Valery Gergiev - Rachmaninov: Symphonies Nos.1-3 Symphonic Dances - Import 3 SACD Hybrid+Blu-ray Audio Box Set Limited Edition

Credits:

Valery Gergiev

Description:

Gergiev and the LSO in Rachmaninov, now in a budget-priced box The existing hybrid discs plus a Blu-ray Audio Gergiev's Rachmaninov with the LSO now appears in a budget-priced box - and with a Blu-ray Audio included. [Symphony No. 1] This was Rachmaninov's most ambitious work to date, but its 1897 premiere was a catastrophe on an unprecedented scale; the composer suffered a severe nervous breakdown and withdrew the score. Compared with the Second Symphony it has a reputation as an angular work with none of the sweet melody, yet Gergiev's performance makes it sound as fresh as if one were hearing it for the first time. Nothing sounds misshapen: the supple, finely nuanced phrasing that is Rachmaninov's alone is alive throughout. [Symphonic Dances] Rachmaninov's last work, in which wistful, lyrical melody is skilfully blended with rhythmic drive, and which is notable for its quotations from his own First Symphony and All-Night Vigil. [Symphony No. 2] Gergiev had already made a studio recording of this work in 1993 with his other orchestra, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra; this is his first return to the Second in fifteen years. He gives the complete, unabridged version of a work whose luscious melodies take a firm hold on the listener's heart. [Balakirev: Symphonic Poem "Russia"] The composer's own revision of his Overture on Russian Themes No. 2, freely working three folk melodies collected in the Volga region (a broad wedding song and two round dances) as its material. A performance rich in folk colour and full of atmosphere. [Symphony No. 3] Written in 1935-36 in Lucerne, where Rachmaninov was living in exile, nearly twenty years after he left Russia. Full of poignant lyricism and burning passion, it reflects his feelings for his homeland at every turn. The Gregorian "Dies irae" is used to telling effect, and the finale, whose links with the Symphonic Dances have often been noted, shows Gergiev at his most masterly. [Balakirev: Symphonic Poem "Tamara"] Drawing on the music of the Caucasus, Gergiev's own homeland, the piece conjures an orientalist world that anticipates Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade". Balakirev's characteristic high voltage suits Gergiev perfectly, and the result can be enjoyed as a picture scroll in the most vivid colours. King International

Tracklisting:

1.Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13: I. Grave - Allegro non troppo
2.Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13: II. Allegro animato
3.Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13: III. Larghetto
4.Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13: IV. Allegro on fuoco
5.Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: I. Non allegro
6.Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: II. Andante con moto (Tempo di valse)
7.Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: III. Lento assai - Allegro vivace - Lento assai. Come prima - Allegro viva
1.Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27: I. Largo - Allegro moderto
2.Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27: II. Allegro molto
3.Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27: III. Adagio
4.Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27: IV. Allegro vivace
5.Russia
1.Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44: I. Lento - Allegro moderato - Allegro
2.Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44: II. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro vivace
3.Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44: III. Allegro - Allegro vivace - Allegro (Tempo primo) - Allegrett
4.Tamara