RUDOLF BARSHAI conducts Russian music

Moscow Chamber Orchestra / Rudolf Barshai

CD1

Dmitri Shostakovich 1906–1975

Symphony No.14 Op.135 for soprano, bass,

strings and percussion

1 I. De Profundis (Lorca) 4’27

2 II. Malagueña (Lorca) 2’15

3 III. Loreley (Apollinaire after Brentano) 7’40

4 IV. The Suicide (Apollinaire) 6’30

5 V. On Watch (Apollinaire) 2’51

6 VI. Madam, Look! (Apollinaire) 1’48

7 VII. In the Santé Prison (Apollinaire) 8’40

8 VIII. Reply of the Zaporozhean Cossacks to the

Sultan of Constantinople (Apollinaire) 1’50

9 IX. O Delvig! O Delvig! (Küchelbecker) 4’09

10 X. The Death of the Poet (Rilke) 4’45

11 XI. Conclusion (Rilke) 1’31

Mieczysław Weinberg 1919–1996

Sinfonietta No.2 in A minor Op.74

for string orcheestra and timpani

12 I. Allegro 3’33

13 II. Allegretto 3’51

14 III. Adagio 3’49

15 IV. Andantino 4’47

CD2

Dmitri Shostakovich

Chamber Symphony Op.118a arr. Barshai

1 I. Andante 4’18

2 II. Allegretto furioso 3’36

3 III. Adagio 7’24

4 IV. Allegretto 7’15

Prelude and Fugue No.20 in C minor Op.87

5 Prelude 4’41

6 Fugue 5’12

7 Prelude in F sharp minor Op.87 No.8 1’31

Jaan Rääts b.1932

Concerto for Strings Op.16

8 I. Allegro 2’49

9 II. Andante 3’51

10 III. Allegro 1’40

11 IV. Grave 1’28

12 V. Allegro 3’10

Boris Tchaikovsky 1925–1996

Chamber Symphony

13 I. Sonata 4’19

14 II. Unison 2’26

15 III. Choral Music 3’05

16 IV. Interlude 1’55

17 V. March Motifs 3’29

18 VI. Serenade 4’54

CD3

Sergei Prokofiev 1891–1953

Visions fugitives Op.22 orch. Barshai

1 No.1 Lentamente 1’03

2 No.2 Andante 1’17

3 No.3 Allegretto 0’57

4 No.4 Animato 0’48

5 No.5 Molto giocoso 0’20

6 No.6 Con eleganza 0’28

7 No.8 Commodo 1’11

8 No.9 Allegretto tranquillo 0’54

9 No.10 Ridicolosamente 0’44

10 No.11 Con vivacità 0’56

11 No.12 Assai moderato 1’30

12 No.13 Allegretto 0’37

13 No.14 Feroce 0’44

14 No.15 Inquieto 0’47

15 No.16 Dolente 2’51

16 Music for Children Op.65 – III. Fairy Tale 2’19

Mikhail Meerovich 1920–1993

Serenade for chamber orchestra

17 I. Allegro non troppo 2’58

18 II. Sostenuto 3’22

19 III. Con moto 4’05

Karen Khachaturian 1920–2011

20 Cello Sonata – III. Aria: Andante 5’20

Alexander Lokshin 1920–1987

Symphony No.7 on ancient Japanese verses*

for contralto and string orchestra

21 Introduction: Commodo 1’42

22 Main Theme: Sostenuto 1’53

23 Variation 1: Larghetto 1’40

24 Variation 2: Animato 2’19

25 Variation 3: Adagio 4’27

26 Variation 4: Allegretto 1’14

27 Variation 5: Andante 4’41

28 Variation 6: Lento 2’14

This second batch of 3-CD sets drawn from the rich catalogue of the Russian Archives presents legendary Russian musicians in works of their compatriots. Russians will always tell you that only they can understand the Russian Soul in Russian music, so who are we to contradict them? Listen to the glowing and noble Tchaikovsky of Mravinsky, the enervating and passionate Rachmaninoff of Svetlanov, the deep insight into Shostakovich’s world of Barshai (world premiere of the 14-th symphony), the famous Piano Sound of the Russian Piano School in Emil Gilels’ hands: unique testimonies of a unique era in Western music history! As proof against the bias that Russians can only play Russian music Yevgeny Kissin shows himself a true master in Chopin and Liszt…

Rudolf Barshai’s influence as a conductor of Russian music is hard to overstate. Combining an inexhaustible work ethic with a commitment to perfecting every detail of a performance, he broke new ground with his studied interpretations.

His recordings – particularly of Russian music – were some of the 20th century’s most successful, met with both critical acclaim and widespread popularity; this collection celebrates his achievements, bringing together the best of Russian music from the 19th and 20th centuries. At the heart of the collection are Barshai’s own arrangements of music by Shostakovich and Prokofiev – his orchestrations of Shostakovich’s 10th String Quartet (heard here as the Chamber Symphony Op.118a) and Prokofiev’s Visions fugitives, originally for piano, display a deep and intuitive understanding of orchestral balance and colour. Also included are Shostakovich’s inventive Symphony No.14 and movements from his intricate Op.87 cycle of Preludes and Fugues, as well as Weinberg’s Second Sinfonietta, written specifically for Barshai, and Lokshin’s mysterious Symphony No. 7.

Barshai is heard here conducting the orchestra that he established – the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, which Shostakovich described as ‘the greatest chamber orchestra in the world’. Also featuring performances by Galina Vishnevskaya and Mark Reshetin, this 3-disc collection presents first-class recordings and performances in a set of impressive value.

Brilliant Classics 3cds 9286