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Old December 12th, 2015 #1
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Modest Mussorgsky - the piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition"




Ilya Repin's celebrated portrait of Mussorgsky, painted 2–5 March 1881, only a few days before the composer's death.


"Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839-1881) - (Russian: Модест Петрович Мусоргский) was a Russian composer. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period. He strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music.

Many of his works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore, and other nationalist themes. Such works include the opera Boris Godunov, the orchestral tone poem Night on Bald Mountain, and the piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition."

"Pictures at an Exhibition (Russian: Картинки с выставки – Воспоминание о Викторе Гартмане, Pictures from an Exhibition – A Remembrance of Viktor Hartmann) is a suite in ten movements (plus a recurring, varied Promenade) composed for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874.

It was probably in 1870 that Mussorgsky met artist and architect Viktor Hartmann. Both men were devoted to the cause of an intrinsically Russian art and quickly became friends. Their meeting was likely arranged by the influential critic Vladimir Stasov who followed both of their careers with interest.

Hartmann died from an aneurysm in 1873. The sudden loss of the artist, aged only 39, shook Mussorgsky along with others in Russia's art world. Stasov helped organize an exhibition of over 400 Hartmann works in the Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg, Russia in February and March 1874. Mussorgsky lent works from his personal collection to the exhibition and viewed the show in person. Fired by the experience, he composed Pictures at an Exhibition during 2–22 June 1874. The music depicts an imaginary tour of an art collection. Titles of individual movements allude to works by Hartmann; Mussorgsky used Hartmann as a working title during the work's composition.

Mussorgsky based his musical material on drawings and watercolours by Hartmann produced mostly during the artist's travels abroad. Locales include Poland, France and Italy; the final movement depicts an architectural design for the capital city of Ukraine. Today most of the pictures from the Hartmann exhibition are lost, making it impossible to be sure in many cases which Hartmann works Mussorgsky had in mind.

The surviving works by Hartmann that can be shown with any certainty to have been used by Mussorgsky in assembling his suite, along with their titles, are as follows:



No. 5
Sketch of theatre costumes for the ballet Trilby



No. 6a
Jew in a fur cap. Sandomierz




No. 6b
Sandomierz Jew



No. 8
Paris catacombs
(with the figures of V. A. Hartmann, V. A. Kenel, and a guide, holding a lantern)



No. 9
The hut of Baba-Yaga on hen's legs–clock in the Russian Style



No. 10
Project for a city gate in Kiev–main façade


1 - Promenade
Stasov comment: In this piece Mussorgsky depicts himself "roving through the exhibition, now leisurely, now briskly in order to come close to a picture that had attracted his attention, and at times sadly, thinking of his departed friend."
2 - The Gnome
Stasov comment: "A sketch depicting a little gnome, clumsily running with crooked legs."
Hartmann's sketch, now lost, is thought to represent a design for a nutcracker displaying large teeth.
3 - Promenade
A placid statement of the promenade melody depicts the viewer walking from one display to the next.
4 - The Old Castle
Stasov comment: "A medieval castle before which a troubadour sings a song."
This movement is thought to be based on a watercolor depiction of an Italian castle.
5 - Promenade
Another brief statement of the promenade melody (8 measures) gives it more extroversion and weight than before.
6 - Tuileries
Stasov comment: "An avenue in the garden of the Tuileries, with a swarm of children and nurses."
Hartmann's picture of the Jardin des Tuileries near the Louvre in Paris (France) is now lost. Figures of children quarrelling and playing in the garden were likely added by the artist for scale (see note on No. 2 above).
7 - Cattle
Stasov comment: "A Polish cart on enormous wheels, drawn by oxen."
8 - Promenade
A reflective 10-measure presentation of the promenade theme.
9 - The Ballet of Unhatched Chicks in their Shells
Stasov comment: "Hartmann's design for the décor of a picturesque scene in the ballet Trilby."
Gerald Abraham provides the following details: "Trilby or The Demon of the Heath, a ballet with choreography by Petipa, music by Julius Gerber, and décor by Hartmann, based on Charles Nodier's Trilby, or The Elf of Argyle, was produced at the Bolshoy Theatre, Petersburg, in 1871. The fledglings were canary chicks."
10- Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle
Stasov comment: "Two Jews: Rich and Poor"
Stasov's explanatory title elucidates the personal names used in Mussorgsky's original manuscript. Published versions display various combinations, such as "Two Polish Jews, Rich and Poor (Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle)". The movement is thought to be based on two separate extant portraits.
11- Promenade
A nearly bar-for-bar restatement of the opening promenade. Differences are slight: condensed second half, block chords voiced more fully.
12- The Market at Limoges (The Great News)
Stasov comment: "French women quarrelling violently in the market."
Limoges is a city in central France. Mussorgsky originally provided two paragraphs in French that described a marketplace discussion (the 'great news'), but soon removed them.
13- Catacombs
Stasov comment: "Hartmann represented himself examining the Paris catacombs by the light of a lantern."
Mussorgsky's manuscript of The Catacombs displays two pencilled notes, in Russian: "NB – Latin text: With the dead in a dead language" and, along the right margin, "Well may it be in Latin! The creative spirit of the dead Hartmann leads me towards the skulls, invokes them; the skulls begin to glow softly from within."
14- The Hut on Fowl's Legs
Stasov comment: "Hartmann's drawing depicted a clock in the form of Baba Yaga's hut on fowl's legs. Mussorgsky added the witch's flight in a mortar."
15- The Great Gate of Kiev
Stasov comment: "Hartmann's sketch was his design for city gates at Kiev in the ancient Russian massive style with a cupola shaped like a slavonic helmet."
Hartmann designed a monumental gate for Tsar Alexander II to commemorate the monarch's narrow escape from an assassination attempt on April 4, 1866. Hartmann regarded his design as the best work he had done. His design won the national competition but plans to build the structure were later cancelled."

Text by Wikipedia.





A pianist: Sviatoslav Richter (1956).

1 - Promenade 00:00
2 - I. The Gnome 01:06
3 - Promenade 03:29
4 - II. The Old Castle 04:14
5 - Promenade 08:39
6 - III. Tuileries 09:01
7 - IV. Cattle 09:58
8 - Promenade 12:07
9 - V. The Ballet of Unhatched Chicks in their Shells 12:36
10- VI. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle 13:52
11- Promenade 15:33
12- VII. The Market at Limoges (The Great News) 16:36
13- VIII. Catacombs 17:55
14- IX. The Hut on Fowl's Legs 22:04
15- X. The Great Gate of Kiev 25:02









"Pictures at an Exhibition" in orchestration by french composer Maurice Ravel.

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Mariss Jansons.


00:54 - Promenade
02:36 - The Gnome
05:34 - Promenade 2
06:31 - The Old Castle
11:03 - Promenade 3
11:35 - Tuileries
12:36 - Cattle
15:34 - Promenade 4
16:18 - The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks in their Shells
17:37 - Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle
20:07 - The Market at Limoges
21:36 - Catacombs
23:38 - Cum mortuis in lingua mortua
25:37 - The Hut on Fowl's Legs (Baba-Yagá)
29:08 - The Great Gate of Kiev





 
Old December 16th, 2015 #2
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Pyotr Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No 1 in B-flat minor, Op 23





Portrait of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky by Nikolai Kuznetsov.



"Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) - (Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский) was a Russian composer of the late-Romantic period, some of whose works are among the most popular music in the classical repertoire. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, bolstered by his appearances as a guest conductor in Europe and the United States. Tchaikovsky was honored in 1884 by Emperor Alexander III, and awarded a lifetime pension."

Text by Wikipedia.





Piano Concerto No 1 in B-flat minor, Op 23

1 - Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso
2 - Andantino semplice - Prestissimo
3 - Allegro con fuoco


Mikhail Pletnev, piano

Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra

Vladimir Fedoseyev, conductor





 
Old December 19th, 2015 #3
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Georgy Sviridov - Musical illustrations to Pushkin's story "Snow-storm"







"Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov (1915-1998) - (Russian: Гео́ргий Васи́льевич Свири́дов; his patronymic is also transliterated Vasil'yevich, Vasilievich, and Vasil'evich) was a Soviet neoromantic composer.

Among Sviridov's most popular orchestral pieces are the Romance and the Waltz from his The Blizzard, musical illustrations after Pushkin (1975), that were originally written for the eponymous 1964 film based on the short story from Pushkin's The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin. A short segment from his score for the 1967 film Time, Forward! (Время, вперёд!) was selected as the opening theme for the main evening TV news program Vremya (Время, 'time') and became the staple of Soviet life for several generations.

While Sviridov's music remains little known in the West, his works received high praise in his homeland for their memorable lyrical melodies, national flavor and mainly for great expression of Russia and Russian soul in his music."

Text by Wikipedia.




Musical illustrations to Pushkin's story "Snow-storm".
/ Музыкальные иллюстрации к повести А.С. Пушкина "Метель".

01. Troika (Сarriage with three horses) / Тройка
02. Pastorale / Пастораль
03. Valse / Вальс
04. Wedding ceremony / Венчание
05. Military march / Военный марш
06. Spring and autumn / Весна и осень
07. Romance / Романс
08. Echo of valse / Отзвуки вальса
09. Winter road / Зимняя дорога



Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra

Vladimir Fedoseyev, conductor





 
Old December 24th, 2015 #4
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Mily Balakirev - Symphonic Poem "Russia"











"Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev (1837-1910) - (Russian: Ми́лий Алексе́евич Бала́кирев) was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer known today primarily for his work promoting musical nationalism and his encouragement of more famous Russian composers, notably Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He began his career as a pivotal figure, extending the fusion of traditional folk music and experimental classical music practices begun by composer Mikhail Glinka. In the process, Balakirev developed musical patterns that could express overt nationalistic feeling."

Text by Wikipedia.





Symphonic Poem "Russia" / Симфоническая поэма "Русь"

Orchestra: The State Academic Symphony Orchestra [Russia]

Conductor: Evgeny Svetlanov





 
Old December 29th, 2015 #5
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Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Symphonic Poem "Fairy Tale", Op. 29











"Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) - (Russian: Никола́й Андре́евич Ри́мский-Ко́рсаков) was a Russian composer. He was a master of orchestration. His best-known orchestral compositions — Capriccio Espagnol, the Russian Easter Festival Overture, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade — are staples of the classical music repertoire, along with suites and excerpts from some of his 15 operas. Scheherazade is an example of his frequent use of fairy tale and folk subjects.

Rimsky-Korsakov believed, as did fellow composer Mily Balakirev and critic Vladimir Stasov, in developing a nationalistic style of classical music. This style employed Russian folk song and lore along with exotic harmonic, melodic and rhythmic elements in a practice known as musical orientalism, and eschewed traditional Western compositional methods. However, Rimsky-Korsakov appreciated Western musical techniques after he became a professor of musical composition, harmony and orchestration at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1871. He undertook a rigorous three-year program of self-education and became a master of Western methods, incorporating them alongside the influences of Mikhail Glinka.

Rimsky-Korsakov left a considerable body of original Russian nationalist compositions."

Text by Wikipedia.





Symphonic Poem "Fairy Tale" / Симфоническая поэма "Сказка"

Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra.

Conductor: Yondani Butt.





 
Old January 2nd, 2016 #6
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Nikolai Myaskovsky - Symphonic Poem "Alastor", Op. 14







"Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky or Miaskovsky or Miaskowsky (1881-1950) - (Russian: Никола́й Я́ковлевич Мяско́вский) was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the Soviet Symphony". Myaskovsky was awarded the Stalin Prize five times, more than any other composer.

Myaskovsky was long recognized as an individualist even by the Soviet establishment. In the 1920s the critic Boris Asafyev commented that he was "not the kind of composer the Revolution would like; he reflects life not through the feelings and spirit of the masses, but through the prism of his personal feelings. He is a sincere and sensible artist, far from 'life's enemy', as he has been portrayed occasionally. He speaks not only for himself, but for many others".

Myaskovsky never married and was shy, sensitive and retiring; Pierre Souvtchinsky believed that a "brutal youth (in military school and service in the war)" left him "a fragile, secretive, introverted man, hiding some mystery within. It was as if his numerous symphonies provide a convenient if not necessary refuge in which he could hide and transpose his soul into sonorities".

Stung by the many accusations in the Soviet press of "individualism, decadence, pessimism, formalism and complexity", Myaskovsky wrote to Asafiev in 1940 "Can it be that the psychological world is so foreign to these people?" When somebody described Zhdanov's decree against "formalism" to him as "historic", he is reported to have retorted "Not historic – hysterical".

As professor of composition at Moscow Conservatory from 1921 until his death, Myaskovsky exercised an important influence on his many pupils."



"Alastor (/əˈlæstər, -tɔːr/; Greek: Αλάστωρ, English translation: "avenger") refers to a number of people and concepts in Greek mythology:

Alastor was an epithet of the Greek god Zeus, according to Hesychius of Alexandria and the Etymologicum Magnum, which described him as the avenger of evil deeds, specifically, familial bloodshed. As the personification of a curse, it was also a sidekick of the Erinyes. The name is also used, especially by the tragic writers, to designate any deity or demon who avenges wrongs committed by men. In Euripides' play Elecktra, Orestes questions an oracle who calls upon him to kill his mother, and wonders if the oracle was not from Apollo, but some malicious alastor. There was an altar to Zeus Alastor just outside the city walls of Thasos.
By the time of the 4th century BC, alastor in Greek had degraded to a generic type of insult, with the approximate meaning of "scoundrel".
Alastor, a son of Neleus and Chloris. When Heracles took Pylos, Alastor and his brothers, except Nestor, were killed by him. According to Parthenius of Nicaea, he was to be married to Harpalyce, who, however, was taken from him by her father Clymenus.
Alastor, a Lycian, who was a companion of Sarpedon, and was slain by Odysseus.
Alastorides is a patronymic form given by Homer to Tros, who was probably a son of the Lycian Alastor mentioned above.
Another, unrelated Alastor is mentioned in the Iliad of Homer.
Alastor, in Christian demonology, came to be considered a kind of possessing entity. He was likened to Nemesis. The name Alastor was also used as a generic term for a class of evil spirits."

Text by Wikipedia.





Symphonic Poem "Alastor" / Симфоническая поэма "Аластор"

Orchestra: (?)

Conductor: Evgeny Svetlanov.





 
Old March 2nd, 2016 #7
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Pyotr Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 3, Op. 29





Симфония №3, Соч. 29 / Symphony No. 3, Op. 29



1. Introduzione e allegro - 00:00
2. Alla tedesca. Allegro moderato e semplice - 14:00
3. Andante elegiaco - 21:18
4. Scherzo. Allegro vivo - 33:47
5. Finale. Allegro con fuoco - 39:44



Orchestra: The State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the USSR
Conductor: Evgeny Svetlanov





 
Old March 8th, 2016 #8
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Sergei Rachmaninoff - Études-Tableaux, Op. 39







"Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) - (Russian: Серге́й Васи́льевич Рахма́нинов) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of all time and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music.

Early influences of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and other Russian composers gave way to a personal style 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."


"The Études-Tableaux ("study pictures"), Op. 39 is the second set of piano études composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

The Op. 39 set comprises nine études.

The Op. 39 set of Études-Tableaux, written between 1916 and 1917 and published in 1917, was the last substantial composition written by Rachmaninoff in Russia."

Texts by Wikipedia.





Этюды-картины, Соч. 39 - (1917) / Études-Tableaux, Op. 39 - (1917)



No.1 - 00:00
No.2 - 03:06
No.3 - 09:51
No.4 - 12:58
No.5 - 16:49
No.6 - 22:30
No.7 - 25:05
No.8 - 36:22
No.9 - 39:37




piano: Idil Biret





 
Old March 13th, 2016 #9
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Alexander Dargomyzhsky - "Bolero" and "Baba-Yaga"







"Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky (1813-1869) - (Russian: Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Даргомы́жский) was a 19th-century Russian composer.

He was already known as a talented musical amateur when in 1833 he met Mikhail Glinka and was encouraged to devote himself to composition. His opera Esmeralda (libretto by composer, based on Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame) was composed in 1839 (performed 1847), and his Rusalka was performed in 1856; but he had little success or recognition either at home or abroad, except in Belgium, until the 1860s, when he became the elder statesman.

His last opera, The Stone Guest, is his most famous work, known as a pioneering effort in melodic recitative. With the orchestration and the end of the first scene left incomplete at his death, it was finished by César Cui and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. It was premiered in 1872, but never became a lasting standard operatic repertoire item.

Dargomyzhsky also left some unfinished opera projects, among them an attempted setting of Pushkin's Poltava, from which a duet survives. Besides operas, his other compositions include numerous songs, piano pieces, and some orchestral works."

Text by Wikipedia.





"Болеро" / "Bolero"


Orchestra: The State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the USSR
Conductor: Evgeny Svetlanov









"Баба-Яга" / "Baba-Yaga"


"In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is a supernatural being who appears as a deformed and/or ferocious-looking woman. Baba Yaga flies around in a mortar, wields a pestle, and dwells deep in the forest in a hut usually described as standing on chicken legs (or sometimes a single chicken leg). Baba Yaga may help or hinder those that encounter or seek her out. She sometimes plays a maternal role, and also has associations with forest wildlife. According to Vladimir Propp's folktale morphology, Baba Yaga commonly appears as either a donor or villain, or may be altogether ambiguous.

Andreas Johns identifies Baba Yaga as "one of the most memorable and distinctive figures in Slavic European folklore," and observes that she is "enigmatic" and often exhibits "striking ambiguity."

Text by Wikipedia.




Orchestra: State Academic Symphony Orchestra St. Petersburg
Conductor: Stanislav Kochanovsky




 
Old March 13th, 2016 #10
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Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - A symphonic suite "Scheherazade", Op. 35



"Scheherazade (Russian: Шехерaзада), Op. 35, is a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888 and based on One Thousand and One Nights, sometimes known as The Arabian Nights. This orchestral work combines two features typical of Russian music and of Rimsky-Korsakov in particular: dazzling, colorful orchestration and an interest in the East, which figured greatly in the history of Imperial Russia, as well as orientalism in general. It is considered Rimsky-Korsakov's most popular work."

Text by Wikipedia.





Симфоническая сюита "Шехеразада", Соч. 35 / A symphonic suite "Scheherazade", Op. 35



I. The Sea and Sinbad's Ship - 00:00
II. The Kalender Prince - 11:21
III. The Young Prince and the Young Princess - 24:00
IV. Festival at Baghdad - The Sea - 35:54




Violin: John Georgiadis
Orchestra: The State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the USSR
Conductor: Evgeny Svetlanov




 
Old April 21st, 2016 #11
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Mily Balakirev - Ouverture on three russian songs





Увертюра на темы трёх русских песен (1858) / Ouverture on three russian songs (1858)



Orchestra: The State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the USSR
Conductor: Evgeny Svetlanov





 
Old September 6th, 2016 #12
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Alexander Glazunov - Symphonic picture for orchestra "The Kremlin", Op. 30





Симфоническая картина для оркестра "Кремль", Соч. 30 (1890) / Symphonic picture for orchestra "The Kremlin", Op. 30 (1890)



I. Popular Festival [0:00]
II. In the Cloister [8:11]
III. The Entrance and the Coronation of the Prince [18:14]



Orchestra: Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Konstantin Krimets





 
Old October 16th, 2016 #13
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Reinhold Glière - Symphony No 3 in B minor, "Ilya Muromets", Op. 42 (1911)







"Reinhold Moritzevich Glière (1875-1956) - (Russian: Ре́йнгольд Мо́рицевич Глиэр; born Reinhold Ernest Glier, which was later converted for standardization purposes) was a Russian/Soviet composer of German-Polish ancestry.

Glière was born in Kiev. He was the second son of the wind instrument maker Ernst Moritz Glier (1834–1896) from Saxony (Klingenthal), who emigrated to the Russian Empire and married Józefa (Josephine) Korczak (1849–1935), the daughter of his master, from Warsaw. His original name, as given in his baptism certificate, was Reinhold Ernest Glier. About 1900 he changed the spelling and pronunciation of his surname to Glière, which gave rise to the legend, stated by Leonid Sabaneyev for the first time (1927), of his French or Belgian descent.

He entered the Kiev school of music in 1891, where he was taught violin by Otakar Ševčík, among others. In 1894 Glière entered the Moscow Conservatory where he studied with Sergei Taneyev (counterpoint), Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (composition), Jan Hřímalý (violin; he dedicated his Octet for Strings, Op. 5, to Hřímalý), Anton Arensky and Georgi Conus (both harmony). He graduated in 1900, having composed a one-act opera Earth and Heaven (after Lord Byron) and received a gold medal in composition. In the following year Glière accepted a teaching post at the Moscow Gnesin School of Music. Taneyev found two private pupils for him in 1902: Nikolai Myaskovsky and the eleven-year-old Sergei Prokofiev, whom Glière taught on Prokofiev's parental estate Sontsovka. Glière studied conducting with Oskar Fried in Berlin from 1905 to 1908. One of his co-students was Serge Koussevitzky, who conducted the premiere of Glière's Symphony No. 2, Op. 25, on 23 January 1908 in Berlin. Back in Moscow, Glière returned again to the Gnesin School. In the following years Glière composed the symphonic poem Sireny, Op. 33 (1908), the programme symphony Ilya Muromets, Op. 42 (1911) and the ballet-pantomime Chrizis, Op. 65 (1912). In 1913 he gained an appointment to the school of music in Kiev, which was raised to the status of conservatory shortly after, as Kiev Conservatory. A year later he was appointed director. In Kiev he taught among others Levko (Lev) Revoutski, Borys Lyatoshynsky and Vladimir Dukelsky.

In 1920 Glière moved to the Moscow Conservatory where he (intermittently) taught until 1941. Boris Alexandrov, Aram Khachaturian, Alexander Davidenko, Lev Knipper and Alexander Mosolov were some of his pupils from the Moscow era. For some years he held positions in the organization Proletkul't and worked with the People's Commissariat for Education. The theatre was in the centre of his work now. In 1923 Glière was invited by the Azerbaijan People's Commissariat of Education to come to Baku and compose the prototype of an Azerbaijani national opera. The result of his ethnographical research was the opera Shakh-Senem, now considered the cornerstone of the Soviet-Azerbaijan national opera tradition. Here the musical legacy of the Russian classics from Glinka to Scriabin is combined with folk song material and some symphonic orientalisms. In 1927, inspired by the ballerina Yekaterina Vasilyevna Geltzer (1876–1962), he wrote the music for the ballet Krasny mak (The Red Poppy), later revised, to avoid the connotation of opium, as Krasny tsvetok (The Red Flower, 1955). The Red Poppy was praised "as the first Soviet ballet on a revolutionary subject". Perhaps this is his most famous work in Russia as well as abroad. One number from the score, his arrangement of a Russian folk chastushka song Yablochko ("little apple") consists of an introduction, a basso statement of the theme, and a series of increasingly frenetic variations ending with a powerful orchestral climax. It is identified in the ballet score by its almost equally well-known name, the Russian Sailor's Dance. It is probably his best-known single piece, and is still heard at symphony concerts around the world, frequently as an encore. The ballet-pantomime Chrizis was revised just after The Red Poppy, in the late 1920s, followed by the popular ballet Comedians after Lope de Vega (1931, later re-written and renamed The Daughter from Castile).

After 1917 Glière never visited the West as some other Soviet composers did. He gave concerts in Siberia and other remote areas of the Soviet Union instead. He was working in Uzbekistan as a "musical development helper" at the end of the 1930s. From this time emerged the "drama with music" Gyulsara and the opera Leyli va Medzhnun, both composed with the Uzbek Talib Sadykov (1907–1957). From 1938 to 1948 Glière was Chairman of the Organization Committee of the Soviet Composers Association. Before the revolution Glière had already been honoured three times with the Glinka prize. During his last few years he was very often awarded: Azerbaijan (1934), the Russian Soviet Republic (1936), Uzbekistan (1937) and the USSR (1938) appointed him Artist of the People. The title "Doctor of Art Sciences" was awarded to him in 1941. He won first degree Stalin Prizes: in 1946 (Concerto for Voice and Orchestra), 1948 (Fourth String Quartet), and 1950 (The Bronze Horseman).

As Taneyev's pupil and an 'associated' member of the circle around the Petersburg publisher Mitrofan Belyayev, it appeared Glière was destined to be a chamber musician. In 1902 Arensky wrote about the Sextet, Op. 1, "one recognizes Taneyev easily as a model and this does praise Glière". Unlike Taneyev, Glière felt more attracted to the national Russian tradition as he was taught by Rimsky-Korsakov's pupil Ippolitov-Ivanov. Alexander Glazunov even certified an "obtrusively Russian style" to Glière's 1st Symphony. The 3rd Symphony Ilya Muromets was a synthesis between national Russian tradition and impressionistic refinement. The premiere was in Moscow in 1912, and it resulted in the award of the Glinka Prize. The symphony depicts in four tableaux the adventures and death of the Russian hero Ilya Muromets. This work was widely performed, in Russia and abroad, and earned him world-wide renown. It became an item in the extensive repertoire of Leopold Stokowski, who made, with Glière's approval, an abridged version, shortened to around the half the length of the original. Today's cult status of Ilya Muromets is based not least on the pure dimensions of the original 80 minute work, but Ilya Muromets demonstrates the high level of Glière's artistry. The work has a comparatively modern tonal language, massive Wagnerian instrumentation and long lyrical lines.

Glière concentrated primarily on composing monumental operas, ballets, and cantatas. His symphonic idiom, which combined broad Slavonic epics with cantabile lyricism, is governed by rich, colourful harmony, bright and well-balanced orchestral colours and perfect traditional forms. Obviously this secured his acceptance by Tsarist and Soviet authorities, at the same time creating resentment from many composers who suffered intensely under the Soviet regime.

Gliere wrote concerti for harp (Op. 74, 1938), coloratura soprano (Op. 82, 1943), cello (Op. 87, 1946, dedicated to Sviatoslav Knushevitsky), and horn (Op. 91, 1951, dedicated to Valery Polekh. Nearly unexplored are Glière's educational compositions, his chamber works, piano pieces and songs from his time at the Moscow Gnesin School of Music.

He died in Moscow."


"The Symphony No. 3 in B minor "Ilya Muromets", Op. 42, is a large symphonic work by Russian composer Reinhold Glière. A program symphony, it depicts the life of Kievan Rus' folk hero Ilya Muromets. It was written from 1908 to 1911 and dedicated to Alexander Glazunov. The premier took place in Moscow on 23 March 1912 under Emil Cooper, and in 1914 the piece earned Glière his third Glinka Award (having already received it in 1905 and 1912).

The symphony lasts 70 to 80 minutes, and is divided into four sections, each depicting an episode from the epic. Glière wrote an extensive narrative in Russian and French to accompany the score.

I. Wandering Pilgrims: Ilya Muromets and Svyatogor

Two pilgrims tell Ilya to become a bogatyr. The most powerful bogatyr, Svyatogor, bequeaths his strength to Ilya as he dies.

II. Solovei the Brigand

Ilya encounters Solovei the Brigand, a bandit whose whistle can kill. Ilya shoots him in the eye with an arrow and drags his body to the palace of Prince Vladimir.

III. The Palace of Prince Vladimir

Vladimir the Great of Kiev holds a great feast, at which Ilya decapitates Solovei.

IV. The Feats of Valor and the Petrification of Ilya Muromets

Ilya defeats Batygha the Wicked and his army of pagans in a great battle. Ilya and his bogatyrs later encounter two heavenly warriors who multiply each time they are killed; pushed to retreat, Ilya and his men are transformed into stone."


Texts by Wikipedia.





Симфония №3 Си минор "Илья Муромец", Соч. 42 (1911) / Symphony No 3 in B minor, "Ilya Muromets", Op. 42 (1911)

1. Пролог. Илья Муромец и Святогор (Andante sostenuto - Allegro risoluto - Tranqullo misterioso - Tempo I)
2. Соловей разбойник (Andante)
3. Праздник у киевского князя Владимира Красна Солнышка (Allegro - Andante - Allegro)
4. Героическая смерть Ильи Муромца (Allegro tumultuoso - Tranquillo - Giocoso - Poco meno - Maestoso solenne).


1. Wandering Pilgrims: Ilya Muromets and Svyatogor - 0:00
2. Solovei the Brigand - 23:42
3. The Palace of Prince Vladimir - 46:37
4. The Feats of Valor and the Petrification of Ilya Muromets - 54:45





Orchestra: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
Conductor: Neeme Järvi





Paintings - http://vnnforum.com/showpost.php?p=2...&postcount=211
http://vnnforum.com/showpost.php?p=2054291&postcount=76
Cartoon - http://vnnforum.com/showpost.php?p=1948718&postcount=31






 
Old March 20th, 2019 #14
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D. Shostakovich, "Festive Overture."

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Old March 21st, 2019 #15
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Georgy Sviridov - Time, Forward!, suite of the film score (1967)





Time, Forward! / Время, вперёд!

1) Уральский напев;
2) Частушка;
3) Марш...

To be continued













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Old March 21st, 2019 #16
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Time, Forward! / Время, вперёд!

4) Маленький фокстрот;
5) Ночь;
6) Время, вперёд!













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Old March 21st, 2019 #17
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Nikolai Andreyvich Rimsky-Korsakov, "Capriccio Espagnol."

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Old March 28th, 2019 #18
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Rimsky-Korsakov, "Suite Tsar Sultan:"

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Old March 22nd, 2019 #19
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Pyotr Tchaikovsky - Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem, Op. 15 - (1866)





"During his time at the Moscow Conservatoire, around September 1866 the school's principal, Nikolay Rubinstein commissioned Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to compose a Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem to be played for the visit of the Tsarevich (heir to the throne) to Moscow, accompanied by his new Danish bride, Princess Dagmar of Denmark. The Tsarrevich would eventually be crowned Tsar Alexander III of Russia and remain a devoted follower of Tchaikovsky's music, awarding the composer both the Order of St. Vladimir (Fourth Class) in 1884 and a state pension in 1885.

Tchaikovsky often set about functional commissions with a strong air of professionalism, knowing that the piece may only even be played once, and this work was no exception. Indeed Tchaikovsky himself wrote at the end of his life that this piece was 'very effective... and far better as music than 1812'.

Tchaikovsky thought it would be a good idea to incorporate the Russian national anthem's melody into the work as well, by way of symbolising the union of two realms, but this innocent venture ultimately led to the piece's downfall and to the cancellation of the official performance.

A piece of surviving journalism states, 'Our talented young composer for some reason took it into his head to set forth our Russian national anthem in the minor key, which completely transforms the character of this well-known melody.'

However, Tchaikovsky received a gift of gold cuff links from the Tsarevich as an expression of royal gratitude for his efforts anyway."


The text was taken from Wikipedia.











"Kong Christian stod ved højen mast ("King Christian stood by the lofty mast"), commonly shortened to Kong Christian, is the royal anthem of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also has equal status of national anthem together with Der er et yndigt land, though it is almost exclusively used in relation to the Danish royal house and the military. The theme of the song is about the heroics of Danish sailors during the wars against Sweden in the 17th and 18th centuries.

On New Year's Eve it is tradition to sing along as the Danmarks Radio Girl's Choir sing the song on television, immediately after midnight following the other national anthem. Usually only the first verse is sung on official occasions. Adopted in 1780, it is one of the oldest national anthems in the world.

King Christian stood by the lofty mast
In mist and smoke;
His sword was hammering so fast,
Through Gothic helm and brain it passed;
Then sank each hostile hulk and mast,
In mist and smoke.
"Fly!" shouted they, "fly, he who can!
Who braves of Denmark's Christian,
Who braves of Denmark's Christian,
In battle?"

Niels Juel gave heed to the tempest's roar,
Now is the hour!
He hoisted his blood-red flag once more,
And smote upon the foe full sore,
And shouted loud, through the tempest's roar,
"Now is the hour!"
"Fly!" shouted they, "for shelter fly!
"Who can defy Denmark's Juel,
Who can defy Denmark's Juel,
in conflict?"

North Sea! a glimpse of Wessel rent
Thy murky sky!
Then champions to thine arms were sent;
Terror and Death glared where he went;
From the waves was heard a wail, that rent
Thy murky sky!
From Denmark thunders Tordenskiol',
Let each to Heaven commend his soul,
Let each to Heaven commend his soul,
And fly!

Path of the Dane to fame and might!
Dark-rolling wave!
Receive thy friend, who, scorning flight,
Goes to meet danger with despite,
Proudly as thou the tempest's might,
Dark-rolling wave!
And amid pleasures and alarms,
And war and victory, lead me to,
And war and victory, lead me to,
My grave!

English translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow"


The text was taken from Wikipedia.





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Old March 25th, 2019 #20
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Suite from the opera, "Le coq d'or," (The Golden Cockerel), Rimsky-Korsakov:

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