Alexander Gauk - Alexander Gauk Edition: Historical Russian Archives (2008) [Box Set 10CDs]

These Gauk-conducted rarities are gritty but often very listenable. They draw you into the largely lost world of Soviet concert halls and radio studios in the period 1944-61. Taken from broadcasts - some with applause – they were made by the Soviet broadcasting network and have been licensed to Brilliant by Gostelradiofund.

Aleksandr Vassilievich Gauk was born on 15 August (O.S. 3 August) 1893 and died 30 March 1963. Both conductor and composer, he was chief conductor of the Leningrad Phil (1930-1934). He conducted the orchestra and the Academy Capella Choir in the world premiere of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 3 "First of May" in 1931. He also resurrected Rachmaninov's discarded First Symphony from the orchestral parts found in the archives of the Moscow Conservatory after the composer's death in 1943. Gauk born in Odessa. He was the teacher of Melik-Pashayev, Mravinsky and Svetlanov. At the Petrograd Conservatory he studied composition and conducting with Glazunov and Nikolai Tcherepnin. He succeeded Nikolai Malko, first director of the USSR State Symphony in 1936 and director of the All-Union Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1953. Gauk premiered Shostakovich's ballets 'The Golden Age' and 'The Bolt'.

Many of the recordings included here are live so what you hear is not the same article you may know from ancient LPs or in more recent times the very few Gauk-centred issues such as his derided Shostakovich Eighth Symphony issued on Russian Revelation.

Gauk, the teacher of Mravinsky and Svetlanov has come in for much ad hominem criticism centred on his reputation as a Party hack. The present set comes as part corrective and in the case of the Spartacus suite part confirmation. To experience it you must be prepared to accept some mono and a degree of unsophisticated sound - though with little distortion. It's much better than you might fear and you are more likely to come away from the experience with admiration for the Soviet engineers of that distant era.



Tracks:

CD1

D.Shostakovich:
Symphony №5 (d-moll) op.47
1.Moderato 15.19
2.Allegretto 4.53
3.Largo 13.26
4.Allegro non troppo 9.38
S.Rachmaninoff
3 Russian Folk Songs, for Chorus & Orchestra op.41
5.Across the River 4.01
6.O Vanya, you bold fellow 5.05
7.Powder and Paint 3.39
8.Spring - cantata for Baritone, Chorus and Orchestra op.20 15.42
Total time 71.47
Alexander Gauk - conductor
USSR State Radio&TV Symphony Orchestra&Chorus
Evgeny Kibkalo - baritone
Live Recordings
Recording:04-12-1957 (1-4)
19-12-1956 (5-7)
26-06-1958 (8)


CD2

D. Shostakovich:
Symphony №11 (g-moll) op.103, "The Year 1905"
1. Adagio, "The Palace Square" 14.23
2. Allegro, "January" 17.27
3. Adagio, "In Memoriam" 12.01
4. Allegro non troppo, "Tocsin" 14.01
N. Rimsky-Korsakov:
5. "The Song of Oleg the Wise" op.58
for 2 male voices, men's chorus&Orchestra 14.55
Total time 72.50
Alexander Gauk - conductor
USSR State Radio&TV Symphony Orchestra&Chorus(1-4)
Small Symphony Orchestra&Male Chorus of the All Union State Radio (5)
Dmitri Tarkhov - tenor (5)
Konstantin Polyaev - bass (5)
Live Recordings
Recording:21-12-1958 (1-4)
Recordind date unknown (5)


CD3

A. Khachaturian:
Spartacus - suite
1.Introduction and Dance of the Nyphs 5.15
2.Introduction,Adagio of Aegina and Harmodius 5.04
3.Variations of Aegina and Bacchanalia 3.21
4.Scena and Dance with Crotala 3.57
5.Sword Dance of the Young Thracians 1.54
6.Spartacus proclaimed Leader 2.48
7.Death of the Gladiator 4.41
8.The uprising of the slaves 3.37
9.Via Appia and Dance of the Shepherd and Shepherdesses 3.11
10.Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia 9.05
11.Dance of the Gaditanian Maidenes and Victory of Spartacus 6.40
M.Glinka:
12.Premiere Polka, in B-dur 6.46
13.Kamarinskaya 6.28
Total time 64.44
Alexander Gauk - conductor
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra (1-11)
Grand Symphony Orchestra (12)
USSR State Radio&TV Symphony Orchestra (13)
Live Recordings
Recording: January 1957 (1-11)
31-10-1951 (12)
13-12-1958 (13)


CD4

A.Khachaturian:
Symphony №1 (e-moll)
1.Andante-maestoso con passione-allegro ma non troppo 18.52
2.Adagio sostenuto 12.25
3.Allegro risoluto 11.08
M.Glinka:
4."Memory of Friendship"-
Theme & Variations on Nocturne in F-dur of Johann Nepomuk Hummel 15.28
5.Patriotic song 1.53
Total time 59.50
Alexander Gauk - conductor
USSR State Radio&TV Symphony Orchestra (1-3)
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra (4)
USSR State Symphony Orchestra (5)
Live Recordings
Recording:15-12-1958 (1-3)
26-03-1957 (4)
30-12-1950 (5)


CD5

N.Myaskovsky:
Symphony №17 (gis-moll) op.41
1.Lento-allegro molto agitato 16.50
2.Lento assai-andantino ma non troppo 13.44
3.Allegro poco vivace 5.06
4.Andante-allegro molto animato 9.53
S.Prokofiev:
5.Flourish, Mighty Homeland op.114,
cantata for chorus & orchestra 7.26
6.Russian Overture op.72 13.04
N. Ivanov-Radkevich
7.Russian Overture 9.32
Total time 75.39
Alexander Gauk - conductor
USSR State Radio&TV Symphony Orchestra (1-4,6)
Grand Symphony Orchestra&Chorus (5)
State Symphony Orchestra (7)
Live Recordings
Recording:15-07-1959 (1-4)
15-04-1961 (5)
11-01-1961 (6)
07-04-1944 (7)


CD6

P.I.Tchaikovsky:
The Seasons, 10 excerpts op.37
1. "January, At the Fireplace" 7.07
2. "Fabruary, Carnival" 2.58
3. "December, Christmas" 5.16
4. "September, Hunting Songs" 2.51
5. "March, Song of the Lark" 1.45
6. "June, Barcarolle" 5.19
7. "July, Song of the Reapers" 2.02
8. "October, Autumn song 4.41
9. "November, Troika" 2.54
10. "April, Snowdrop" 3.30
M. Balakirev:
11. "Islamey" (orhestration Alfredo Casella) 8.46
A. Glazunov:
12. "Spring" - musical picture in D-dur op.34 9.59
13. Waltz in D-dur op.42 №3 3.46
A.Arensky:
14. March, in memory of Suvorov 4.43
15. In the Fields, from:
Characteristic Pieces for Piano op.36 №24 4.46
16. Waltz in F-dur,from:6 Children's Pieces op.34 3.34
Total time 74.07
Alexander Gauk - conductor
USSR State Symphony Orchestra (1-10)
USSR State Radio&TV Symphony Orchestra (11-16)
Live Recordings
Recording:08-12-1953 (1-2-3)
19-12-1953 (4)
05-01-1954 (5-9)
01-02-1954 (10)
25-03-1957 (11)
30-01-1958 (12)
02-02-1950 (13)
01-02-1958 (14)
02-02-1950 (15-16)


CD7

P.I.Tchaikovsky:
Hamlet - incidental music for soprano, baritone & orchestra op.67a
1.Overture 9.38
2.Moderato assai 1.24
3.Allegro vivo 0.22
4.Moderato assai 0.31
5.Allegro giusto ed agitato 3.19
6.Allegro semplice 3.21
7.Fanfare 0.24
8.Andante quasi allgretto 4.27
9.Andante non troppo 6.36
10.Andantino"Elsinore", Mad Scene 2.48
11.Andantino 0.55
12.Marcia, moderaro assai 4.48
13.Allegro giusto 0.22
14.Allegro resoluto ma non troppo 0.50
15. Fatum, Tone-Poem for orchestra op.Posth.77 18.56
Total time 58.51
Alexander Gauk - conductor
USSR State Radio&TV Symphony Orchestra (1-14)
Grand Symphony Orchestra (15)
Live Recordings
Recording:29-09-1951 (1-14)
31-07-1948 (15)


CD8

P.I.Tchaikovsky:
Snegourochka,Snow Maiden, incidental music to the Ostrovsky Play, op.12
1.Introduction 5.15
2.Bird's Choir & Dance 7.16
3.Monologue of Frost 4.04
4.Shrovetide Procession Chorus 6.24
5.Melodrama 2.09
6.1st Act Entr'acte 1.31
7.2nd Act Entr'acte 2.57
8.Choir of the Blind Gusli-players 5.07
9.Melodrama 4.12
10.Chorus of People & Courtiers 2.35
11.Girl's Round Danse 4.16
12.Dance of the Tumblers 4.21
13.Brusillo's song 2.01
14.Appearance of the Forest Spirit and Apparition of the false Snow Maiden 0.50
15.3nd Act Entr'acte 2.45
16.Declamation of the Fairy of Spring 6.05
17.Tsar Berendey's March and Choir 6.10
18.Finale 2.06
Total time 70.10
Alexander Gauk - conductor
Moscow Radio Chorus
USSR State Radio&TV Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Orfenov - tenor
Zara Dolukhanova - alto
Live Recordings
Recording:17-09-1951


CD9

F.Liszt:
Eine Faust-Symphonie/Faust Symphony, version without chorus
1.Faust 25.00
2.Gretchen 16.19
3.Mephistopheles 16.22
P.Dukas:
4.L'apprenti sorcier (The Socrecerer's Apprentice) 10.53
Total time 68.38
Alexander Gauk - conductor
Grand Symphony Orchestra (1-3)
USSR State Radio&TV Symphony Orchestra (4)
Live Recordings
Recording:24-04-1952 (1-3)
15-02-1960 (4)



CD10

L.van Beethoven:
1.Coriolan - Overture 8.16
F.Mendelssohn:
2.Ruy Blas - overture 7.18
G.Bizet:
3.Patrie - overture op.19 11.15
A.Casella:
4.Italia - Rapsodia per orchestra 18.07
G.Enescu:
5.Romanian Rapsody №1 11.16
D.Milhaud:Suite Provencale
6.Anime 1.36
7.Tres modere 1.49
8.Modere 1.54
9.Vif 1.09
10.Modere 1.43
11.Vif 1.02
12.Lent 2.10
13.Vif 4.13
Total time 71.56
Alexander Gauk - conductor
USSR State Symphony Orchestra (1-2)
USSR State Radio&TV Symphony Orchestra (3-13)
Live Recordings
Recording:01-11-1953 (1)
unknown date (2)
22-03-1960 (3)
07-09-1960 (4)
04-10-1956 (5)
11-05-1960 (6-13)