Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, Op. 22 (extracts)

Rudolf Barshai’s influence as a conductor of Russian music is hard to overstate. Combining an inexhaustible work ethic with a commitment to perfecting every detail of a performance, he broke new ground with his studied interpretations.

His recordings – particularly of Russian music – were some of the 20th century’s most successful, met with both critical acclaim and widespread popularity; this collection celebrates his achievements, bringing together the best of Russian music from the 19th and 20th centuries. At the heart of the collection are Barshai’s own arrangements of music by Shostakovich and Prokofiev – his orchestrations of Shostakovich’s 10th String Quartet (heard here as the Chamber Symphony Op.118a) and Prokofiev’s Visions fugitives, originally for piano, display a deep and intuitive understanding of orchestral balance and colour. Also included are Shostakovich’s inventive Symphony No.14 and movements from his intricate Op.87 cycle of Preludes and Fugues, as well as Weinberg’s Second Sinfonietta, written specifically for Barshai, and Lokshin’s mysterious Symphony No.7.

Barshai is heard here conducting the orchestra that he established – the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, which Shostakovich described as ‘the greatest chamber orchestra in the world’. Also featuring performances by Galina Vishnevskaya and Mark Reshetin, this 3-disc collection presents first-class recordings and performances in a set of impressive value.

Few classical artists have made so spectacular an initial impact upon public – even global – consciousness as the pianist Yevgeny Kissin, when in 1984 at the age of 12 he gave both piano concertos by Chopin in a single concert at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. His fame was assured, and from there on his reputation preceded him as a young, sublimely gifted virtuoso possessed of the most brilliant technique, seemingly natural musical touch and preternatural confidence.

All those assets can be heard to advantage in some popular – and more formidable works by his countrymen, from the glittering display vehicles written by Shostakovich and Prokofiev to the powerful sweep of Tchaikovsky’s ever-popular First Concerto. Of course Kissin has gone on to perform and indeed record these works – he is now 40, a British citizen for the last nine years, mirabile dictu – several times since, but the early recordings retain a bravado and unselfconscious vigour that infects every performance with appealing zest and sometimes astonishing assurance.

With a style recalling the grandeur and fieriness of Anton Rubenstein’s, Emil Gilels – born in the southern Ukrainian seaport of Odessa on 19 October 1916 – ranks among the foremost musicians of all time.The maestro was especially renowned for his wide-ranging repertoire, and in this excellent release listeners can enjoy a selection of works based on one particular area of his extensive library – great Russian masters of the piano repertoire. Gilels begins his recital with a disc entirely devoted to Prokofiev. Having detailed the composer’s First,Third and Eighth Sonatas as well as the famous set of miniatures known as Vision fugitives, he then moves on to a series of compositions that trace the compositional career of Scriabin – one of Russia’s most individual figures.

From the accessible nature of the Third Sonata to the Fourth’s departure from strict tonality and form, Gilels contrasts the work of an artist inspired by mysticism against that of a much lesser-known figure – Medtner – before turning to an early suite by Tchaikovsky. Here, in CD3, we are also introduced to the work of Glazunov, whose appealing Piano Sonata No.2 in E minor is complemented by some of Rachmaninov’s best-known works and transcriptions. Spanning over three decades of recording and featuring some of Gilels’ favourite works to perform, this comprehensive set offers a fascinating glimpse into a musician who was just as comfortable playing Bach as he was interpreting the modern masters of the keyboard. Full of refined yet powerful performances, it is a valuable addition to Brilliant Classics’ celebrated Russian Archives set.

This is a brand new and exclusive set of 14 CDs which covers the work of Sviatoslav Richter from 1954 until 1993. “I don’t know if it is possible to explain to anybody the extraordinary phenomenon his personality and playing created. We can only hope that this can also be sensed through the recordings, for Richter is one of the few performers whose individuality is clearly manifest on a recording, regardless of its quality, and at each subsequent listening his playing gives a greater, more staggering experience than we are able to remember” (Dezsó Ránki, CD booklet).