Symphony No. 1 in E major (with chorus in finale), Op. 26
Choruses (6) for female or children's chorus & piano, Op. 15
Some people will be drawn to this 2005 Chandos release for the premiere recording of Rachmaninov's Six Choruses for women's voices and piano, Op. 15, composed for the Maryinsky Ladies School in 1895, yet suppressed by Soviet authorities for its religious subjects until 1973, and seldom performed even after that late date. Slight in melodic content and harmonically chaste, this choral set seems more like indifferent filler than an important discovery, and listeners may be disappointed. The disc's most compelling and ...
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Some people will be drawn to this 2005 Chandos release for the premiere recording of Rachmaninov's Six Choruses for women's voices and piano, Op. 15, composed for the Maryinsky Ladies School in 1895, yet suppressed by Soviet authorities for its religious subjects until 1973, and seldom performed even after that late date. Slight in melodic content and harmonically chaste, this choral set seems more like indifferent filler than an important discovery, and listeners may be disappointed. The disc's most compelling and satisfying offering is Scriabin's Symphony No. 1 in E major, Op. 26 -- at four times the length of Rachmaninov's choruses, and overflowing with passions in its expansive six movements, it is by far the most impressive work. Most of this symphony's magic lies in its seductively rich orchestration and lush harmonies, which are of greater interest than the themes or developmental procedures; yet compared to his later symphonic experiments, Scriabin's Symphony No. 1 is clearly structured along...
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