Myaskovsky, Cello Sonata No. 1 Nikolai Myaskovsky (1881-1950) holds a prominent place in Russian music of the early 20th century, although he is somewhat in the shadow of Shostakovich and Prokofiev. He was born in Novogeorgiyevsk (Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki) near Warsaw, a fortress town on … Read more
Cui, Cinq Petit Duos, Op. 56 The simple charm of these short works, five little duos by César Cui, has tempted me to add them to our collection of A Child’s Treasure of Music. I confess to knowing little of Cui’s music, but in that … Read more
Sviridov, Snowstorm I came to know the music of Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov (1915-1998) almost entirely through Professor Carol. One of her best lectures preceded a concert in the Van Cliburn Series by the late Russian singer Dmitri Hvorostovky. He was performing Sviridov’s song cycle Russia … Read more
Borodin, Polovtsian Dances At the death of Alexander Borodin (1833-1887), his opera Prince Igor remained unfinished. The opera would be completed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov in 1890, and other “completions” would be made as well. The opera has since worked its way into … Read more
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 6 I’m not a big reader of composer biographies. It always seemed to me more productive simply to dive into the music, which was the real focus of my interest. Of course, it’s useful to know something about the circumstances of the … Read more
Shostakovich, Festive Overture I have decided to listen to more Shostakovich for awhile. No, it’s not exactly my Lenten discipline. After all, I really like Shostakovich, so it doesn’t involve any sacrifice. I used to enjoy a steady diet of his music, collecting and learning … Read more
Khachaturian, Waltz from Masquerade The Russian/Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) might be the poster-child for the Soviet arts policy. Although he was briefly denounced in 1948 along with Shostakovich and Prokofiev, that move has generally been attributed to “guilt by association,” and he quickly regained … Read more
Kabalevsky, Colas Breugnon Overture I promised flash and bang for this week, and here it is. The Soviet composer Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987) wrote quite a lot of energetic music, and this overture is among his best known. Arturo Toscanini conducted it often and, since Toscanini … Read more
Glinka, Viola Sonata in D Minor (1st movement) Rodney Dangerfield might say the viola gets no respect. That’s not quite true, but the viola does not enjoy much time in the limelight. It has become the subject of numerous jokes among musicians: What is the … Read more
Tchaikovsky, The Seasons (“May – Starlit Nights”) The changing seasons have inspired numerous compositions. Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons comes to mind immediately, and also Fanny Mendelssohn’s Das Jahr. Last week we featured Johann Strauss’s Frühlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring). Spring seems a particularly popular theme: Copland’s Appalachian … Read more
