Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances/The Bells

Sergei Rachmaninoff (Composer), Kiril Kondrashin (Conductor), Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Kiril Kondrashin
• Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff
• Audio CD (March 26, 1996)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003ETI
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,039 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: Non allegro

2. Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: Andante con moto (Tempo di Valse)

3. Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: Lento assai - Allegro vivace - Lento assai come prima

4. The Bells, Op. 35: The Silver Sleigh Bells - Allegro, ma non tanto

5. The Bells, Op. 35: The Mellow Wedding Bells - Lento

6. The Bells, Op. 35: The Loud Alarum Bells - Presto

7. The Bells, Op. 35: The Mournful Iron Bells - Lento lugubre

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most convincing Symphonic Dances on CD, May 7, 1999

By 

Anonymous (California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances/The Bells (Audio CD)

If you want to understand Rachmaninov's last masterpiece -- the Symphonic Dances -- you must listen to this CD. Kondrashin brings out the latent emotional power of the Dances in a way no-one else does. Others, for example Ashkenzy, play this music as a mere orchestral display piece. Kondrashin makes it heard-rending.

The Bells is also an excellent performance, but here the weird Soviet engineering (fully acceptable in the Dances) is more of a problem, with its spotlight on solo singers, and problems with the loudest passages.

But this CD is essential in any Rachmaninov collection.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hold On To Your Mind, July 27, 2000

By 

Michael Newberry (Santa Monica) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances/The Bells (Audio CD)

This Symphonic Dances, for me, is the best version hands down! And that "hands down" is delivered with a thunderous slam on the table. Kondrashin's conducting is deliciously wild, erotic, pathetic, glorious, cataclysmic, and catastrophic. He keeps a Toscanini-like command of the structure of the whole piece. He weaves in and out of big phrases, being tender one moment and aggressively stretching the limits of the music in other parts, and throughout the hauntingly gorgeous melodies are inflicted onto us. In the last minutes of the piece the music builds up so much passion, tension, and raw energy, becomes so orgasmic, that the sweep absolutely obliterates understanding, and the whole concept crashes into chaos.

The Previn and Ashkenazy versions are anemic by comparison. The sound is quite good for a '63 recording, and the included Bells is equally great except for the disappointing soprano.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular, thrilling...Noisey!, August 6, 2007

By 

vmzfla "vince819" (Orlando, Fl.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances/The Bells (Audio CD)

No one can doubt the true Russian authority of these early 1960s performances by Kondrashin and the Moscow Philharmonic. Judging by the high Amazon prices, it is surely a rare collectors item. Beware before buying that BMG decidedly through enhanced remastering, attempts to bill it as a sonic-blockbuster. To Rachmaninov's credit, he took the romanticism of the 19th century and powerfully launches it into the 20th century. Rachmaninov's last work, "Symphonic Dances"(1940)is actually a consumation of quotations from some of his other important compositions. The recording though vivid suffers from shrillness and is uneven in detail and balance throughout but is most evident in the 3rd. movement finale. "The Bells"(1913) a choral symphony with words by Edgar Allan Poe, does not do much better. Orchestra and soloists are projected forward, so the sound ends up in your lap! The composer takes the listener through an ingenious musical romp from cradle to grave. Each movement relying on a different kind of bell, ie. silver, gold etc. The last movement is most subdued, depicting the feel of heavenly ascension after death. This is not a bad recording, but a more subtle digital remastering process would have been a benefit. The historic value of keeping Kiril Kondrashin in the catalogue may warrant an additional star.