Rachmaninoff: The Bells, Op. 35 - Taneyev: John of Damasacus, Op. 1
7/17/2020, 7 Tracks, 1:04:43
Featuring
Anna Samuil
Dmytro Popov
Vladislav Sulimsky
Dmitri Kitajenko
Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Taneyev
Did you know?
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Composer's Artistic Vision
Sergei Rachmaninoff is a prominent representative of Russian late Romanticism, known for a consistent harmonic sound that allows his music to be recognized after just a few bars.
Performer Biography
Dmitrij Kitajenko, the conductor on this album, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) in 2015 for his extensive discography of over 250 recordings.
Compositional Technique
In "The Bells," Rachmaninoff avoided literal imitation of bell sounds, instead creating bell-like motifs using the choir, vocal soloists, and standard orchestral instruments.
Composition History
Rachmaninoff's "The Bells" was inspired by a Russian adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Bells," which was sent to him anonymously by a cellist admirer.
Composer Biography
Sergei Taneyev, composer of "John of Damascus," was a pupil and friend of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and performed the Russian premiere of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.
Performer Biography
The Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, featured on this recording, has a history dating back to the 15th century and has premiered significant works by composers like Brahms, Strauss, and Mahler.
Composition History
Sergei Taneyev's Cantata "John of Damascus" was his Opus 1, written in 1883/84, and was a deliberate attempt to combine counterpoint with Russian folk music, despite Tchaikovsky's skepticism.
