This issue illustrates
clearly how Naxos’s current strategy
for releasing discs is working very
well, and benefiting record collectors
and music loving fans alike. Who would
have thought, ten years ago, that a
work like this would have been made
available in excellent sound to a world-wide
audience at budget price. Dmitry Yablonsky
has recorded and issued previous discs
in this series and most have been done
with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra.
On the present disc, recorded live at
a Moscow concert before a very quiet
audience, we have the real McCoy in
the Moscow Philharmonic (in excellent
form) recorded in a very clear ambient
acoustic.
Opinion has it that
Boris Tishchenko is the heir to Shostakovich
and since he was a favourite pupil of
Shostakovich (how many favourite pupils
he must have had!) there must be a link
to the older composer. I do not believe
Tishchenko shares much of Shostakovich’s
sound world except in the sarcastic,
jaunty themes as typified by the first
movement. Tishchenko’s music is his
own, quite distinctive, and well worth
getting to know. It is tonal, reasonably
tuneful and not at all hard work in
listening. With all of the atonal, plink-plonk
sounds around which purport to be music,
as well as soupy film-like scores (a
product of computer driven music boxes)
it is very refreshing to come across
a symphonic composer who appears to
have something genuinely worthwhile
to say.
The symphony starts
with a jaunty little theme, which is
extensively developed by the composer
to encompass many moods on its way.
About half way through this movement
a passage for timpani is further developed
for strings. Where the composer moves
on the string themes are superseded
by glissandi on the brass – very unusual
and extremely powerful.
The second movement
is an interlude, in name only, much
like the second and fourth movements
of Mahler’s 7th are interludes.
This gives the whole symphony a cyclic
feeling. The movement starts with a
call to attention from brass and is
followed by a passage for xylophone
and piano. These shenanigans are brought
to an abrupt conclusion by timpani and
tom-toms. Then the movement climbs down
and is brought to a sudden and violent
conclusion.
The third movement
is slow, and starts with a plaintive
theme for oboe, accompanied by viola
and trombone. The trombone rather gives
the game away, as it soon starts to
exhibit strange behaviour in the form
of discordant slides which somewhat
destroy the thematic development. This
is comparable to the type of disruption
first shown by the side drum in Nielsen’s
5th Symphony. The only minor
disappointment with this movement is
that the themes are not totally memorable
- an opportunity missed. Perhaps, however
it is my ears, rather than the composer
at fault.
The fourth movement
provides me with the lyrical atmosphere
I found missing in the central movement.
Although the themes are disrupted almost
continually, there is a sense of repose
which is highly engaging.
When we reach the finale,
we are back in the skittish sound-world,
with the themes being reinforced with
pulsating percussion. The piccolo is
very evident here which is vaguely reminiscent
of Shostakovich, although the remainder
of the orchestration is most unlike
the older composer.
Throughout, the audience
is absolutely silent apart from the
odd quiet cough, and the typical rustle
between movements. Applause at the conclusion
is faded out fairly quickly by the engineers.
From the details given by Naxos (i.e.
a single recording day date), if they
haven’t had any patching after the performance,
would that we could experience the same
commitment given by this Russian audience.
This is totally in contrast to our designer
coughers, plastic bag rustlers, to say
nothing of constant chatting/mobile
phones that the average audience has
to put up with at the RFH or Barbican
these days.
This is a marvellous
release and should be snapped up by
any music lover in search of a satisfying
musical journey.
John Phillips
see also review
by Colin Clarke
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra/Dmitri Yablonsky.