Vladimir Ashkenazy, the conductor on this album, is one of the few artists to have a successful career as both a pianist and a conductor.
Composition History
The Glinka Prize committee awarded Rachmaninov the 100-rouble first prize for his Second Symphony in 1908, with Scriabin's Le poème de l'extase coming in second.
Critical Reception
Sergei Rachmaninov, the composer, was not taken seriously as a composer until the second half of the 20th century; previously, only his piano concertos and a few piano pieces were well known.
Composition History
Rachmaninov kept the composition of his Second Symphony a secret, possibly due to the dismal reception of his First Symphony, with even his friends learning about it from a newspaper.
Composer Biography
Rachmaninov worked for several years as an opera conductor and gave the first performances of two of his own operas at the Bolshoi Theatre in spring 1906.
Performer Biography
The Philharmonia Orchestra, featured on this album, was founded in 1945 by EMI producer Walter Legge and has been self-governing since 1964.
Compositional Technique
The 'Adagio' movement of Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 2 features a remarkable texture created by dividing the strings into no less than 16 independent parts.
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