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A great opportunity to get to know charismatic Russian conductor Alexander Gauk. Once again an issue of 10 CD’s box with a multitude of interesting recordings from the Russian radio archives. Gauk was also a composer, but is probably better known for his orchestral arrangements. Especially the one of Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, included in this set.
Gauk was also the one who reconstructed the score of Rachmaninoff’s first piano concerto from the parts in 1945. Thus enabling further performances after its disastrous première in 1897. He did have a preference for Russian music which distinctly shows itself here with eight out of ten CD’s devoted exclusively to Russian composers.
Some of the most prominent conductors were once pupils of Alexander Gauk’s: e.g. Evgeny Mravinsky († 1988) and Evgeny Sveltanov. Gauk, who died in 1963, was one of those talented Russian musicians who rarely had the opportunity to taste life on the other side of the Iron Curtain. His fame, however, did reach the West indeed.
Apart from some today well-known symphonies by Shostakovich (no.’s 5 and 11) and the afore mentioned The Seasons, this Gauk Edition comprises such hardly performed works like those by Arensky, Balakirev (Islamey), Myaskovsky (Symphony no. 17) and even Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Track listing:
CD 1
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No. 5 in D minor Op. 47
SERGEY RACHMANINOV
3 Russian Folk Songs, for Chorus & Orchestra Op. 41
SPRING, Cantata for Baritone, Chorus & Orchestra Op. 20
CD 2
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No. 11 in G minor Op. 103, “The Year 1905”
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
The Song of Oleg the Wise Op.58(Pesn’ o veshchem Olege),for 2 male voices, men’s chorus & Orchestra
CD 3
ARAM KHACHATURIAN
SPARTACUS Suite
MIKHAIL GLINKA
Premiere Polka, in B flat major
Kamarinskaya
CD 4
ARAM KHACHATURIAN
Symphony No. 1 in E minor
MIKHAIL GLINKA
”Memory of Friendship”,Theme & Variations on Nocturne in F major of Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Patriotic Song
CD 5
NIKOLAI MYASKOVSKY
Symphony No. 17 in G sharp minor Op. 41
SERGEY PROKOFIEV
Flourish, Mighty Homeland Op. 114, Cantata for Chorus & Orchestra
Russian Overture Op. 72
NIKOLAI PAVLOVICH IVANOV-RADKEVICH
Russian Overture
CD 6
PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY
The Seasons, 10 excerpts, Op. 37
MILI BALAKIREV:
Islamey (orchestration Alfredo Casella)
ALEXANDER GLAZUNOV
Spring, Musical Picture in D major Op. 34
Waltz in D major Op. 42 No. 3
ANTON STEPANOVICH ARENSKY
March, in memory of Suvorov
In the Fields, from: Characteristic Pieces for Piano, Op. 36 No. 24
Waltz in F major, from: 6 Children’s Pieces Op. 34
CD 7
PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY
HAMLET, incidental music for soprano, baritone & orchestra, Op. 67a
FATUM, Tone-poem for orchestra Op. Posth. 77
CD 8
PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY
SNEGOUROTCHKA, SNOW MAIDEN, incidental music to the Ostrovsky Play, Op. 12
CD 9
FRANZ LISZT
Eine Faust-Symphonie/Faust Symphony, version without chorus
PAUL DUKAS
L’apprenti sorcier (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice)
CD 10
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Overture Coriolan
FELIX MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY
Overture Ruy Blas
GEORGES BIZET
Patrie, Overture Op. 19
ALFREDO CASELLA
Italia, Rapsodia per orchestra
GEORGE ENESCU
Romanian Rhapsody No. 1
DARIUS MILHAUD
Suite Provencale
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