Rudolf Barshai, the conductor on this album, studied composition with Dmitri Shostakovich at the Moscow Conservatory.
Composition History
Dmitri Shostakovich entrusted Rudolf Barshai with the first performance of his Symphony No. 14, a work whose subject is death.
Recording & Production
This recording was made during Rudolf Barshai's first concert in Moscow in sixteen years, an event broadcast internationally on radio and television.
Interpretation
Rudolf Barshai insisted on six rehearsals for Mahler's Ninth Symphony, as the work was unknown to the musicians of the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Cultural Impact
The profits from this recording will be used by IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), a Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization, to finance medical assistance projects for Moscow's children's clinics.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mahler's Ninth Symphony's Adagio finale is his personal farewell, taking leave of a life that ran its course in music, and became a gateway to 20th-century music.
Historical Context
After applying to emigrate from the Soviet Union, Rudolf Barshai was effectively 'dead' in his home country: he was not allowed to perform, and his recordings were removed from archives and shops.
