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Hello everyone,

This is a bit of a silly question, but I can't figure this out - does anyone recognize the piece in this video? It's from the opening of the animated film "The Thief and the Cobbler", but I ask as the soundtrack makes use of a number of existing classical pieces, and this seems like it could be one of them. There are playlists on YouTube that include various pieces from the movie, but this piece isn't really included - also, IMDB provides no information on the classical tracks in the music at all. Initially I thought it might be from Vaughan William's Tallis Fantasia (as the soundtrack includes the piece), but the theme doesn't appear there and woodwinds can be heard towards the end. It's possible this is a really famous piece that I just don't recognize (as there are some more famous composers I don't really listen to), but I'd still like to know. It's clearly a romantic piece, and a very lovely one at that.

If anyone knows, please let me know!
Theodore

Good afternoon everyone,

Today I wanted to share a recording I made a few years ago of a piece already (partially) posted on this forum, the Piano Sonata in A major Op. 58 by Charles Wakefield Cadman. Prior to playing it, I hadn't known that the 2nd movement had already been recorded twice (including by the composer himself, as this forum has shown), but I am not aware of any other performances of the whole sonata besides my own. Here is Bartje Bartmans' score video of my performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea0u3xAOP6U
Also the playlist with the original videos from my channel (separate movements): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLic1pNbbwq3gTYz5qmeFwX5ZzE_X4Z8xZ

Ever since recording the Sonata, I have taken an interest in Cadman's music, he really does have a unique style of his own, and I think his music is really beautiful. Generally, it seems most of his substantial pieces have been recorded, though I wonder about his "Aurora Borealis" fantasy for piano and orchestra...

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy

This is the second post I wanted to make, following the post dedicated to the music of Evgeny Svetlanov. This one is about the music of Anatoly Alexandrov, one of the longest-lived composers in Russian history, and in my view on of the last true romantic composers (born 1888, died 1982). The recording I want to share here is his String Quartet no. 4 in C major, Op. 80 (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X2LbdsuVtTRmpVW6O2O2bJXs4S6SY7PN/view?usp=sharing), performed here by the Borodin Quartet. Until now, the only part of this piece available to be heard online was from a documentary about Alexandrov (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsTp1sPSMUg&t=1470s), beginning at 20:03.

I have no idea whether or not his other 4 string quartets have been recorded - I only recently found out that this quartet had been recorded at all, sources regarding his discography are hard to find. His numerous piano sonatas have been recorded by a number of pianists, but some other pieces, like his  opera/ballet "Levsha" (which has been recorded on vinyl), are very difficult to find.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this piece!

Best,
Theodore

Good morning everyone,

This will be one of two posts I will be making in this channel, dedicated to the recordings of music by two Soviet-Russian composers whom I admire very much, and whose music I think is worth sharing. This post will be dedicated to the discussion and sharing of recorded music by Evgeny Svetlanov, better known as one of the most prolific conductors in recent history. Svetlanov was also a wonderful late-romantic composer, and is genuinely one of my favorite composers of the 20th century. Much of his music can be heard online, but I wanted to share a couple recordings which haven't been digitized before. These are the pieces:

String Quartet in D major (played by the Borodin Quartet): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y7achAmBY-FVbIqqM6eaaUKRY1EkFTPR/view?usp=drive_link

Lyric Waltz in F minor for string orchestra (played by the USSR Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Svetlanov): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qt-bH3xWY_OCj5TdADBHmaNqOLIaxz4H/view?usp=drive_link

While the String Quartet in D major is available on YouTube under a different performance (by the
Moscow Regional Philharmonic Quartet, aka the Shostakovich Quartet), this recording by the Borodin Quartet has an extra introduction and coda in the fourth movement not present in the other recording online, so this is a fairly special find (in the full manuscript score of the quartet, these extra sections are written in pen, but are crossed out in pencil). As for the Lyric Waltz, I don't believe it previously existed on the internet.

I'm curious to hear what you all think of these! There are other recordings of Svetlanov's music I would love to discuss, as there seems to be more music that just isn't available to listen (or at least is really hard to find).

Best,
Theodore