Balakirev: Symphonies No. 1 & 2

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 1 in C major
Composed by Mily Balakirev
Performed by USSR Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov

2. Symphony No. 2 in D minor
Composed by Mily Balakirev

Conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky

Tracks:

I. Largo/Allegro Vivo/Alla Breve/Piu Animato
II. Scherzo. Vivo/Poco Meno Mosso/Tempo I/Coda. L'istesso Tempo
III. Andante
IV. Finale. Allegro Moderato/L'istesso Tempo/L'istesso Tempo/Tempo Di Polacca
Overture To King Lear
In Bohemia: Larghetto/Allegro Moderato/Allegretto/Larghetto/Allegro Moderato (Come Sopra)/Poco Piu Animato/Presto

Tracks:

I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo/Poco Piu Animato
II. Scherzo All Cosacca. Allegro Non Troppo, Ma Con Fuoco Ed Energico/L'istesso Tempo. Theme Russe
III. Romanza. Andante
IV. Finale. Tempo Di Polacca/L'istesso Tempo/Poco Piu Mosso/Coda. L'istesso Tempo
Allegro/Moderato/Maestoso/Risoluto/Meno Mosso. Piu Moderato/Tempo I. Piu Mosso/Meno Mosso/Cadenza/Tempo I. Piu Mosso/Meno Mosso
Tamara

Customer Reviews:

An Appealing Balakirev Package from Chandos.......2005-12-14

A deal, this is, as far as I'm concerned. It comes into direct competition with a similar, two-fer-one deal from Hyperion featuring Evgeny Sventlanov and the Philharmonia Orchestra. The pairing is a bit different, though both offer the two symphonies, of course, and Balakirev's orchestral masterpiece, "Tamara." While Svetlanov gives us two overtures on Russian themes, Vassily Sinaisky gives us "In Bohemia," scored similarly to "Tamara" but more lighthearted and focused more on melody than on color, plus the Piano Concerto No. 1, here sounding somewhat more convincing than on another Hyperion recording with Malcolm Binns. While there is probably not much to choose between Binns and Chandos's house pianist Howard Shelley, Sinaisky gives the orchestral accompaniment more character, and the recording on Chandos is better as well. A curiosity in the Sinaisky set is Balakirev's "Overture 'King Lear.'" It starts out with a regal fanfare recalling the "Procession of the Nobles" from Rimsky's Mlada but then follows the sad course of Lear's story. For a work entirely absent from concert halls, it's pretty effective, worth an occasional hearing.

That leaves the two most important works, the symphonies. Some reviewers have found Sinaisky's interpretations uninvolved and uninvolving. Perhaps this is true compared to recordings I've not heard, for which I apologize. However, next to the Svetlanov First, which I have heard, Sinaisky's holds its own handily, having maybe a bit more atavism and rugged grandeur about it. Chandos's recording, too, is slightly finer, with just that much more heft and maybe a tad better stereo placement. The Second Symphony isn't as commanding as the First--as important a work in the history of Russian music as, say, Borodin's well-loved Second. But Balakirev's Second has its points, too, and its gentler, more refined way is captured well by Sinaisky and his orchestra. Again, the sound is top of the line.

So perhaps you could come up with more hard-hitting performances by shopping around, but to find all this interesting music in one package, well performed and stunningly recorded, is a deal-maker for me.

Balakirev: Symphonies 1 and 2; Russia; Tamara; Overture on Three Russian Themes

Average customer rating:

Good compilation

Balakirev: Symphonies 1 and 2; Russia; Tamara; Overture on Three Russian Themes

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Glinka: Orchestral Works
Balakirev: Piano Concertos No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor and No. 2 in E-Flat Major / Rimsky-Korsakov: Piano Concerto in C-Sharp Minor
Cui: 25 Preludes
Bruch: The Complete Symphonies
Reinhold Gliere: Symphony No. 1/The Red Poppy Suite

ASIN: B00000DLY9
Release Date: 1998-11-10

Tracks:

I. Largo - Allegro Vivo
II. Scherzo: Vivo - Poco Meno Mosso
III. Andante
IV. Finale: Allegro Moderato - Tempo Di Polacca
Russia

Tracks:

Overture On Three Russian Themes
Tamara
I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
II. Scherzo 'Alla Cosacca': Allegro Non Troppo, Ma Con Fuoco Ed Energico
III. Romanza: Andante
IV. Finale: Tempo Di Polacca

Customer Reviews:

Good compilation.......2001-07-05

This is the best compilation of Balakirev's orchestral works, with both of his symphonies, symphonic poems Russia and Tamara, and an overture on Russian themes (a very common type of thing in Russian Romantic music). All of the pieces are played well; the conducting is acceptable. The recorded sound is VERY good. One thing that annoyed me was the essay in the booklet. It constantly compares Balakirev to Tchaikovsky, and Balakirev always comes out superior. Tchaikovsky does not deserve this! the booklet says Tchaikovsky's treatment of the Russian folk song "In the field stands a birch tree" in the overture is "tiresome", while Balakirev's is "more convincing". Balakirev's orchestration may sound more "colorful", but it is basically a straight transcription of the song for orchestra. Tchaikovsky adapted the song to his own needs for the finale of his Fourth Symphony, and it serves as a perfect prelude to the "Fate" motif which follows the variations on the folk song. Svetlanov does not give a very convincing performance of Tamara, the work really needs a good conductor to open it up and make it as exotic as the booklet says it is (the booklet says Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade is pallid by comparison. NEVER!! Scheherazade is a whole other world of sound, combining fear, exultation, beauty, etc., in Rimsky's sublime orchestration! In case you haven't heard it, do youself a big favor and buy Scherazade!!). Everything else is very well played and clearly presented. The First Symphony is gorgeous, and about as strong a case that can be is made for the Second. This is a very good compilation at a resonable price, and you will be satisfied with most of the music here.

Average customer rating:

Balakirev: Symphonies No. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Russian Revelation
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006B9Q
Release Date: 1998-04-21

Tracks:

Sym No.1 in C: I. Allegro Vivo-Alla Breve-Piu Animato - State SO Of The USSR/Evgeny Svetlanov
Sym No.1 in C: II. Scherzo. Vivo - State SO Of The USSR/Evgeny Svetlanov
Sym No.1 in C: III. Andante - State SO Of The USSR/Evgeny Svetlanov
Sym No.1 in C: IV. Finale. Allegro Moderato - Tempo Di Polacca - State SO Of The USSR/Evgeny Svetlanov
Sym No.2 in d: I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Grand SO Of Radio And Television/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Sym No.2 in d: II. Scherzo (Alla Cosacca). Allegro Non Troppo Ma Con Fuoco Ed Energico - Grand SO Of Radio And Television/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Sym No.2 in d: III. Romanza. Andante - Grand SO Of Radio And Television/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Sym No.2 in d: IV. Finale. Tempo Di Polacca - Grand SO Of Radio And Television/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky

Balakirev: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; Russia; Tamara; Overture on Three Russian Themes

Average customer rating:

Liszt the Celestial

Balakirev: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; Russia; Tamara; Overture on Three Russian Themes

Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000002ZTP
Release Date: 1993-11-23

Customer Reviews:

Liszt the Celestial.......2007-07-08

Volume 25 in the Hyperion Liszt series introduces piano music borrowed from other compositions: the numerous transcriptions of various motets, choral pieces, and songs are representative. In addition, Howard has also recorded the solo piano version of Liszt's profound and last symphonic poem, "From the Cradle to the Grave." The quality of music and the impact of this piano version are largely responsible for my five star review. And yet Liszt's poetic piano arrangement of the "Cantico del Solo di San Francesco d'Assisi" is another blockbuster.

Liszt's passion for the Saints is evident in his two piano pieces, the Legends. Howard explains, "The Fioretti (Little Flowers) of St. Francis of Assisi was amongst Liszt's favourite inspirational and devotional readings, and it is The Canticle of the Sun from that book which provides him with the text for the choral version of the Cantico del Sol." Liszt changed the title in his piano version to "Cantico di San Francesco," and the work is a fervid and serious one. The booming opening hymn in the bass leads to a majestic thread of meditative ideas and passionate outbursts. Howard describes the work simply as "a paean of joy." Indeed, along with the counterpart piece, "Preludio," Liszt explores his own spirituality and religious zeal, best supported by the delicate and virile dynamics of the piano.

Liszt's thirteenth and last symphonic poem, "From the Cradle to the Grave" was written in 1881 and is one of those rare post-Weimar years' orchestral works. The philosophical meaning and nature of this last symphonic poem is decidedly somber. Humphrey Searle reports that the work "was inspired by what is apparently a very bad painting by Count Michael Zichy, and is divided into three parts, 'The Cradle,' 'The Struggle for Existence,' and 'To the Tomb: the Cradle of the Future Life.'" Liszt's orchestral version is visceral, but as always with Liszt's piano-writing, melodic fragments and individual lines of music reveal themselves better in his piano transcriptions. This piano version, I think, illustrates Liszt's pensive ideas quite well. The last portion in particular, "To the Tomb: the Cradle of the Future Life," sounds exalted in the piano's registers. The music itself plunges a dichotomy of depths: the funereal mood of death and the mysterious voyage of the afterlife. Although this is the only piano recording of this symphonic poem, I believe Howard's playing is noble and directed with careful pacing and dynamics.

No less significant than the two major works mentioned above are the smaller piano pieces derived from other choral compositions and songs. Both versions of "O Sacrum convivium" percolate with beautiful quietude, while the "Ave maris stella" is a wonderful pianistic treatment of a simple plainchant. There are other pieces here, however, that could be safely labeled "secular," and one of the finest is "Il m'aimait tant," a transcription of Liszt's own song, "which tells of the grief of love lost after a broken tryst." Clothed in Liszt's melancholic lyricism and Romantic sentiment, the piece is simply lovely. Another worthy transcription is the brief but even more effective song, "Ich liebe dich," played with heart-felt ardor by Howard. The "Romance" and "Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth" have been recorded elsewhere in their other versions, but offer new angles to familiar music content.

Bottom line: The absence of reviews for this Hyperion release is sad and the degree of quality these pieces exude can't be emphasized enough. The piano versions of the "Cantico del Sol" and Liszt's abstract "From the Cradle to the Grave" are celestial and imposing works. And in the various piano versions of motets and songs, Liszt displays a prolificacy that never ceases to be astonishing.

Schumann - Symphonic Etudes Op.13, Khudoley - Sonata-Fresco, Balakirev - Islamey, Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.1 - Berezovsky

Average customer rating:

Schumann - Symphonic Etudes Op.13, Khudoley - Sonata-Fresco, Balakirev - Islamey, Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.1 - Berezovsky

Manufacturer: Yedang Entertainment
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0002EA24S

Product Description

SCHUMANN, ROBERT (1810-1856). SYMPHONIC ETUDES, OP.13: Thema: Andante, Variation I: Un poco piu vivo, Variation II, Etude III: Vivace, Variation III, Variation IV, Variation V: Agitato, Variation VI: Allegro molto, Variation VII, Posthumous No.4, Posthumous No.5, Etude IX: Presto possible, Variation VIII, Variation IX, Finale: Allegro brilliante. Recorded: June 27, 1990. KHUDOLEY, IGOR (B. 1940). SONATA-FRESCO, Op.28/2. Recorded: June 27, 1990. BALAKIREV, MILY (1837-1910). ISLAMEY, ORIENTAL FANTASIA. Recorded: June 27, 1990. TCHAIKOVSKY, PYOTR (1840-1893). PIANO CONCERTO NO.1 IN B FLAT MINOR, OP.23. I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso / Allegro con spirito, II. Andantino semplice, III. Allegro con fuoco. Boris Berezovsky, Piano. Semyon Kogan, Conductor. The Rostov Philarmonic Society Symphony Orchestra. Recorded: July 5, 1990. Total time 71:30. STEREO.

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