Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances in Building a Library with Marina Frolova-Walker and Andrew McGregor
In Building a Library, Marina Frolova-Walker chooses her favourite recording of Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dance, and pianist Kunal Lahiry shares his pick of the best new releases.
Andrew McGregor with the best new recordings of classical music.
9.30 am
Pianist Kunal Lahiry discusses some new releases that have caught his ear and shares his 'On Repeat' track 鈥� a recording which he is currently listening to again and again.
10.30 am
Marina Frolova-Walker chooses her favourite recording of Sergei Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances.
Rachmaninov had always struggled to balance the competing demands of his three careers as composer, conductor and pianist. But after the mid-1930s, following the disappointing reception of some of his recent music, he had all but stopped composing, spending most of his professional life on the arduous, if lucrative international concert circuit, widely acknowledged as the greatest pianist of his day. Taking a house on Long Island for the summer in 1940, Rachmaninov suddenly began composing again and the result was the Symphonic Dances. It was natural that the 1941 premiere was with the Philadelphia Orchestra under their music director, Eugene Ormandy: Rachmaninov had made his debut as a conductor there in 1909, returning often as soloist and conductor for concerts and recordings.
Rachmaninov's final completed music, the Symphonic Dances initially had a lukewarm critical reception and were slow to gain popularity. But the dazzlingly orchestrated triptych, with its satisfying arc, full of intriguing musical cyphers, self-quotation and allusion is now a long-established and well-loved repertory staple, characterised by that typical Rachmaninov combination of nostalgic melancholy and tumultuous excitement.
11.20 am
Record of the Week
Andrew's top pick from the new releases.
Send us your On Repeat recommendations at recordreview@bbc.co.uk or tweet us @大象传媒Radio3
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Music Played
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Georg Philipp Telemann
Trio no. 3 in B minor TWV42:H2 (Allegro)
Music Arranger: Fran莽ois Lazarevitch. Ensemble: Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien. Director: Fran莽ois Lazarevitch.- ALPHA.
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Trad.
Hora din cavel
Ensemble: Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien. Director: Fran莽ois Lazarevitch.- ALPHA.
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Adriaan Willaert
St John Passion (opening)
Ensemble: Dionysos Now!. Director: Felicia Bockstael.- Evil Penguin.
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Sergey Rachmaninov
Symphony no.2 in E minor Op.27 (2nd mvt)
Orchestra: Sinfonia of London. Conductor: John Wilson.- Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2, Prelude in C# Minor.
- Chandos.
- 103.
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Iain Farrington
Paganini Patterns (1st mvt; Lively)
Performer: Huw Wiggin. Performer: Noriko Ogawa.- Rhapsody.
- Orchid Classics.
- 301.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
La Clemenza di Tito K.621 (Parto, parto, ma tu ben mio)
Singer: Ann Hallenberg. Orchestra: Swedish Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Martin Frost.- SONY.
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Claude Debussy
Pr茅lude 脿 l'apr猫s-midi d'un faune
Ensemble: Pianoduo Mimese.- Etcetera.
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Igor Stravinsky
The Rite of Spring
Ensemble: Pianoduo Mimese.- Etcetera.
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Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude in C Minor, BWV 546
Performer: Maude Gratton.- Alpha.
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Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata 47 'Wer sich selbst erh枚het, der soll erniedriget werden' (opening chorus)
Ensemble: Le Banquet C茅leste. Director: Damien Guillon.- Alpha.
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Richard Strauss
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (excerpt)
Conductor: Richard Strauss. Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra.- Santtu Conducts Strauss: Don Juan, Eine Alpensinfonie, Also Sprach Zarathustra &.
- Signum Classics.
- 202.
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Anon.
Improvisation in Ku虉rdi mode - Ku虉rdi Semai
Performer: 螣蠀蟻伪谓委伪 螞伪渭蟺蟻慰蟺慰蠉位慰蠀.- Evidence Classics.
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Anon.
Moiroloi tis Panagias
Performer: 螣蠀蟻伪谓委伪 螞伪渭蟺蟻慰蟺慰蠉位慰蠀.- Evidence Classics.
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Julius Eastman
Femenine (Increase)
Ensemble: Wild Up. Conductor: Christopher Rountree.- New Amsterdam.
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Fran Lhotka
The Devil in the Village - Ballet Suite (Mirko's Escape From Hell, General Rejoicing)
Orchestra: Zagreb National Opera House Orchestra. Conductor: Fran Lhotka.- Springtime In Yugoslavia.
- Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd..
- 7.
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Franz Schreker
Chamber Symphony (2nd mvt)
Orchestra: Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Conductor: Christoph Eschenbach.- Der ferne Klang... Orchestral Works & Songs by Franz Schreker.
- Deutsche Grammophon.
- 4.
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Carlo Gesualdo
Tristis est anima (Tenebrae responses for Maundy Thursday)
Ensemble: Les Arts Florissants. Conductor: Paul Agnew.- Harmonia Mundi.
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Mieczyslaw Weinberg
String Quartet no.4 in E flat major Op.20 (4th mvt)
Ensemble: Arcadia Quartet.- Weinberg: String Quartets, Vol. 3.
- Chandos.
- 104.
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Bent Sorensen
St Matthew Passion (Lament)
Choir: Norwegian Soloists' Choir. Ensemble: Ensemble Allegria. Conductor: Grete Pedersen.- Bent S酶rensen: St Matthew Passion.
- BIS.
- 106.
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Hector Berlioz
Romeo et Juliette Op.17 (Part 2: Love Scene)
Singer: Cyrille Dubois. Choir: Gulbenkian Choir. Orchestra: Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg. Conductor: John Nelson.- ERATO.
Record Review
The link below each recording takes you directly to the label鈥檚 website. Please be aware that non-UK labels may be cheaper via a record store or an online retailer.
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9.00am
Beaut茅 Barbare 鈥� Telemann, etc
Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien
Fran莽ois Lazarevitch (director)
Alpha听听ALPHA949
听
听
Adriano 4 鈥� Adriaen Willaert: St John Passion, etc
Dionysos Now!
Felicia Bockstael (director)
Evil Penguin EPRC0054
听
听
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No.2, etc
Sinfonia of London
John Wilson (conductor)
Chandos CHSA 5309 SACD
听
听
Rhapsody 鈥� Debussy, Coates, Liszt, Farrington, etc
Huw Wiggin (saxophone)
Noriko Ogawa (piano)
Orchid Classics ORC100216
听
听
Ecstasy & Abyss 鈥� Mozart Symphonies 38 & 41; Piano Concerto No. 25; Arias
Ann Hallenberg (mezzo-soprano)
Elin Rombo (soprano)
Lucas Debargue (piano)
Martin Frost (basset clarinet/conductor)
Swedish Chamber Orchestra
Sony 19658772252 (2 CDs)
听
听
09.30am 鈥� Kunal Lahiry: New Releases
Attention, Les Apaches! 鈥� Debussy; Ravel; Stravinsky
Pianoduo Mimese (piano duo)
Etcetera KTC 1783
听
听
Trinitatis Bach Cantatas 鈥� Cantatas BWV.78; BWV.60; BWV.47; Organ Sonata BWV.526; Prelude in C minor BWV.546
Celine Sheen (soprano)
Thomas Hobbs (tenor)
Benoit Arnould (bass)
Damien Guillon (countertenor/conductor)
Maude Gratton (organ)
Le Banquet Celeste
Alpha ALPHA945
听
听
Santtu Conducts Strauss 鈥� Don Juan; Ein Alpensinfonie;听Also sprach Zarathustra; Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche
Philharmonia Orchestra
Santtu-Matias Rouvali (conductor)
Signum听听SIGCD720听听(2CDs)
听
听
'm'arr锚ter Ici鈥�' (esquisses d'Asie Mineure) 鈥� music from the Greek, Sephardic and Ottoman traditions
Ourania Lampropoulou
Dominique Vellard (tenor/conductor)
Evidence Classics EVCD094
听
On Repeat
听
Julius Eastman, Vol. 1: Femenine
Wild Up
Christopher Rountree (conductor)
New Amsterdam NWAM154-S
Listener On Repeat
听
Fran Lhotka: The Devil in the Village
Orchestra of The National Opera House, Zagreb
Fran Lhotka (conductor)
Decca ELQ4840200
10.10am 鈥� New Releases
Der Ferne Klang 鈥� orchestral works and songs by Franz Schreker
Chen Reiss (soprano)
Matthias Goerner (baritone)
Konzerthausorchester Berlin
Christoph Eschenbach (conductor)
Deutsche Grammophon 486 3993 (2 CDs)
听
听
Gesualdo: Tenebr忙 Responsoria, Feria Quinta
Les Arts Florissants
Paul Agnew (conductor)
Harmonia Mundi HAF8905363
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10.30am 鈥� Building a Library: Marina Frolova-Walker on Rachmaninov鈥檚 Symphonic Dances
Recommended recording:
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Rachmaninoff: Works for Orchestra and Choir
Yury Mazurok (baritone)
Aleksei Maslennikov (tenor)
Galina Pisarenko (soprano)
Sergey Yakovenko (baritone)
USSR State Symphony Orchestra
Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Yurlov Russian State Academic Choir
USSR Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra
USSR Bolshoi Theatre Choir
Evgeny Svetlanov (conductor)
Dmitri Kitayenko (conductor)
Melodiya MELCD1002090
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Other recommendations:
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Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances and orchestral works by Ravel
Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Philharmonic Society
USSR State Symphony Orchestra
Kirill Kondrashin (conductor)
Veronica Dudarova
Audiophile APL101536
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听
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3 and other works
Orchestre de Paris
Paavo Jarvi (conductor)
Erato 2564619579
11:15 am
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Weinberg: String Quartets, Vol.3
Arcadia Quartet
Chandos CHAN 20180
听
听
Bent S酶rensen - St Matthew Passion
Norwegian Soloists鈥� Choir
Ensemble Allegria
Grete Pedersen (conductor)
BIS BIS-2611 (Hybrid SACD)
听
听
听11.25am 鈥� Record of the Week
听
Berlioz: Rom茅o et Juliette & Cl茅op芒tre
Joyce DiDonato (mezzo soprano)
Cyrille Dubois (tenor)
Christopher Maltman (baritone)
Coro Gulbenkian
Ch艙ur de l鈥橭nR
Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg
John Nelson (conductor)
Erato 5419748138 (2CDs + DVD)
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