Vasily Petrenko, RLPO - Rachmaninov: Symphony 3, Caprice Bohemien, Vocalese (2012) [Japan 2014] SACD ISO + DSD64 + FLAC

If you regard Rachmaninov’s Third Symphony as a decadent, nostalgic remnant of Czarist Russia, then you really should hear this performance. The music couldn’t sound fresher, lighter, or more modern. It’s not that Vasily Petrenko slights those lush, romantic elements, but he certainly doesn’t dwell on them either. As for the rest of the disc, the presence of Vocalise was inevitable, but the Caprice bohémien is a delightful work, far too little known, and it’s as splendidly played as the symphony. EMI’s engineers do everyone proud. This is definitely a distinctive view of Rachmaninov, a breath of fresh air, and a nice complement to more traditional approaches.

The Symphony No. 3 is the most expressively Russian of Rachmaninov symphonies even though he wrote it at his house on Lake Lucerne; in fact his outlook remained quintessentially Russian wherever he was living. Caprice Bohémien is one of Rachmaninov's earlier works, composed just before his First Symphony, and is a colourful fantasy on a gypsy theme. Much of the inspiration came from the composer's one act opera Aleko, based on "The Gypsies" by Pushkin. Vocalise, confirming the popularity of the piece. There are many, many different arrangements of Rachmaninov's melancholy work. Rachmaninov himself transcribed the piece for orchestra 3 years after he composed it.

Marking the beginning of EMI Classics' relationship with conductor Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, this 2012 release features two of Sergey Rachmaninov's less familiar works for orchestra, the early Caprice bohémien (1892) and the late Symphony No. 3 in A minor (1935-1936), along with the ever popular Vocalise in its lush orchestral version. The Caprice is placed first, undoubtedly to keep it from being overlooked as a trifle, but this mildly exotic yet mostly gloomy Gypsy fantasy is really of secondary importance to the symphony, which demands serious appreciation. Petrenko and the RLPO dig deeply into this work and give it an intense reading that would befit a Russian orchestra in its passionate expression and colorful execution. The Third Symphony is mature Rachmaninov, and its probing and pointed style is very close to the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and the Symphonic Dances, the two works it was composed between. This lean and muscular piece deserves much greater exposure, and Petrenko's sympathetic interpretation is an excellent one to advance its cause. But if it takes the easy appeal of the Vocalise and the novelty of the Caprice to bring new listeners to hear the Third, so be it. EMI's reproduction is rich, warm, and closely detailed, and the orchestra has astonishingly realistic presence in the vibrant acoustic space.

Tracklist:

01. Caprice Bohémien, Op.12
02. Vocalise Op.34 No.14 (arr. Rachmaninov)
03. Symphony No.3 in A minor Op.44: I. Lento - Allegro moderato - Allegro
04. Symphony No.3 in A minor Op.44: II. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro vivace
05. Symphony No.3 in A minor Op.44: III. Allegro - Allegro vivace - Allegro (Tempo primo) - Allegretto - Allegro vivace

Produced by John Fraser & Andrew Cornall. Balance Engineer: David Piggot. Editing by Julia Thomas. Mixed by Philip Hobbs.
Recorded on September 23, 2009 & July 7-8, 2010 at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, U.K.


Thanks to KolyaFokhin!
Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 2,52 GB
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