BaL 12.03.16 - Rachmaninoff: Symphony no. 3 in A minor

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library: Sarah Devonald recommends a recording of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 3 in A minor from among available versions. A gap of nearly three decades separates Rachmaninoff's Third Symphony from its predecessor. And if it's leaner and shorter than the Second Symphony, the Third is still shot through with Russian nostalgia and unashamed romanticism belying its 1936 Philadelphia premiere, Rachmaninoff impervious as ever to progressive musical trends.

Available versions:-


Ireland National Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Anissimov
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult
Bamberger Symphoniker, Oleg Caetani
Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit
London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Owain Arwel Hughes
St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariss Jansons
London Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi
Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Paul Kletzki
Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Pavel Kogan
Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne, Dmitrij Kitajenko
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Litton (download)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Lorin Maazel
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras
BBC Philharmonic, Gianandrea Noseda
Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy (2 versions)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Tadaaki Otaka
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko
Russian National Orchestra, Pletnev
Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Valeri Polyansky (download)
London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn
Philadelphia Orchestra, Sergei Rachmaninov
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent
Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Lan Shui
Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin
Bulgarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vassil Stefanov
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski
State SO of the Russian Federation, Evgeny Svetlanov
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Evgeny Svetlanov
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä
Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Holland, Edo De Waart (download)
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Edo de Waart
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Walter Weller

[CallMePaul]

Hiow are we meant to spell the composer's name in the Roman alphabet? Rachmaninoff is very Germanic, Rakhmaniniov a more accurate transcription from the Cyrillic and Rachmaninov seems to have become traditional in this country!

I have to admit that he is not one of my favourite composers and I do not have any recordings of this work. Maybe the programme will persuade me?

[makropulos]

Another great list - thank you. One small addition. There are certainly two recordings by Svetlanov: one with the USSR State SO (Melodiya, 1968, according to my copy of it), and the other from 1995, with the State SO of the Russian Federation - issued by Warner as part of its Svetlanov Edition and also by Canyon Classics in Japan. As for Sanderling, he is named as the conductor of a 3LP box set of the symphonies - but apparently Sanderling himself later said that he had only conducted No. 2 in this set (see http://daphne.fc2web.com/sanderling-dis.htm).

As for Marriner, I've seen on iTunes his recording of No. 2 coupled with No. 3 played by the Bulgarian Radio SO conducted by Vassil Stefanov (on Capriccio). That one may need adding to the list?

[Barbirollians]

The composer and the LSO/Previn are my favourites. Indeed , I found the composer's recording a revelation when I found it last year after an excellent performance by Halle/Elder .

[makropulos]

Hiow are we meant to spell the composer's name in the Roman alphabet? Rachmaninoff is very Germanic, Rakhmaniniov a more accurate transcription from the Cyrillic and Rachmaninov seems to have become traditional in this country!

I have to admit that he is not one of my favourite composers and I do not have any recordings of this work. Maybe the programme will persuade me?

Ah - spelling R's name is a can of worms. When signing his own name in Western script, he spelt it "Rachmaninoff". In the US that is the spelling usually used - and there is the composer's precedent for doing so: he signed his name a lot, always with "-off" (a google image search turns up signatures over a span of more than 20 years - always "-off"). In the UK we tend to use "Rachmaninov", and this seems to have become the accepted spelling here, even though, as you say, "Rakhmaninov" is probably a more correct transliteration. To be honest, if I had to go for a single spelling, it would be the one Rach used himself - but it doesn't worry me that there are variations, since they all clearly identify the right composer.

[slarty]

One of my favourite symphonies. I have Rachmaninov RCA, Berglund RCA - not on the list but superb, Vänska on LPO live, Previn LSO, Stokowski and my favorite performance is Sanderling and the Berlin PO in a live concert from 1992.

[Petrushka]

I had the LSO/Previn on LP - a wonderful album cover by the way - but have somehow managed to neglect getting the work on CD at all so, for once, a BaL of interest to me. In truth, I've already earmarked the new LPO/Jurowski as a likely purchase on the grounds that he can seemingly do no wrong.

I remember being rather disappointed with the Third after being so completely bowled over by its predecessor but as that was very many years ago the time is ripe for a re-assessment.

[Pulcinella]

The line break after the hyphen in the display on my iPad made for interesting reading:
He signed himself "- off"?
Surely he was more polite than that!

LSO/Previn here; more than satisfied with it, but will listen as usual if not busy.

[cloughie]

Is Sargent's recording currently available - It was on an MFP vinyl but I've not seen any release since - unless my radar is defective!?!

[seabright]

Is Sargent's recording currently available - It was on an MFP vinyl but I've not seen any release since - unless my radar is defective!?!

It came out not long ago on Guild Historical (GHCD 2423) in direct response to a big EMI Icons Box devoted to Sargent which contained not a note of Russian music. This CD also has an excellent performance of the 2nd Piano Concerto played by Cyril Smith. Here's a review for you to peruse ...

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/Jan/Rachmaninov_Sargent_GHCD2423.htm

[makropulos]

Is Sargent's recording currently available - It was on an MFP vinyl but I've not seen any release since - unless my radar is defective!?!

I'm afraid it's your radar. It is on a recent-ish Guild reissue: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rachmaninoff...=sargent+guild

[Serial_Apologist]

I have to admit that he is not one of my favourite composers and I do not have any recordings of this work. Maybe the programme will persuade me?

Then if you like Borodin, I'd urge you to give this programme a go: the 3rd is much closer to Borodin in idiom than either of the earlier symphs, with a touch of Prokofiev noticeable in the harmonies.

[frankwm]

Here's a review for you to peruse ...

Cheap(ish) Needledrop.

A feeble, unconvincing, jerky performance (Student Orchestra sound-alike) - can't be many still around for whom Sargent is 'nostalgia'; and that MFP only got issued to cash-in on his demise in '67...the MW review is far wide of the mark....in '56 EMG described the subsequent Ormandy/Philadelphia version as "immeasurably superior" - the work previously sounding 'pale' under Sargent's direction..

[cloughie]

I'm afraid it's your radar. It is on a recent-ish Guild reissue: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rachmaninoff...=sargent+guild

Thanks.
Looks a good disc - Not exactly the easiest find when searching Amazon! Rachmaninov Sargent doesn't find it!

[makropulos]

Thanks.
Looks a good disc - Not exactly the easiest find when searching Amazon! Rachmaninov Sargent doesn't find it!

I know! - I tried that first, with no success, then discovered that Sargent Guild produced the desired result. If you like Sargent (even a little) then it's definitely a disc worth hearing.