Sergei Taneyev; Sergei Rachmaninov - John of Damascus; The Bells (Mikhail Pletnev)

Information

Composer: Sergei Taneyev; Sergei Rachmaninov

1. Rachmaninov - The Bells, choral symphony, Op. 35: 1. Allegro ma non tanto (Silver Bells)
2. Rachmaninov - The Bells, choral symphony, Op. 35: 2. Lento (Golden Bells)
3. Rachmaninov - The Bells, choral symphony, Op. 35: 3. Presto (version from 1936 for Henri Wood)
4. Rachmaninov - The Bells, choral symphony, Op. 35: 4. Lento lugubre (Iron Bells)
5. Taneyev - John of Damascus, cantata after Aleksey Tolstoy's poem, Op. 1: 1. Adagio ma non troppo
6. Taneyev - John of Damascus, cantata after Aleksey Tolstoy's poem, Op. 1: 2. Andante sostenuto
7. Taneyev - John of Damascus, cantata after Aleksey Tolstoy's poem, Op. 1: 3. Fuga. Allegro - Moderato

Marina Mescheriakova, soprano (2)
Sergei Larin, tenor (1)
Vladimir Chernov, baritone (4)

Moscow State Chamber Choir
Russian National Orchestra
Mikhail Pletnev, conductor

Date: 2000
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4710292

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Review

Just as it is hard to imagine a non-English-speaking choir doing full justice to Vaughan Williams's Sea Symphony, so its near-contemporary Russian cousin ideally needs all-Russian forces in order to do it full justice. This is just what we have here, and the results are superb, thanks in large part to the resonant voices of the Moscow State Chamber Choir. As Pletnev's DG recordings of the numbered symphonies have already shown, he knows just how to blend Rachmaninov's characteristic moods to their best advantage – the delicacy, the sensuousness, the wild enthusiasm, the over-arching sadness, all are faithfully captured. Behind the 'mellow wedding bells' of the second movement Pletnev finds a deep longing, and he holds the mood of the sombre finale marvellously.Sergei Larin's tenor may not be ideally mellifluous, and Vladimir Chernov's baritone has a stronger beat in the voice than some may like, but these two at least set the right tone for the outer movements. And Marina Mescheriakova is a name to watch among the burgeoning ranks of new bel canto Russian sopranos – she produces some wonderfully heartfelt and tender sounds in the second movement.There is strong competition from the listed comparisons. Polyansky's choir is if anything even finer than Pletnev's, but his soloists let him down, and the Chandos recording quality sounds artificially glamorous. Now economically packaged on three discs, Ashkenazy's fine Rachmaninov cycle (the three numbered symphonies plus The Bells, The isle of the dead and the Symphonic Dances) – makes a splendid bargain. His choir and soloists may be a fraction less idiomatic than Pletnev's; but I do prefer Decca/London's more open sound – as with DG's previous Russian National Orchestra recordings, this one does feel just a little constricted. Taneyev's Op. 1 cantata makes an adventurous coupling, though a less startling one now that Polyansky's fine recent recording is also in the catalogue (saddled, however, with a soggy account of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony). It is, to be frank, no better or worse a piece than you would expect from an exceptionally studious 24-year-old with a penchant for counterpoint (the last movement is a neo-Handelian fugue). But collectors of rare Russian repertoire will be grateful for it, nonetheless, and Pletnev directs a stirring performance.

-- David Fanning, International Record Review

More reviews:
http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-6319
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/rachmaninov-the-bells-taneyev-john-of-damascus
http://www.classical-music.com/review/rachmaninoff-taneyev
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Aug01/Rachmaninov_The_Bells_Pletnev.htm
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/d/dgg779505a.php
http://www.amazon.com/Rachmaninov-Bells-Taneyev-John-Damascus/dp/B00005AX5X

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Sergei Taneyev (November 25 [O.S. November 13] 1856 – June 19 [O.S. June 6] 1915) was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of composition, music theorist and author. Among his teachers at the Moscow Conservatory are Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (composition) and Nikolai Rubinstein (piano). Taneyev's specialized field of study was counterpoint, and he was considered one of the greatest of contrapuntalists. Taneyev's compositions, including nine complete string quartets and four symphonies, reveal his mastery of classical composition technique, but many of them were considered "dry and laboured in character".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Taneyev

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Sergei Rachmaninov (1 April [O.S. 20 March] 1873 – 28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. He is widely considered as one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music. Some of his works are among the most popular in the romantic repertoire. His style is notable for its song-like melodicism, expressiveness and his use of rich orchestral colors. The piano is featured prominently in Rachmaninoff's compositional output, and through his own skills as a performer he explored the expressive possibilities of the instrument.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Rachmaninoff

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Mikhail Pletnev (born 14 April 1957) is a Russian concert pianist, conductor, and composer. In 1974, he entered the Moscow Conservatory, studying under Yakov Flier and Lev Vlassenko. At age 21, he won the Gold Medal at the VI International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1978. His piano repertoire is extensive and includes The Seasons, many Scarlatti sonatas, Pictures at an Exhibition, etc. He found Russian National Orchestra in 1990, the first non-government-supported orchestra in Russia since 1917. Pletnev has made a number of recordings with Deutsche Grammophon, Pentatone and Melodiya.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Pletnev

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