Myaskovsky

[Sunhillow]

A good friend of Prokofiev, Russian composer Nikolai Myaskovsky (1881-1950) never quite reached the heights of for instance Shostakovich, Stravinsky or Prokofiev, yet his material revealed to me as a kind of 'sleeper' of 20th century classical music. Main problem with this composer is the fact that he wrote a daunting 27 symphonies, each of the length of a good Bruckner or Mahler-symphony.

But as I for years loved his sole Violin Concerto and his sole Cello Concerto, I figured I MUST also like his symphonies. So I bought this box:

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And then I forced myself to listen to 1 cd for a whole week, which took me indeed 16 weeks. This has proven to be one of the wisest decisions I've done musically, for each and every symphony is worth the time and effort to some extend. I'm nowhere near the end of my exploration though. Although I've now touched and recognize every symphony when I hear it, I still couldn't tell you the difference between symphony no. 12 and 19 except while listening to it. Yet it's a great discovery-path on which I expect to be surprised as I keep on listening to these symphonies.

I'm curious to know if other persons on the forum have taken the time to plunge into these symphonies, or are planning to do so.

Here's an example, one I've highly enjoyed today, symphony no. 5:



And for those who are not familiar with the music of Myaskovsky, here's a part of his amazing VC:

[Crystal Plumage]

Quite a bold move, to just try and like his symphonies.. But the two clips sound very intriguing.
For less than €2,50 per CD it's a bargain!

[Fracktured]

I have a few of his symphonies. I've been considering purchasing this box set to complete them. I love what I have by him including a great cello concerto.

Rick

[gregory]

If some King Crimson lovers would check his Sinfonietta in A minor, Op.68, No 2, I think they can discover some recognition)

[Sunhillow]

I have a few of his symphonies. I've been considering purchasing this box set to complete them. I love what I have by him including a great cello concerto.

Rick

Well, go for it. Let me know if you've bought it! The liner notes are a disaster. It seems two symphonies are missing, yet two 'no 8' 's are listed. Of course, you'll soon figure out what the deal is. More important is the music, which is very good to quite awesome. The first disc starts of with symphony no. 1 and no. 25, two enormous masterpieces from which I collect a lot of satisfaction. And that's just the first album of the 16!