Russian & Soviet Music

[eschiss1]

I don't think "commercially available" was the moderators' criterion though they may have changed it, I've been here and back and gone and to and fro- at some-point-available I thought was it... otherwise, I'd upload a few things I have from LPs that were on CDs but NLA ones (not national library of australia...) (Malipiero syms 6 and 7, I think - early recordings thereof - other things too...)

[jowcol]

Holger -- much thanks for this gem!  Definitely my cup of tea!  (Or coffee, in my case)

Here is one of my favourite Soviet symphonies:

Çary Nurymow (Chary Nurymov, 1941–1993)
Symphony No. 2 (1984)
USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra / Gennady Rozhdestvensky

[Holger]

Thanks for your feedback, jowcol, and great you like the symphony. There was plenty of excellent music in the Soviet Union, and it's a pity so much of it has almost fallen into obscurity today. Nurymow, who was chairman of the Turkmen Composers Union, is one example of a very fine composer whose works should get far more attention than they receive these days. Melodiya (the modern CD label) would do a great job if they reissued stuff like that – however, it seems this is not exactly their intention.

[eschiss1]

Re the Shcherbachev 2nd symphony - very odd that the finale should be about as long as the rest combined, though it's definitely the same piece (same themes, anyway) and not, as I was beginning to suspect when I started listening to the finale, an alternate way of getting the other four movements (uploaded as a single file- but the perhaps mislabeled- something I told myself I'd check - until it became clear it wasn't that ) ... anyhow, belatedly listened to the symphony (all but the last half of the finale, for now.) Very very much impressed...

[shamokin88]

The Shcherbachev 2nd Symphony. I want to put your mind at ease. I attended the concert, sat close, and the last movement was enormous. The first few movements went by and yet the score on Botstein's podium seemed to remain much thicker at the right than the left.

[eschiss1]

Mind already at ease (the only other possibility that had fantastically come to mind at all - at all - was that there were two versions of the symphony, one with substantial soprano(?) solos, one for male soloist (mostly) throughout (with maybe slight choir interjections), and that the first four movements might be one version, the fifth track a revised, much changed version with those etc. performed on a different evening and offered, very liberally- two recordings! - for free on their website (if I understand??) ... - but as it is, offering a quite, quite good, passionate, memorable symphony (or so it does seem on this first-and-change listen! ) I'm glad to have made the acquaintance of, of about an hour's length at that... - can only want to thank all concerned, I can... anyway

Even though the instrumentation/forces called for... are quite different, the movement proportions make me think actually of Das Lied. I wonder if Shcherbachev knew his Mahler?

(I see Larry Sitsky writes about the symphony in his Music of the Repressed Russian Avant-Garde, 1900-1929, p.136 - looking at this via Google Preview. Interesting things he has to say.)

[semloh]

Holger - a belated 'thank you' for the 2nd Symphony of Nurymow. I agree about the long-drawn phrases and the relation to the landscape. It's an enjoyable experience, although it feels like one movement of a bigger symphony! 

[britishcomposer]

Atsushi, thank you very much for uploading this recent concert with music by Tcherepnin and Golovanov. 
I intended to record it myself but made a mistake with my recording device.

[lechner1110]

  You are welcome  

  I listened Oratorio by Tcherepnin today.  The choral part in this music sounds like "Inori" (a prayer) of the priest in temple in my country. Very interesting music, in my view.

[eschiss1]

I have some perhaps interesting works that I've found again in my collection that a friend sent me tapes of when he received a large bunch of Melodiia LPs in the mail awhile back; I'll see if any of them have ever been-that I can see etc.- available on commercial CDs. Knipper's piano trio, some Levitin, a Liatoshinski quartet, some other things.

(I wonder if the "Bonduriansky" who's in the Knipper trio might be pianist Alexander Bonduriansky, or if he's too young... I don't know the date of the recording; I'll have to get to the library again and see if it's in the Melodia Discography.) According to Boosey, Knipper wrote at least 2 piano trios, so I assume the one on that LP is the first since I don't think a number was indicated.

No, it's trio 2 (1968-70), I think. The opening does -not- sound like that of trio 1 (a recording of which can be previewed here.)

[Gijs vdM]

Hrm. Ok, now I really have to listen to Muradeli's symphonies (or some other works I don't yet have), if only to see why he's considered less conservative than Myaskovsky considered overall. Than Myaskovsky later in the latter's career I can probably grant prior to listening, but Myaskovsky inbetween, ca.1920-32 ...

They weren't as bad as I expected them to be. As compared to, say, Khrennikov's symphonies. Comparing them to Shostakovitch or Weinberg is a different matter...

All best,
Gijs

[jowcol]

Symphony # 3 by Alexander Ajemyan
(4 tracks)
Armenian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Mangasarian, Conductor
From the collection of Karl Miller

First, it seems that we have a separate Armenian folder for the downloads, but not the discussion about the downloads.  I'll put the announcement here.

I know next to nothing about the composer, even after searching under 4 spellings of his last name.  It is apparent his son is alive and composing in Armenia-- and even has contact information here.

http://www.composers21.com/compdocs/ajemyanv.htm

This is a fascinating symphony, a bit darker than I had expected, but very muscular.  I've had a hard time listening to much else the last day or two.   Imagine a hybrid of Pettersson and Katchaturian.  Not exactly restful, but very dramatic.  If any of you can find out more about the work and the composer (and, better yet, more recordings!) I'd be very interested.

[Holger]

jowcol,

Ajemyan / Adzhemian etc. was born in 1925 and died in 1987. He was a pupil of Yeghiazarian and composed six symphonies, none of which was released commercially. You are right his style is darker than one might expect in the context of Soviet music, however if you have a closer look at the Armenian composers scene in particular you'll note that this is not that unusual.

I have two of his works, i.e. the Third Symphony which you just uploaded (a very fine and dense piece indeed, btw it's from 1967) and his Pastoral Sinfonietta. Again, in case of the latter, the title is somewhat misleading: actually it is quite a complex and dark piece as well, not exactly what might come to our minds when thinking about the term "pastoral". I will upload it.

[jowcol]

jowcol,

Ajemyan / Adzhemian etc. was born in 1925 and died in 1987. He was a pupil of Yeghiazarian and composed six symphonies, none of which was released commercially. You are right his style is darker than one might expect in the context of Soviet music, however if you have a closer look at the Armenian composers scene in particular you'll note that this is not that unusual.

I have two of his works, i.e. the Third Symphony which you just uploaded (a very fine and dense piece indeed, btw it's from 1967) and his Pastoral Sinfonietta. Again, in case of the latter, the title is somewhat misleading: actually it is quite a complex and dark piece as well, not exactly what might come to our minds when thinking about the term "pastoral". I will upload it.

Much thanks!  I can't wait to give it a listen.    Also, you've found another spelling for me to search on...

[jowcol]

Symphony (#3) by Lev Abeliovich


From the collection of Karl Miller

About the Recording:
Update:  Holger believes that this was a radio broadcast, and is unaware of any LP or CD release of this work.   I've revised this posting to match his comments to follow.

About the work:
It seems he studied under Miaskovsky-- if you like him, (which I do!) you may find a lot to enjoy here.  Long melodic lines and introspective.


Biographical Data

I didn't find too much about him, but here are a couple of snippets.

LEV ABELIOVICH
(1912-1985, BELARUS)
Born in Vilnius, Lithuania. He studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and then at the Minsk Conservatory where he studied under Vasily Zolataryov. After graduation from the latter institution, he took further composition courses with Nikolai Miaskovsky at the Moscow Conservatory. He composed orchestral, vocal and chamber works. His other Symphonies are Nos. 1 (1962), 3 in B flat minor (1967) and 4 (1969).

Lev Abeliovich (ah-bel-yo'-vitch) was born in 1912 in Lithuania. He studied piano at the Warsaw Conservatory and began composing in the mid-1930s. He fled Poland in 1939 to avoid the Nazi extermination camps, taking up residence in Belarus where he remained for most of his life until his death in 1985. Although Abeliovich composed extensively, and his vocal music ranks with the best of the 20th century Eastern European repertory, systematic Soviet anti-Semitism prevented him from receiving the critical acclaim and support he deserved. For example, major publications on music in the Soviet Union make no mention of him.