BBC Philharmonic, Gianandrea Noseda - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No.1 - Isle of the Dead - Youth Symphony (2008) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Ostrov myortvikh (the Isle of the Dead), Op. 29
02. Symphony in D Minor, "Youth": I. Grave - Allegro moderato
03. Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13: I. Grave - Allegro ma non troppo - Moderato - Allegro vivace - L'istesso tempo - Allegro Molto
04. Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13: II. Allegro animato - Meno mosso - Tempo I
05. Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13: III. Larghetto - Più mosso - Largo un poco - Con moto - Tempo I
06. Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13: IV. Allegro con fuoco, Marciale (sempre marcato) - Con animo - Allegro mosso - Allegro con fuoco - Presto - Largo


Regarded as one of the most remarkable composers of the twentieth century, Serge Rachmaninoff wrote three romantically inclined symphonies, two of which are now standard orchestral repertoire. However, the premiere of Symphony No. 1 was such a disaster that Rachmaninoff refrained from composing anything more for the next three years. The conductor, Glazunov, is reputed to have been drunk, and Rachmaninoff was unable to attend the entire performance. He reacted by tearing up the score. Thankfully for posterity, the instrumental parts were preserved and rediscovered in 1945, permitting the work to be restored. It is a work full of youthful fervour, distinctive and sweeping themes, and nationalist sentiments, and is now widely regarded as a vivid example of his early talent. It is complemented here by the ‘Youth Symphony’, the first movement of a projected but never completed symphony in D minor, composed when Rachmaninoff was only seventeen, and the great symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead, inspired by Arnold Böcklin’s painting of the same name which Rachmaninoff had seen on display in Paris in 1907.

Composed in 1909, it is still a relatively early work, but contains some of the dark Russian spiritual qualities which Rachmaninoff was to develop further in his later compositions.

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