tri2061990
08-04-2013, 06:17 AM
The 27 symphonies of Nikolay Myaskovsky are his main legacy, an impressive body of work that represents his development from his years as a student of Rimsky-Korsakov and Gli�re to his maturity as a peer of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Yet Myaskovsky's music has been underperformed in the west, and the few CDs that have been available in the United States mostly have been recordings by Eastern European and Russian orchestras. This 2006 Warner disc by Dmitry Liss and the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra features dynamic performances of the turbulent Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor, Op. 23 (1921-1923), and the taut Symphony No. 10 in F minor, Op. 30 (1926), two works that have strong post-Romantic associations and modified tonality yet are also tinged with a bite of modernism. Fans of Shostakovich may find that Myaskovsky's symphonies are somewhat similar in flavor, particularly the Sixth with its bristling developments and brooding themes; and the preference for dark minor keys that colors Shostakovich's work is also notable in Myaskovsky's troubled music. Yet in the Sixth, Myaskovsky also seems to allude to Mahler's Symphony No. 2 in C minor, "Resurrection," particularly through the thematic use of the Dies Irae and the choral finale on an Orthodox Christian hymn that brings the work to a mystical close. The Symphony No. 10, in contrast, is purely instrumental and quite economical in its single-movement format. Muscular dissonant counterpoint and abrupt mood changes mark this as a more modernist essay than its companion, yet Myaskovsky's experimentation is quite modest in comparison with that of other composers in the 1920s. The performances by Liss and the UPO are vigorous and virile, and Warner's reproduction captures the full weight and resonance of the orchestra, especially in the lower brass and strings. This rewarding CD is recommended for anyone trying Myaskovsky's music for the first time, both on the works' merits and the strength of the playing.
Review by Blair Sanderson.
Tracklist
[1-4] Symphony no 6
[5] Symphony no 10
Dmitri Liss
Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, Domestick Choir of Ekatenrinburg
FLAC (http://www.adrive.com/public/dtpNfU/Myaskovsky%206%2010%20(Liss).rar)