Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
The Bells, Op 35 (1913)
Symphonic Dances, Op 45 (1940)
Kristina Mkhitaryan (soprano), Dmytro Popov (tenor), Kostas Smoriginas (bass-baritone)
London Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra/Edward Gardner
rec. live, 28 September, 2024 (The Bells) & 4 March 2023, Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, London
Russian text (transliterated) & English translation included
London Philharmonic Orchestra LPO0132 [72]
This is the first of four CDs which the London Philharmonic Orchestra is releasing over the coming weeks to mark the twentieth anniversary of the foundation of their in-house label. The other releases will consist of a coupling of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 and Schumann’s Symphony No. 2; a disc of music by Britten, including Robin Holloway’s orchestration of Winter Words; and a programme celebrating Tania León’s tenure as LPO Composer-in-Residence. I understand that further releases will be issued over the course of 2025.
I think it’s arguable that at the time it was written The Bells was Rachmaninov’s most ambitious score to date. Of course, the Second Symphony is a score that is on a very impressive scale indeed but that earlier masterpiece was for orchestra alone. In The Bells Rachmaninov involved not just a full orchestra but also a large SATB choir and three soloists. The work is truly symphonic with thematic cross-references across its four movements. In it Rachmaninov set a poem by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849); it is thought the poem was written in 1848 but it was not published until after Poe’s death. Rachmaninov used a Russian translation by Konstantin Balmont (1867-1942). Poe’s poem apparently fired Rachmaninov’s imagination because, as Stephen Johnson relates in his notes, he received the text as an anonymous gift from a young cellist, Maria Danilova, in 1912 and within a year he had finished this very large-scale setting.
For this 2024 performance Edward Gardner had the services of a Russian soprano, a Ukrainian tenor and a Lithuanian bass-baritone. My Seen and Heard colleague, John Rhodes had the good fortune to be present at the concert, though I only found his review after I’d finished listening to the disc.
Rachmaninov is a little unfair on his soloists in the sense that each of them gets only one chance to shine. The tenor is to the fore in the first movement, ‘The silver sleigh-bells’. In view of the very emotive music that is to follow in the symphony it’s always a mild surprise to me that the opening of this work seems so innocent; but the music soon gathers momentum and I like the urgency that Gardner brings to the proceedings as the orchestra unfolds the introduction. Once the voices enter the music is often full of vitality, though there are episodes of introspection as well. Dmytro Popov has a good ring to his voice and the contribution of the London Philharmonic Choir is full of spirit. The second movement is ‘The mellow wedding bells’. Note the word ‘mellow’: Poe’s poetry is no straightforward nuptial celebration; rather, there’s a pensive tone, which clearly struck a chord with Rachmaninov. The movement is dominated by the soprano soloist and Kristina Mkhitaryan is well-suited to the music. On this evidence, she’s a very intense artist; here, she sings most expressively. Just as impressive is the way the LPO delivers the composer’s wonderfully lyrical orchestral score.
The chorus has the field to itself in the third movement, ‘The loud alarum bells’. Here, the London Philharmonic Choir, whose singing in the first two movements has been excellent, really rise to the challenges that Rachmaninov sets them. Their incisive, dramatic singing conveys the sense of fear in the poetry. The orchestra’s playing is vivid and all in all this is an exciting performance by choir and orchestra, clearly galvanised by Gardner. The Bells reaches its emotional peak in the last movement, ‘The mournful iron bells’. The doleful orchestral introduction is particularly noteworthy for the sinuous cor anglais threnody but when the soloist begins to sing all eyes – and ears – are on him. The Lithuanian bass-baritone, Kostas Smoriginas is ideally cast. He has a big, sonorous yet well-focussed voice; his singing commands attention. The choir and orchestra match his intensity and deliver Rachmaninov’s soulful music very successfully. The short orchestral postlude lifts the gloom to some extent, but even so melancholy prevails. I’m sure this fine performance of The Bells was warmly received by the audience that night, I’m glad applause has been edited out, though; this means that the melancholy spell is not broken.
In the booklet, Stephen Johnson tells us that The Bells “remained one of the composer’s own special favourites” among his works. I’m not surprised; it’s a magnificent creation. However, its companion on this disc, the masterly Symphonic Dances, has become, over time, one of my own great Rachmaninov favourites and I’m delighted to encounter it here. At this point it may be worth making a comment about the recorded sound on this disc. The engineers have done a very good job in both works. However, when I listened to both performances in succession, I found that I needed to reduce the volume a little from the level I used for The Bells if I wanted to get the proper shadowy effect in the second of the Symphonic Dances.
Gardner leads an excellent account of the score. The opening of the first dance is punchy and incisive. At 2:55 Rachmaninov changes gear and treats us to a melancholy lyrical section based on the wonderful soulful melody announced by the saxophone. Here, Gardner achieves excellent flow, allowing the haunting lyricism of the music to speak very directly. The gradual return to the opening material (from 7:46) is skilfully managed. The second dance is aptly described in Anthony Burton’s notes as a “crepuscular waltz”. Perhaps in the acoustic of the Royal Festival Hall, the orchestral sound is a bit too close to allow Rachmaninov’s musical shadow-play to make its optimum effect but, having made that observation, I must immediately concede that the crepuscular effect must be jolly hard for even an orchestra of the LPO’s calibre to achieve in the concert hall. Gardner ensures that the slight hesitations and pulse variations all make their effect. In the closing pages, the subdued, scampering nature of the music comes across very well thanks to the deftness of the playing. The third and final dance is the most virtuosic and exciting. One can hear how demanding it is, even of the finest orchestras and conductors, but when one sees a performance, as I have in a couple of videos, one appreciates the skill needed to obtain the pin-point accuracy this music needs. Such accuracy is achieved by Gardner and the LPO. That said, there’s more to this movement than fast-paced virtuoso writing; almost inevitably, Rachmaninov makes a mid-movement digression into introspection. This soulful episode is well-judged in the present performance. Eventually (at 8:44) Rachmaninov pulls himself out of his nostalgic reverie and returns to the movement’s opening material; what follows is a real work-out for the orchestra. The last three or four minutes are a thrilling experience in the hands of Gardner and the LPO; Gardner drives the music forward urgently to its close and at the very end the tam-tam crash is left to resonate – or, rather, it would be if it were not for the fact that the audience, understandably excited by what they’ve just heard, break out into an immediate ovation.
I retain my loyalty to my two go-to versions of the Symphonic Dances: Vasily Petrenko’s account with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is superb (review) and I share Len Mullenger’s enthusiasm for Vladimir Ashkenazy’s recording with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (review). Both of these are studio performances, though, whereas Gardner has the electricity of a live performance. Furthermore, the accompanying performance of The Bells is very good indeed, even if it doesn’t quite match the incandescence of Evgeny Svetlanov’s electrifying live performance from 2002; that’s a recording which no Rachmaninov devotee should miss (review). This new release has the convenience of offering a most attractive coupling of two of Rachmaninov’s finest scores in excellent performances.
This enticing release is a very good way to mark the twentieth anniversary of the LPO’s own label.
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