This album features two recording premieres of Rachmaninoff's works, sourced from live performance broadcasts from over 85 years ago.
Composition History
Rachmaninoff rewrote the third movement of The Bells, with the new version first heard in 1936, because he found the original choral writing too complicated.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rachmaninoff's melodic and emotional compositional style was at odds with the musical trends of his time, leading some critics to consider him outdated.
Composition History
Rachmaninoff's choral symphony, The Bells, is based on Konstantin Balmont's Russian version of Edgar Allan Poe's poem of the same name.
Recording & Production
The recordings come from an important collection of discs made by Harold Vincent Marrot, who had broadcasts professionally recorded for his personal listening pleasure due to his passion for Russian music.
Critical Reception
Despite the composer's belief that his Third Symphony was one of his best works, it received a lukewarm reception from both critics and audiences at its premieres.
Composition History
Rachmaninoff composed his Third Symphony in 1935 and 1936 at his home, Villa Senar, on the shores of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.
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