Myaskovsky: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 10

The 27 symphonies of Nikolay Myaskovsky are his main legacy, an impressive body of work that represents his development from his years as a student of Rimsky-Korsakov and Glière to his maturity as a peer of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Yet Myaskovsky's music has been underperformed in the west, and the few CDs that have been available in the United States mostly have been recordings by Eastern European and Russian orchestras. This 2006 Warner disc by Dmitry Liss and the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra features dynamic ... Read More

The 27 symphonies of Nikolay Myaskovsky are his main legacy, an impressive body of work that represents his development from his years as a student of Rimsky-Korsakov and Glière to his maturity as a peer of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Yet Myaskovsky's music has been underperformed in the west, and the few CDs that have been available in the United States mostly have been recordings by Eastern European and Russian orchestras. This 2006 Warner disc by Dmitry Liss and the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra features dynamic performances of the turbulent Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor, Op. 23 (1921-1923), and the taut Symphony No. 10 in F minor, Op. 30 (1926), two works that have strong post-Romantic associations and modified tonality yet are also tinged with a bite of modernism. Fans of Shostakovich may find that Myaskovsky's symphonies are somewhat similar in flavor, particularly the Sixth with its bristling developments and brooding themes; and the preference for dark minor keys that colors Shostakovich's work... Read Less