Russian Colours

Camerata Tchaikovsky and director Yuri Zhislin present a varied selection of Russian music, mostly in arrangements for string orchestra by Zhislin himself. Quaret movements by Borodin, Tchaikovsky and Arensky are performed alongside Arensky’s Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky and Glazunov’s Saxophone Concerto, with the solo part performed by Zhislin on viola. Rachmaninov’s famed Vocalise concludes the selection.

Featuring

Yuri Zhislin
Camerata Tchaikovsky
Alexander Glazunov
Anton Arensky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Alexander Borodin

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Did you know?

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Composition History

Glazunov's Saxophone Concerto in E-flat major, Op.109, was commissioned by German saxophonist Sigurd Raschèr, who "pestered" the composer until he acquiesced.

Cultural Impact

Borodin's Nocturne from String Quartet No.2 was adapted into the song 'And This is My Beloved' for the 1953 Broadway musical Kismet.

Interpretation

Yuri Zhislin, the album's director, arranged several pieces for string orchestra, including the Glazunov Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Strings, which he adapted for viola and strings.

Composition History

Tchaikovsky's Andante cantabile from String Quartet No.1 was inspired by a folk song he heard while visiting his sister's house in Kamenka.

Composer Biography

Alexander Borodin, one of the 'Mighty Handful' of Russian composers, was a Doctor of Medicine and a research chemist; music was essentially a hobby for him.

Critical Reception

Anton Arensky's teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov, did not approve of his student's lifestyle or music, predicting that Arensky "will soon be forgotten."

Compositional Technique

Rachmaninov's Vocalise, Op.34, No.14, is unusual because the original song has no text, treating the voice like an instrument where the vocalist chooses a vowel sound.