Nikolay Myaskovsky: Vocal Works, Volume Two

Featuring

Ilya Kuzmin
Olga Solovyeva
Dzambolat Dulaev
Nikolai Myaskovsky

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Recording & Production

This album features first recordings of Myaskovsky's vocal works, including the Six Poems of Alexander Blok, Op. 20.

Composer Biography

Nikolay Myaskovsky, an older contemporary of Prokofiev and Shostakovich, was considered one of the most significant Russian composers of his era during his lifetime.

Composition History

Myaskovsky's Six Poems of Alexander Blok, Op. 20, were written in 1920 during the Russian Civil War as an expression of gratitude for musical gatherings that served as a 'spiritual oasis'.

Critical Reception

Myaskovsky's music fell into neglect after his death, partly due to Soviet commentators criticizing it for not conforming to Socialist Realism doctrines.

Historical Context

Myaskovsky was legally obliged to serve in the militia during World War I, experiencing fierce fighting on the western front in Galicia.

Composer Biography

Myaskovsky's early musical education was haphazard, and he resigned a military engineering commission at 25 to enroll in composition at the St Petersburg Conservatoire.