Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 / Preludes in C Sharp Minor
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SERGE RACHMANINOFF
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 / Preludes in C Sharp Minor
Sinfonia Of London, John Wilson
[ Chandos SACD / Hybrid SACD ]
Release Date: Friday 31 March 2023
John Wilson and Sinfonia of London release their second album of Rachmaninoff. The Second Symphony was mostly composed in Dresden - where Rachmaninoff was escaping the political and professional pressures of Russia - in 1906 - 07. An hour's worth of music, the symphony is one of his largest works after the operas, and is widely viewed as one of his greatest works. It was possibly of some significance to the composer, following the less than auspicious début of his First Symphony (which he withdrew after the première). First performed in St Petersburg and Moscow, conducted by the composer, the Second Symphony was an immediate success with audiences and critics alike, and remains a mainstay of the orchestral repertoire to this day. Rachmaninoff dedicated the score to his teacher Sergei Taneyev, who was a pupil of Tchaikovsky.
Rachmaninoff composed the Prélude in C sharp minor in 1892, originally for piano, at the beginning of his career. Stokowski's orchestration, performed here, whilst not the only one in existence, is certainly the best known and arguably the most successful.
The album is recorded in Surround Sound and is available as a hybrid SACD, and in spatial audio.
"… To experience the full magnificence of Rachmaninov's orchestration, we need Wilson's imaginative attention to details and Chandos's superior engineering" Gramophone
"…it would appear that nothing can hold back John Wilson's progress to the top of the ladder in the ranks of utterly reliable recording artists, as this splendid new take on Rachmaninov's all-embracing Second Symphony proves…" CDChoice.co.uk
"…The excellence of the sound allows us to revel in both the colours of the composer's orchestration and the virtuosity of the players here …" MusicWeb
"In this warmly recorded release, John Wilson appears to get the balance just right. There's plenty of heft as well as requisite warmth in the big orchestral climaxes, for instance near the end of the slow movement, or in the triumphant coda to the Finale. But Wilson is careful not to overplay his hand, ensuring that the levels of intensity are judiciously calibrated." BBC Music Five Stars
Tracks:
Prélude, Op.3 No.2
Symphony No.2, Op.27
