Rimsky-Korsakov – Mlada Suite, Procession of the Nobles – Svetlanov,: great compositions/performances

Rimsky-Korsakov – Mlada Suite, Procession of the Nobles – Svetlanov

Opus 21

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Mlada Suite, Procession of the Nobles

London Symphony Orchestra
Evgeny Svetlanov, conductor

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• Rimsky-Korsakov – Christmas Eve: Orchestral Suite (1895): Great compositions/performances

Barbirolli – Arensky: Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky,: great compositions/performances

[embes]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRKiE8o3NQU[/embed]

Barbirolli – Arensky: Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky (improved sound)

  2ndviolinist

London Symphony Orchestra
Recorded in 1947
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John Barbirolli
Born: 12/2/1899 – Holborn, London, England
Died: 7/29/1970 – London, England
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Anton Stepanovich Arensky (Russian: Антон Степанович Аренский) (12 July 1861 — 25 February 1906), was a Russian composer of Romantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music.

Arensky was born in Novgorod, Russia. He was musically precocious and had composed a number of songs and piano pieces by the age of nine. With his mother and father, he moved to Saint Petersburg in 1879, where he studied composition at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. After graduating from the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1882, Arensky became a professor at the Moscow Conservatory. Among his students there were Alexander Scriabin, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alexander Gretchaninov. In 1895 Arensky returned to Saint Petersburg as the director of the Imperial Choir, a post for which he had been recommended by Mily Balakirev. Arensky retired from this position in 1901, spending his remaining time as a pianist, conductor, and composer. Arensky died of tuberculosis in a sanatorium in Perkjärvi, Finland. It is alleged that drinking and gambling undermined his health.

Pyotr Tchaikovsky was the greatest influence on Arensky’s musical compositions. Indeed, Rimsky-Korsakov said, “In his youth Arensky did not escape some influence from me; later the influence came from Tchaikovsky. He will quickly be forgotten.” The perception that he lacked a distinctive personal style contributed to long-term neglect of his music, though in recent years a large number of his compositions have been recorded. Especially popular are the orchestral Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky based on one of Tchaikovsky’s Songs for Children, Op. 54.

Rimsky-Korsakov – Christmas Eve: Orchestral Suite (1895): Great compositions/performances

Rimsky-Korsakov – Christmas Eve: Orchestral Suite (1895)

   musicanth

Uploaded on Dec 23, 2010/67,932 views

Christmas Eve (Suite)

I. Christmas Night
II. Ballet of the Stars
III. Witches’ Sabbath and Ride on the Devil’s Back
IV. Polonaise
V. Vakula and the Slippers

A thrilling orchestral suite by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), based on music from the 1895 opera of the same name. The plot of the opera follows the short story “Christmas Eve” from Nikolai Gogol‘s “Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka“. The same story also formed the basis of Tchaikovsky’s operas “Vakula the Smith” and “Cherevichki“.

A synopsis of Gogol’s short story is available on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christma…

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• Alexander Borodin In The Steppes Of Central Asia: make music part of your life series

Alexander Borodin In The Steppes Of Central Asia: make music part of your life series

Alexander Borodin In The Steppes Of Central Asia

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Three main themes from the composition

In the Steppes of Central Asia (Russian: В средней Азии, V srednyeĭ Azii, literally In Central Asia) is the common English title for a “musical tableau” (or symphonic poem) by Alexander Borodin, composed in 1880.

Background

The work was originally intended to be presented as one of several tableaux vivants to celebrate the silver anniversary of the reign of Alexander II of Russia, who had done much to expand the Russian Empire eastward. The intended production never occurred, but the work itself became, and has remained, a concert favorite ever since its first concert performance, on 8 April 1880 (Old style) in St. Petersburg by the orchestra of the Russian Opera under the conductorship of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.^[1] The work is dedicated to Franz Liszt.

Structure

This orchestral work idyllically depicts an interaction of Russians and Asians in the steppe lands of the Caucasus. A caravan of Central Asians is crossing the desert under the protection of Russian troops. The opening theme, representing the Russians, is heard first (see chart of themes); then we hear the strains of an ornamented eastern melody on English horn, representing the Asians. These two melodies eventually are combined contrapuntally. Amidst these two ethnic melodies is heard a “traveling” theme in pizzicato that represents the plodding hoofs of the horses and camels. At the end only the Russian theme is heard.

Instrumentation

The piece is scored for two Flutes, Oboe, Cor Anglais, two Clarinets, two Bassoons, four Horns in F, two Trumpets in F, two Trombones, Bass Trombone, Timpani and strings.

Somewhat unusually, the two scores available via the IMSLP link below show different tempo markings at the start. The Eulenberg score is marked “Allegretto con moto”, whereas the Russian Muzica score shows “Allegro con moto”.

Composer’s note

The composer provided the following description in a note to the score:

“In the silence of the monotonous steppes of Central Asia is heard the unfamiliar sound of a peaceful Russian song. From the distance we hear the approach of horses and camels and the bizarre and melancholy notes of an oriental melody. A caravan approaches, escorted by Russian soldiers, and continues safely on its way through the immense desert. It disappears slowly. The notes of the Russian and Asiatic melodies join in a common harmony, which dies away as the caravan disappears in the distance.”