonietta No.2 is in B minor; the tempo indication for the third movement of Sinfonietta No.3 is "Andante elevato"; the "Hulpigung's Overture" on disc 11 is aka "Salutation Overture" and "Greetings Overture"--WHEW!



The story of Svetlanov funding some of these recordings after the fall of the Soviet Union is well-known. Now and then, there are "wild and wooly" moments (surely due to inevitably insufficient rehearsal time), but the overall standard of the playing is high, and Svetlanov is a tower of strength throughout. It seems unlikely that this set will have any real competition for a long time. Considering the present spotty availability of the Olympia and Alto releases, this is probably, for now, the most reliable way (and surely the least expensive) to acquire all of these CD's.



SCHOLAR'S NOTE! In 1981, George Calvin Foreman submitted his dissertation, "The Symphonies of Nikolai Yakovlivich Miaskovsky" to the University of Kansas. I was able to download it at a university library, although I'm not sure if it's available to the general public. At any rate, it is well over 400 pages, and discusses ALL of the symphonies--Ikonnikov stops at No.24. There are copious musical examples, and Foreman discusses the works in the context of Soviet history. The musical analyses probably get too technical for non-musicians, but there's plenty of other interesting stuff here. Perhaps with the current explosion of interest in this composer, the dissertation will be published! Anyway, it's well worth looking into.



As a parting shot, I doubt that those who dismiss Miaskovsky as "reactionary" would regard him any more favorably if he were a satellite of Shostakovich, Stravinsky or Webern. He is himself--an original--working, by choice and with conviction, in a generally conservative style--eminently worth getting to know on his own terms.



P.S. If you enjoyed the symphonies, don't forget to check out the Taneyev Quartet's recordings of the String Quartets."

Landmark Set

Hegelian | Concord, MA USA | 02/19/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I would love to give this set five stars for effort, and indeed it is a historic and much overdue project. But truth be told, the sound is servicable but no means ideal and the performances sometimes seem under-rehearsed or routine. (How could they not be at times?) Nevertheless, no one interested in this music can pass up what is undeniably a terrific bargain: all of Miaskovsky's symphonies (and more) in acceptable and often inspired performances that were a labor of love for Svetlanov. If you don't know this music, Disc One (with the first and one of the last symphonies) makes an excellent introduction."