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Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1; The Rock
Sergey Rachmaninov, Dimitri Kitaenko, Dmitri Kitayenko
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1; The Rock
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (5) - Disc #1

The works on this disc belong to Rachmaninov?s early period, the first being an orchestral tone poem, The Rock, inspired by Chekhov?s On the Road, the story of a young woman and an older man who meet at an inn on Christmas...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Sergey Rachmaninov, Dimitri Kitaenko, Dmitri Kitayenko, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Title: Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1; The Rock
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Moscow Studio
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 3/14/2006
Genre: Classical
Styles: Forms & Genres, Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music, Symphonies
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 723721200657

Synopsis

Album Description
The works on this disc belong to Rachmaninov?s early period, the first being an orchestral tone poem, The Rock, inspired by Chekhov?s On the Road, the story of a young woman and an older man who meet at an inn on Christmas Eve. Tchaikovsky expressed admiration for The Rock, despite the fact that it is considerably more modern than almost anything in Tchaikovsky?s oeuvre. Coming shortly after his first piano concerto, the Symphony No. 1 was written on a grand scale but was a disaster at its first performance in St. Petersburg in 1897, due largely to the inebriation of the conductor, Alexander Glazunov. Rachmaninov fell into a deep depression that was only relieved by two years of hypnosis, after which his career resumed with the popular Piano Concerto No. 2. The conductor Dmitri Kitaenko was born in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) and studied there and at the Moscow Conservatory. Kitaenko was the very first winner of the Herbert von Karajan Competition in Berlin in 1969. He was only 29 years old when he was appointed chief conductor of the Moscow Opera Theater. Recordings 1986/1984.
 

CD Reviews

Problematical
David Saemann | 01/09/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)

"I like Dimitri Kitaenko very much. He was one of the conductors on Sheffield Labs's "The Moscow Sessions" project back in the 1980's. The recordings on this CD date from that time, and therein lies the problem. What seems to be an exciting, well played version of the symphony is hampered by a late analog recording that is extremely multi-miked. Strings sound almost as if in another room from the up close winds, and the dynamic range isn't that great. The Rock was recorded two years earlier, and here the recorded sound is natural. It's a splendid performance, ideally captured. My favorite recording of the symphony is Leonard Slatkin's on an Excelsior CD from Sam Goody's. I believe it's currently available on Vox, in a different remastering. I wouldn't dissuade anyone interested in Kitaenko from trying his recording, but you have to put up with a lot to enjoy it."