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Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1 - Balakirev: Tamara

9/9/2016, 5 Tracks, 1:01:23

Featuring

  • Valery Gergiev
  • London Symphony Orchestra
  • Sergei Rachmaninoff
  • Mily Balakirev

Did you know?

1/7

Composer's Artistic Vision

The First Symphony features a striking contrast between liturgical and gypsy-inflected themes, which has been interpreted as reflecting a personal drama in Rachmaninov's life.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 1 was an ambitious work he believed opened "entirely new paths," composed mostly in 1895.

Source: Booklet

Compositional Technique

Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 1 uses a cyclic form with a recurrent four-note motto theme that appears in various transformations throughout the work, creating unity.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 1 was lost after he emigrated in 1918 and was only reconstructed and performed again in 1945 after its original orchestral parts were rediscovered.

Source: Booklet

Composer Biography

Mily Balakirev, a key figure in "The Five" group of Russian composers, suffered a nervous breakdown in 1871, abandoning music for five years to find solace in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Source: Booklet

Critical Reception

The premiere of Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 1 on March 27, 1897, was a notorious disaster, shattering the composer's self-confidence.

Source: Booklet

Composer Biography

After the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony, Rachmaninov was unable to compose any important new work until his Second Piano Concerto in 1901.

Source: Booklet

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