Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3, Shostakovich: Symphony No. 6 [André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra]

Composer(s):Sergei Rachmaninov
Conductor: Andr¨¦Previn
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
Label: EMI
Catalog #: CDM 7 69564 2
Format: CD
Time: 75:05 min
SPARS Code: ADD
















A generous, if unlikely, coupling valuable above all for Previn's quite exceptional account of the Rachmaninov. It's a performance that breathes with and through the music: ebb and flow, colour and cast, that peculiar brand of melancholy¡ªall are beautifully conveyed. The nostalgic horn solo at the opening of the second movement still lingers in my mind. Here is true repose¡ªPrevin gives his soloist all the time in the world¡ªpoetic and hugely evocative, and as the yearning violin line grows from it, one is reminded yet again that the LSO of the day really were the perfect orchestra for this music. Their showy highgloss string sound, their bright keen-edged winds, are both such an asset in profiling this sparer and quirkier late Rachmaninov (the strange coloration of celeste¡ªan important feature of the orchestration¡ªand the resourceful deployment of harp and percussion tell most effectively).
The Shostakovich is less convincing. Previn's pacing is sure and purposeful, the desolate terrain of the spacious (in this instance very spacious) first movement is most atmospherically charted. But one looks for a colder, steelier intensity at times, and I think Previn, to some extent, underplays the contradictory shock-tactics of the second and third movements. I am not entirely sold on his deliberate, though undeniably trenchant, account of the scherzo, while the finale's circus-antics are to my mind neither sufficiently presto nor uncouth enough. The Rachmaninov, though, is a must, and both digital remasterings sound well.

Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 [Rozhdestvensky, LSO] (complete, with first movement repeat)

Composer(s):Sergei Rachmaninov
Conductor: Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
Label: IMP Classics
Catalog #: PCD 904
Format: CD
Time: 66:13 min
SPARS Code: DDD














Grady Harp (Amazon Reviewer)
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943) was an anachronistic bridge between the 19th and 20th centuries. Deeply rooted in Romanticism he was a quiet introspective man who ignored the very beginnings of music revolution that began with Debussy and rapidly morphed into the 'enlightened greats' such as Schoneberg, Webern, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Bartok, etc who elected to follow the path of progress toward the new sounds and techniques of composition that challenged the very foundation of Romanticism. Rachmaninov refused to desert his deep feelings that music should convey the soul, the life and the experiences of the composer, choosing to continue to write in the manner of melody that was losing popularity among the cognoscenti. His music was relegated to the dark bin of retrograde, heart-on-the-sleeve, indulgent 'movie music' during his time - and that prejudice continues to some degree today. It takes a live performance of the original unabridged version of the great Symphony No.2 in E minor to open the eyes and ears of modern listeners to appreciate just what a fine orchestrator and master of melody Rachmaninov was.

This recording with Gennadi Rozhdestvensky conducting the London Symphony Orchestra is one of the few single recordings of the hour long, unabridged E minor symphony. This is the version Rachmaninov always conducted even though he did sanction his own abbreviated version for other conductors. Rozhdestvensky pulls out all the stops here, yielding to the pulsating melodies and allowing all of the inner voices of the huge score to sing. This is a performance more devoted to the grand sweep of the work than to dallying with details and the result is a performance that truly moves.

But as mentioned above it takes a live performance to completely appreciate the magnitude of the work. At a recent concert this listener heard Guest Conductor Paavo Jarvi conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic in an exceptional evening of respect for Rachmaninov. Jarvi fully understands the work as well as any conductor today, allowing the surges of melody to completely fill the acoustically perfect Disney Hall, and at the same time giving the orchestra the chance to hear itself in the myriad dialogues Rachmaninov wrote. It was an evening of rapture and one that must be recorded, as it would be the front-runner of performances of this truly great symphony. Until then, this recording is a viable alternative. Recommended. Grady Harp, April 06.

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