Ural Philharmonic Orchestra - Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 3 & Variations on a Rococo Theme - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Rachmaninoff's Third and Second Symphonies are distanced from each other not only by thirty years but also by the turning point in history that bisected the destiny of the Russian intelligentsia. Rachmaninoff was full of creative energy and aspirations while writing the Second Symphony, in 1906-1907, even though he sought solitude in Dresden to feel the breath of his Motherland from a distance and to relate his own destiny to it. He was already a different person by the mid-1930s, struggling with the aftermath of his fate as an exile and summing up his life. He wrote this new work about Russia and himself - which was to become the Third Symphony - at villa Senar in Switzerland. The geographical distance was aggravated by the distance in time a gravitation towards the cherished past, to which it was impossible to return. The Ural Philharmonic Orchestra under Dmitry Liss has repeatedly performed the Third Symphony in both Russia and abroad; they also performed it in La Folle Journee festival in Nantes in 2018. The orchestra's interpretation of Ravel's La Valse is similarly iconic; this gained particular recognition from European critics and opened the doors to the world's leading stages.

P.I. Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo Theme [COMPACT DISCS] date 03/21/1995

Manfred holds a special place in Tchaikovsky's oeuvre, as it is unique a symphony composed on an extremely large scale around a wide-ranging literary programme. Manfred is the embodiment of several facets of Tchaikovsky's individuality it presents both Russian and European features, Tchaikovsky's own talents as a psychologist and a shrewd judge of character, his abilities as a writer for the theatre, and his mastery in creating orchestral colours. The score itself dazzles with it's variety of images and sounds - from airy to grandiose and powerful, from pastoral and peaceful to dense and dark. The dramatic concept of the work as a whole, it's psychological portrayal of the protagonists and the vivid expression in their development all come to reveal the characteristic style of Tchaikovsky's late works. What is more, Manfred remains fascinating thanks to the fact that it emerged at the crossroads of various literary, philosophical and musical trends during 19th century.The album was recorded on the eve of the 185th anniversary of Tchaikovsky's birth.