Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2

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In this warmly recorded release, John Wilson appears to get the balance just right. There’s plenty of heft as well as requisite warmth in the big orchestral climaxes, for instance near the end... — BBC Music Magazine, June 2023, 5 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 31st Mar 2023
Catalogue No: CHSA5309
Label: Chandos
Length: 64 minutes

Presto Recording of the Week

7th April 2023

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Rachmaninoff: Prelude Op. 3 No. 2 in C sharp minor

Work length4:32

$1.05

$1.30

$1.60

Orch. by Stokowski
Sinfonia of London
John Wilson

Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

Work length59:34

Album only

Sinfonia of London
John Wilson

I. Largo

Track length21:39

Album only

II. Allegro molto

Track length9:09

$1.60

$1.95

$2.40

III. Adagio

Track length14:15

$2.15

$2.60

$3.20

IV. Allegro vivace

Track length14:31

$2.15

$2.60

$3.20

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Recording of the Week, John Wilson conducts Rachmaninoff

7th April 2023

The spotlight is squarely on the strings on this clear-eyed, almost Classical account of Rachmaninoff's 1908 symphony, with balance and restraint the order of the day until the final few minutes of the piece...

John Wilson and Sinfonia of London release their second album of Rachmaninoff. The Second Symphony was mostly composed in Dresden – where Rachmaninoff was escaping the political and professional pressures of Russia – in 1906 – 07. An hour’s worth of music, the symphony is one of his largest works after the operas, and is widely viewed as one of his greatest works. It was possibly of some significance to the composer, following the less than auspicious début of his First Symphony (which he withdrew after the première). First performed in St Petersburg and Moscow, conducted by the composer, the Second Symphony was an immediate success with audiences and critics alike, and remains a mainstay of the orchestral repertoire to this day. Rachmaninoff dedicated the score to his teacher Sergei Taneyev, who was a pupil of Tchaikovsky. Rachmaninoff composed the Prélude in C sharp minor in 1892, originally for piano, at the beginning of his career. Stokowski’s orchestration, performed here, whilst not the only one in existence, is certainly the best known and arguably the most successful.

Reviews

June 2023

In this warmly recorded release, John Wilson appears to get the balance just right. There’s plenty of heft as well as requisite warmth in the big orchestral climaxes, for instance near the end of the slow movement, or in the triumphant coda to the Finale. But Wilson is careful not to overplay his hand, ensuring that the levels of intensity are judiciously calibrated.

March 2023

This orchestra is never fazed by any technical challenge and its precision is a joy… The excellence of the sound allows us to revel in both the colours of the composer’s orchestration and the virtuosity of the players here.

7th April 2023

The strings of Sinfonia of London are one of the wonders of today’s orchestral world, and Wilson and the Chandos engineering team throw the spotlight squarely on them for large stretches of a work where we’re often used to hearing the brass take centre-stage. The two central movements in particular have an almost Classical poise here, which reminded me that works like Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony were just around the corner.

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Recording of the Week, John Wilson conducts Rachmaninoff

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