Symphony No 7 / Cello Concerto

'Alexander Ivashkin… reveals himself here to be a cellist of international standing… this is a distinguished release, one that gives eloquent reportage on two of this composer's most important and contrasting scores'.
American Record Guide

Recorded In: Mosfilm Studio, Moscow
22 May 1999 (Symphony No. 7)
Recorded In: Mosfilm New Studio
24 March 1999 (Cello Concerto No. 1)

The Russian State Symphony Orchestra, or Soviet Philharmonic Orchestra as it was originally called, was formed some ten years ago by the conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Since then it has made numerous concert tours throughout Russia, Europe, the USA and Japan and has performed alongside many world-famous musicians and conductors including Yehudi Menuhin, Nikolai Petrov, Yuri Bashmet, Vladimir Spivakov and Zubin Mehta.

Since 1992 the orchestra has been conducted by Valeri Polyansky and has given innumerable concerts together with the Russian State Symphonic Cappella. In that same year the Orchestra toured the USA, Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Japan and Taiwan.

'This is the concerto's fifth recording (and the symphony's second) and I cannot imagine it being played with more commanding virtuosity or more rhetorical intensity; like the symphony it is finely recorded'. Gramophone