Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 - SACD

The first release in Valery Gergiev’s Rachmaninov Symphony cycle features a magnificent performance of the Second Symphony, recorded in September 2008 at the Barbican. Rachmaninov’s vast Second Symphony was composed when he was at the pinnacle of his careers as composer, pianist and conductor. Filled with emotion and brimming with beautiful melodies, it is a masterpiece and the epitome of the Romantic symphony. This recording will be followed by the First and Third Symphonies as well as the Symphonic Dances. Forthcoming releases include Stravinksy’s Oedipus Rex and Les Noces on the Mariinsky label. Later in the year Gergiev conducts music by Debussy and Ravel on LSO Live and Wagner’s Parsifal also on Mariinsky. Gergiev conducts a Stravinsky festival with the New York Philharmonic in late April, before conducting the LSO in London, Dublin and Germany during May.

Concert reviews:

“performance of edge-of-the-seat exhilaration ... This time it was Rachmaninov’s Symphony No 2 that brought out Gergiev’s magisterial best” The Guardian

“The LSO’s sound had apt richness, depth and bloom ... a rare blend of freedom, momentum and underlying restless energy” Daily Telegraph

“Gergiev is a man who works by instinct. Music that thrives on heart and soul - above all the Russian romantics - brings out the best in him” Financial Times

The second Symphony contains the very best of Rachmaninov: deliberately paced and rhythmically flexible it is propelled by that wonderful sense of melodic expansion of which he was such a master.

It is this monumental work that Lan Shui and his Singapore Symphony Orchestra have chosen to record as a celebration of the orchestra’s 30th anniversary. Founded in 1979 the SSO has become an important musical force in Asia, but is also gaining international recognition from its high-profile tours and its releases on BIS.

This Pentatone release comes from the Philips Quadraphonic Recordings archive and features two popular compositions by Russian composers. The 2nd Symphony is the most popular Symphony Rachmaninov composed. The Capricio Espagnol, became an instant success when at the first performance, an enthusiastic audience demanded that the entire piece be encored!

“I love core repertoire, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 is a sweeping example of the Russian symphonic tradition and perhaps the most popular of his orchestral works,” says Paavo Järvi. “It’s particularly exciting to record Rachmaninoff’s lesser-known gems such as the two gypsy dances from Aleko and the charming little Scherzo from 1888.”