Taneyev, Sergey - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 - Polyansky, Valery
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Taneyev is better known as a pupil of Tchaikovsky who criticised his master for putting ballet music into a
symphony! Soviet musicology has also dwelt more upon the theoretical aspects of the composer’s work, not least
the influence of his huge study, Strict Counterpoint in the Convertible Style. This has meant that many works
which the composer was too self-critical to admit to publication (only the Fourth Symphony was published) were
studiously reconstructed, and recently musicologists and collectors have reassessed the legacy of Taneyev’s music.
Symphony No.1, in E minor was never even performed in Taneyev’s lifetime. Reasonable conjecture suggests that
it was one of many tasks set for the 16-year old student by Tchaikovsky. Taneyev’s orchestration throughout is
melodic and lyrical; the example of Tchaikovsky clearly fired his assistant’s imagination. By the time he
completed his Third Symphony in 1884, Taneyev had taken Tchaikovsky’s place as Professor at the Moscow
Conservatory. There is much of Brahms’s easy-flowing spirit and natural polyphony, within the work, as well as
foreshadowing another Russian symphonist, Glazunov.
Taneyev’s compositional style is characterised by its fastidious craftsmanship, the composer’s inclination to
contrapuntal techniques and his adept handling of large-scale forms. A lone figure in late nineteenth-century
Russian music, he was openly contemptuous of contemporary nationalist composers and his work owes little to
Russian tradition. These premiere recordings make a welcome arrival to the Russian music catalogue.
Glowing reviews of Taneyev’s Symphonies 2 and 4 performed by Russian State Symphony Orchestra:
'This is a striking, and very well-recorded pain of performances, well worth the attention of lovers of Russian music
have not yet encountered the works'
(Gramophone on CHAN 9998)
Russian State Symphony Orchestra/Valeri Polyansky
Sergei Taneyev
Symphony No 1 in E minor
Symphony No 3 in D minor