Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Symphony No. 2, Op. 27 in E minor (1906-1907)
Ural Philharmonic Orchestra/Dmitry Liss
rec. 2021, Grand Hall of Sverdlovsk Philharmonic, Yekaterinburg, Russia
Fuga Libera FUG816 [57]
Recorded to mark the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninov’s birth, this is the third release in a series from this fine Russian orchestra on Fuga Libera. Another commemorative issue on this label being released later this year will feature Rachmaninov’s choral works with the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Choir. I was impressed by the Ural Philharmonic’s earlier recordings of Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto and Second Symphony and of Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony – all under their Music Director Dmitry Liss. I first became acquainted with this orchestra two years ago when they hosted a festival celebrating the neglected Russian composer Nikolay Myaskovsky (1881-1950), in which Liss led a tremendous performance of the Sixth Symphony.
When Russian orchestras used regularly to tour Europe, it was usually the Moscow or St Petersburg ensembles that visited our concert halls. Russia’s regional orchestral standards have risen dramatically, through the acquisition of new instruments and increased funding. Yekaterinburg is at the heart of a huge industrial area, and this wealth has led to the building of a new state-of-the-art concert hall. This recording was made following a very fine performance of the symphony at a subscription concert which is available on the internet.
Just a few weeks ago, I visited the house where Rachmaninov and his family lived in Dresden and where he wrote the Second Symphony. Today, long after the building was burnt down, the new modern house is surrounded by tall trees and flowers; nearby, are woods and the verdant banks of the River Elbe, and it is not difficult to see how nature helped the Russian composer recover from the depression after the failure of his First Symphony. It seems that Rachmaninov’s years in Dresden were happy ones; he also wrote his orchestral poem the Isle of the Dead, and the First Piano Sonata there.
The opening Largo, starts with dark tones on low strings, and like a reprieve from a great sorrow, the violins open the secondary theme, as if the sun were breaking through dark clouds. Here, the opulent strings perceptibly expose the rich harmonies of the score. Liss handles the tender shift to Allegro moderato with sensitivity and firm control. The woodwind evince brighter colours, and the strings are gloriously passionate and reflective in a warmer, more joyous passage. A solo from the violin and the clarinet initiates thundery passion, and the brass amplify the tensions to the climax on cymbals. The strings’ rising and falling harmonies are broken only by the elegant woodwind, augmented by dulcet tones of the solo horn, before the brass bring the movement to a jubilant conclusion.
The second movement, Allegro molto, opens thrillingly on the strings, and the second idea is as if suddenly the rays of the sun are falling upon a forest glade – then a sudden crash on percussion brings us to a different world of drama and uncertainty. The third movement, Adagio, opens with a great stirring idea on the eloquent strings that is interrupted only by a clarinet solo – supported by the oboe singing like a plaintive voice, prior to the strings reprise the main theme. The finale, Allegro vivace, opens with an excitingly joyous outburst – as if emerging from a world of hopelessness. Liss drives his musicians, aided by his virtuoso woodwind, and handles the build-up to the climax superbly, bringing the symphony to a life-affirming and celebratory culmination.
Of course, there are alternative versions of this symphony, and certainly those by Previn, Ashkenazy, and Jansons are among the finest, yet this new disc from the Urals offers a fresh and highly polished account in a superbly clear recording. I think only the recent version from the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra under Alexander Sladkovsky can rival this Yekaterinburg recording, although it is available only as a download.
This release is in the form of a cardboard multi-fold issue with colour and black and white photos of the orchestra and conductor with a 14-page booklet in Russian, English and French texts by Yelena Krivonogova about the composer, music and the artists.
Gregor Tassie
Previous review: Ralph Moore (May 2023)
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