1 	Overture To Oresteya, Op. 6 	20:48
2 	Oresteya, Act III: Entr'acte: The Temple Of Apollo At Delphi 	5:10
3 	Adagio In C Major 	5:54
4 	Overture On A Russian Theme 	17:26
5 	Cantata For The Unveiling Of The Moscow Pushkin Memorial, "Ya Pamyatnik Sebe Vozdvig Nerukotvorniy"
 (I Have Built Myself A Monument Not Made By Hands)	4:26
6 	Canzona 	6:21
7 	Overture In D Minor 	14:48

Stanislav Jankovsky - clarinet (6)
Novosibirsk State Philharmonic Choir (5)
Novosibirsk Academic Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Sanderling - conductor

‘The Temple of Apollo at Delphi’ is the best-known excerpt from Taneyev’s only opera, Oresteia, the mammoth overture to which has all the force of a Romantic symphonic poem.

His Overture on a Russian Theme is based on the same folksong that Rimsky-Korsakov used in his own Fantasy on Russian Themes while the shorter works demonstrate in various ways Taneyev’s scrupulous craftsmanship.

Thomas Sanderling and the Novosibirsk Academic Symphony Orchestra’s acclaimed recording of Taneyev’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 is available on Naxos 8570336. ---prestomusic.com

Unfamiliar scores played with great conviction. A real treat.

Taneyev may not be high on most people's list of 19th-century Russian composers but that could change as this Naxos series progresses. The First and Third symphonies with the Novosibirsk orchestra under Thomas Sanderling - son of the illustrious Kurt - certainly impressed me and, if anything, this new release has heightened my admiration for composer and orchestra alike.

Taneyev's only opera, based on Aeschylus's Oresteia, was recorded by DG and Olympia some time ago, but neither version is in the current catalogue. Curiously, the overture was composed and performed several years before the opera was completed. It's a substantial piece in its own right, lasting around 20 minutes, and listeners may be forgiven for thinking they've stumbled on a little-known piece of Wagner or Richard Strauss. That said, this is more than musical mimicry, revealing a rich supply of motile Russian melodies and a symphonic sweep that wouldn't have disgraced Taneyev's great friend and mentor, Tchaikovsky. From that first Stygian string theme through to its restrained finale this overture is full of lovely touches; and even though there is a whiff of Scriabin in those aromatic harmonies Sanderling ensures they never cloy or overwhelm the senses.

Arguably the Act III Entr'acte is even more seductive - it certainly has a Straussian amplitude - which is probably why this piece was so popular during the composer's lifetime. I was particularly struck by the sheer passion and unanimity of the playing and Sanderling's firm, clear-eyed view of the score. The recording is just as satisfying, deep when it needs to be and suitably grand in the splendid climaxes. Indeed, any misgivings I might have had about this band and their conductor simply evaporated at this point.

How very different that all is to the delectable Adagio in C major, written during the composer's final year at the Moscow Conservatory. As Anastasia Belina points out in her liner notes, much of Taneyev's youthful work was only discovered years later. The Adagio, published in 1950, is a real gem, especially when it's played with such elegance and refinement. And how different again is the Overture on a Russian Theme, written for the All-Russian Art and Trade Exhibition of 1882. Taneyev makes use of authentic Russian songs - as collected by Rimsky-Korsakov - forging them into a piece that has all the cut and thrust of a Cossack sword. It's virile stuff, guaranteed to please those who like their Russians to strut and swagger.

The style of the cantata, written for the opening of the Pushkin Memorial in Moscow, is echoed in the celebratory music of post-revolutionary Russia, used to great effect by the likes of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. That's not to suggest this is merely a patriotic prole-pleaser, because it isn't; it may be just 64 bars long but it has all the passion and splendour of those great choral numbers in Alexander Nevsky. As for the Canzona it's a frothy little confection, complemented by the bright-toned playing of clarinettist Stanislav Yankovsky. A slight piece, perhaps, but enjoyable none the less.

The Overture in D minor, like the Adagio, is an early work and this time it shows. It has a bluff quality - and a tendency to outstay its welcome - that the other pieces in this collection manage to avoid. (I wonder if other listeners can hear Brahms in this music?) Still, one mildly disappointing piece out of seven isn't bad, and it certainly isn't enough to dilute my enthusiasm for this disc as a whole. Factor in committed playing and full-blooded sound and you have one of the year's most entertaining releases so far.

Go on, treat yourself. --- Dan Morgan, MusicWeb International

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1.    Allegro molto
2.    Adagio
3.    Scherzo. Vivace
4.    Finale. Allegro energico - Molto maestoso

5.    The temple of Apollo at Delphi from Oresteia

The USSR Symphony Orchestra
Evgeni Svetlanov - conductor

The Op. 12 designation would normally indicate an early work, but this symphony came 25 years after the composer's first. Ironically, Taneyev originally designated this as his Symphony No. 1, having suppressed his first three efforts. Taneyev understood the complexities of composition as well as any Russian contemporary -- especially its contrapuntal aspects -- but his own vast knowledge and skills, combined with his lifelong self-critical nature, only served to make him more scrupulous in evaluating the worth of his own music.

The four-movement Fourth Symphony is generally regarded as the composer's greatest orchestral work. It opens with an Allegro molto, whose seriousness of mood recalls the darker music of Tchaikovsky and the Franck D minor Symphony. Yet, there is little that is derivative here and much that is imaginative and masterful, especially in the development of the thematic material. There is a dire relentlessness about the muscular, dark main theme, not unlike that in the first movement of the Brahms First. The lovely alternate material provides excellent contrast, but is ultimately helpless to stave off the insistent angst of the main theme.

The second movement, Adagio, actually sounds startlingly close to Mahler in some of its instrumentation, but it is doubtful Taneyev could have been familiar with that emerging giant's works at the time. Spiritually, the music is anything but Mahleresque, but neither is it Russian. (Taneyev remained a confirmed Europeanist in an increasingly nationalistic compositional environment.) The main theme is beautiful, and the orchestral writing throughout is imaginative and subtle, divulging Taneyev's considerable expressive depth. The ensuing Scherzo is light and cheerful, skillfully crafted and full of energy and playfulness. The finale is colorful and celebratory, featuring the composer's usual brilliant orchestration. Even here, though, the celebration has a quasi-seriousness and intensity about it. If the last two movements seem slightly lightweight compared with the first and second, they are nevertheless brilliant creations. Overall, this is one of the most underrated masterpieces from the late nineteenth century. ---Robert Cummings, allmusic.com

‘The Temple of Apollo at Delphi’ is the best-known excerpt from Taneyev’s only opera, Oresteia, the mammoth overture to which has all the force of a Romantic symphonic poem.

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Taneyev: Suite de Concert, Op. 28
1. I. Prelude (Grave)
2. II. Gavotte (Allegro Moderato)
3. III. Marchen (Andantino)
4. IV. Tema Con Var
5. V. Tarantella (Presto)

David Oistrakh – violin
Philharmonia Orchestra
Nicolai Malko - conductor

Miaskovsky: Cello Concerto, Op. 66
6. I. Lento Ma Non Troppo - Andante - Tempo I 
7. II. Allegro Vivace - Piu Marcato - Meno Mosso - Tempo I - Piu Largamente - Andante...

Mstislav Rostropovich - cello
Philharmonia Orchestra
Sir Malcolm Sargent - conductor

This is an interesting coupling of two performances made in London by Russian soloists visiting in the 1950s. As the music teacher at our school said at the time 'You've got to hand it to these Russians, they can play!'. It's hard to imagine either of these works performed better - with conviction, total command and beautiful sound. Malcolm Sargent may not have been a great conductor but this was exactly the type of score he liked, and the orchestra plays finely. Nikolai Malko was one of the first conductors to record in stereo for EMI with his coupling of two Prokofiev Symphonies. So far as I know this is the only recording he made with Oistrakh, also early stereo, and it is fine. The sound is very good for its time. The Miaskovsky work is soulful and sincere. The Taneyev is a decorative nineteenth-century violin showpiece. The only reason for not buying this CD is that the same performance of the Miaskovsky can also be obtained with a different coupling, the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante, also with Rostropovich and conducted by Sargent, and people who find the Taneyev dull might choose that, but it is very intersting to have the two Russians who 'can play' alongside each other. ---Precession, amazon.co.uk

Classic performances from Abbey Road Studio One and the first decade of the Philharmonia. Oistrakh senior and the legendary Nicolai Malko (under the watchful production eye of Walter Legge) are golden in Taneyev’s demanding Suite de concert. And Rostropovich and Sargent rise eloquently to the weightier, structurally more diverse challenge of the Miaskovsky Cello Concerto. Not particularly innovative music perhaps, nor even very Russian, but as an alternative insight on tsarist/Soviet times dominated otherwise by Tchaikovsky, Rimsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich, clearly well worth getting to know. Flattering digital remastering. Nice packaging (beware, however, the sketchy inlay notes). ---Ates Orga, classical-music.com

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