Search - Rimsky-Korsakov, Symfoniker, Jarvi :: "Rimsky-Korsakov: The Complete Symphonies; Russian Easter Festival Overture; Capriccio Espagnol [Germany]"

Superb echt-Russian Music!...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 11/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

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Reissue of OOP Rimsky-Korsakov: 3 Symphonies; Capriccio espagnol; Russian Easter Overture.

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It may be well to recall that even as late as the middle of the Nineteenth Century Russia had yet scarcely achieved a "Classical" musical tradition comparable with Austria, Germany, or even France. The artistic intelligentsia admired Beethoven above all; yet, at the same time, despite the Master's universality, the Russians perceived an essential Teutonism in the Austro-German school which ran counter to their own evolving nationalism.

And so, beginning with Glinka and moving on through Balakirev, Mussorgsky, Borodin, Cui, and Rimsky-Korsakov--the "Mighty Little Bunch"--(sometimes termed "Kuchkists" for kuchka means "little clutch")--vigorously and adamantly strove to incorporate a native Russian ethos into their music.

Of course the Kuchkists had to start somewhere, and withal to a degree they admired the music of Schumann, Berlioz, and Liszt, while Wagner, Bruckner, and Brahms were anathematized.

Too, the most cosmopolitian of the Russian set--viz., Tchaikovsky and Rubinstein--were suspect for their Westernism and Hebraism. (Cf. Tchaikovsky's well-known love of Mozart.)

The Kuchkists valued idée over style: for them, form followed content.

Richard Taruskin puts it very well in saying, "To be a Kuchkist meant to value `color'--piquant timbral and harmonic effects--over `form,' and consequently to be ever on the look-out for pretexts (in Slavonic archaism, in Orientalia, in fantasy) for applying it."

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And so we come to Korsakov's Symphonies: several points.



Firstly, only the First and Third even attempt to be a symphony in the Austro-German tradition of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Antar ("Symphony No. 2") is rather a symphonic suite which makes a nice book-end to Sheherazade, and a close parallel to Korsakov's own Overture on Liturgical Themes; Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain; Borodin's In the Steppes of Central Asia; Balakirev's Tamara, Islamey, etc.



Secondly, Korsakov's Symphonies are not very long in duration when compared with those of Schumann, Brahms, Bruckner, and Mahler. They feature Korsakov's renowned orchestration with perfumed Near-Eastern Orientalism. (The same is true of Borodin's three symphonies, whilst Balakirev's two are virtually no more than orchestrated versions of his large piano sonatas.)



Lastly, Korsakov's Symphonies segue neatly into those of Skryabin, while Arensky, Taneyev, and Glazunov synthesize the cosmopolitian Tchaikovsky-Rubinstein school with Kuchkist nationalism into the truly independent Russian school of Rachmaninov, Myaskovsky, Prokoffiev, and Shostakovich.

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En fin, this issue by the GSO with Järvi on DG is probably the finest set of recordings available of this material. The versions of the symphonic texts are authoritatively chosen for authenticity, and the sound is bright and clear.

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See too:

Sheherazade

Borodin: Orchestral Works

Borodin: String Quartet No. 1 in A Major; String Quartet No. 2 in D Major

Balakirev: Symphony No. 1; Islamey; Tamara

Taneyev: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1

Balakirev and Mussorgsky: Piano Music

Ippolitov-Ivanov: Caucasian Sketches; Turkish March and Fragments

Scriabin: Complete Piano Sonatas

Scriabin: Complete Symphonies

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Excellent renditions of little known symphonies

J. Schofield | Cirque Du Soleil | 06/06/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Except for the 2nd symphony, "Antar", the first and third aren't very well known and even performed less. Not that the second is performed much at all; in my 59 years as a musician, I've seen it performed once and never performed it at all. The other reviewer was right in pointing out that the structures of the first and third symphonies are closer to a "traditional" sonata form symphony. These works aren't going to displace Beethoven or Tchaikovsky syphonies in the concert hall, but they have a charm of their own and use Russian themes quite well. Jarvi and the GSO perform the works with much vigor and sympathy, turning them into more interesting works than they appear as written. Jarvi is arguably, the best conductor of Russian music out there (he's from Estonia, which was part of the Soviet Union before it broke apart). As far as sound quality, the 2nd movement of the second symphony "Antar", has tremendous bass energy; it actually cracked the window in the room! Of course, I played it at concert levels (as in concert level in the orchestra, which is louder than in the hall). It's an excellent disc to take with you when auditioning speakers for their bass output."