Reinhold Gliere (1875-1956)

[Brian]

Track timings now available for the new Naxos recording - here's the PDF of the back cover of the CD! Several minutes faster than the old Johanos recording, and faster yet than Downes on Chandos.

[vandermolen]

On the basis of JoAnn Falletta's excellent recent Moeran CD, I shall greatly look forward to hearing her take on the Gliere. I was very lucky to hear it live some years ago in London.

[vandermolen]

"The Glière Symphony No. 3 has always been a piece that shimmered on my horizon – a cult piece, in a way, renowned as the composer's towering masterpiece but rarely played in concert. As long as a Mahler symphony and enormous in its instrumental requirements, it was a work that people spoke about reverently but almost never heard live. The recording was an adventure that changed our orchestra, strengthened us, and became an artistic benchmark for our musicians. We revelled in the gorgeous landscape of the Symphony – from mysterious bass murmurings to crushing walls of brass fortissimo to breathtaking impressionistic renderings of forests and birds. We performed and recorded this massive work uncut to preserve Glière's extraordinary architecture. This work is a cathedral in sound that unfolds in breathtaking swashes of colour, poetry and monumental climaxes." – JoAnn Falletta

Scheduled for release February 2014

I have greatly enjoyed this new release. A super performance and recording by JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo PO. The ancient church chant, played, as the notes say, by a pleading bassoon and English horn near the start of the work is more affecting and Boris Godunov-like than I recall from other recordings and, it is all on one CD unlike the Regis version for example. The epic battle of the last movement - the best music in the symphony I think, when Muromets battles the armies of Heaven is as exciting as any other version. If you want a recording of this sprawling epic I think that this would be as good as any version. The Moeran and Gliere Naxos new releases have given me a lot of pleasure and I shall be looking out for more recordings by JoAnn Falletta.

[Karl Henning]

I have greatly enjoyed this new release. A super performance and recording by JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo PO. The ancient church chant, played, as the notes say, by a pleading bassoon and English horn near the start of the work is more affecting and Boris Godunov-like than I recall from other recordings and, it is all on one CD unlike the Regis version for example. The epic battle of the last movement - the best music in the symphony I think, when Muromets battles the armies of Heaven is as exciting as any other version. If you want a recording of this sprawling epic I think that this would be as good as any version. The Moeran and Gliere Naxos new releases have given me a lot of pleasure and I shall be looking out for more recordings by JoAnn Falletta.

Cheers, Jeffrey, thanks for this.  I think I'll give this one a try!

[PerfectWagnerite]

I advise anyone new to this work to steer well clear of Botstein's and Stokowski's truncated recordings of the piece.

The Botstein/LSO is supposed to be complete. Do you hear cuts in it?

Th Downes/BBC version is on Youtube with the score that you can follow along. It is a bit hard to see but if you have a big enough screen you can almost make out the notes.

[Sergeant Rock]

The Botstein/LSO is supposed to be complete. Do you hear cuts in it?

Th Downes/BBC version is on Youtube with the score that you can follow along. It is a bit hard to see but if you have a big enough screen you can almost make out the notes.

Dude! ...where have you been for the last three years?

Sarge

[PerfectWagnerite]

Dude! ...where have you been for the last three years?

Sarge

Sorry, had a couple of job changes due to the ever-changing economy here in the NYC metro area. Suffice to say job duties prevent me from being on this forum very much. Good to see all the old-timers are still here.

[Sergeant Rock]

Sorry, had a couple of job changes due to the ever-changing economy here in the NYC metro area. Suffice to say job duties prevent me from being on this forum very much. Good to see all the old-timers are still here.

And it's good to have you back 

Sarge

[Scion7]

Has anyone ever read why he changed his last name from the German form to a French-sounding one?

A composer of German-Polish parents born in Kiev who spoke Russian changes his last name to sound French.   

[mc ukrneal]

Has anyone ever read why he changed his last name from the German form to a French-sounding one?

A composer of German-Polish parents born in Kiev who spoke Russian changes his last name to sound French.   

French was popular in the court in those days (language, fashion, etc.), so it may have been linked to that.

[vandermolen]

Has anyone ever read why he changed his last name from the German form to a French-sounding one?

A composer of German-Polish parents born in Kiev who spoke Russian changes his last name to sound French.   

Could it be connected with his Jewish origins? Don't know when he changed his name though.

[Scion7]

Jewish?  He was baptized when born. I've never read anything that said his parents were Jews. 

[relm1]

I was just listening to Igor Markevitch's recording of Liadov's "From the Apocalypse, op. 66" and felt an incredible kinship between this work and Gliere's Ilia Muromets (No. 3).  I also realized that Muromets was actually written before the Liadov so my first question is who influenced who?  Are these two separate composers who did not influence each other and miraculously arrived and a simultaneous influence from Rimsky-korsakov's late opera and mid/late Scriabin?  This is a very important period in late romantic Russian music because the seeds of Scriabin, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky's lush and violent pre-soviet music is in these evocative works.

[Mirror Image]

I was just listening to Igor Markevitch's recording of Liadov's "From the Apocalypse, op. 66" and felt an incredible kinship between this work and Gliere's Ilia Muromets (No. 3).  I also realized that Muromets was actually written before the Liadov so my first question is who influenced who?  Are these two separate composers who did not influence each other and miraculously arrived and a simultaneous influence from Rimsky-korsakov's late opera and mid/late Scriabin?  This is a very important period in late romantic Russian music because the seeds of Scriabin, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky's lush and violent pre-soviet music is in these evocative works.

I'm not going to make a serious speculation but I doubt that Lyadov knew of Gliere's Symphony No. 3 "Ilya Muromets". Lyadov was already a fully formed composer, although, of course, a lazy one, by the time he composed From the Apocalypse. But still, I think any similarities between the works that you're hearing is purely coincidental.

[vandermolen]

Jewish?  He was baptized when born. I've never read anything that said his parents were Jews. 

Sorry to be replying to this so late; some sources describe him as of 'Belgian-Jewish descent' but obviously if he was baptised he wasn't Jewish. Maybe he had some Jewish relatives - who knows? Thank you for the info.

[vandermolen]

I was just listening to Igor Markevitch's recording of Liadov's "From the Apocalypse, op. 66" and felt an incredible kinship between this work and Gliere's Ilia Muromets (No. 3).  I also realized that Muromets was actually written before the Liadov so my first question is who influenced who?  Are these two separate composers who did not influence each other and miraculously arrived and a simultaneous influence from Rimsky-korsakov's late opera and mid/late Scriabin?  This is a very important period in late romantic Russian music because the seeds of Scriabin, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky's lush and violent pre-soviet music is in these evocative works.

I'm not sure about this either but I see what you mean about the Liadov/Gliere connection; both composers whom I admire.

[cilgwyn]

Is this from the DG cd? I presume it is. Some fantastic recordings on there,including R-K's The Golden Cockerel-Suite and Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini. I think the Markevitch Liadov is my favourite recording after Svetlanov's on Melodiya (or next to?!) I can see what you mean in terms of the general atmosphere of the piece;but Gliere's score is obviously more varied and quite a bit longer!
Incidentally,my old Penguin guide (to compact discs and cassettes) tells me that Miaskovsky's third symphony "is an epic,ambitious work,conceived in a grand manner and cast in two long movements;it's world is close to that of Gliere's Ilya Mourmetz Symphony." Is that true? I've never heard it. Maybe vandermolen (or someone else) will know?!

[relm1]

Is this from the DG cd? I presume it is. Some fantastic recordings on there,including R-K's The Golden Cockerel-Suite and Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini. I think the Markevitch Liadov is my favourite recording after Svetlanov's on Melodiya (or next to?!) I can see what you mean in terms of the general atmosphere of the piece;but Gliere's score is obviously more varied and quite a bit longer!
Incidentally,my old Penguin guide (to compact discs and cassettes) tells me that Miaskovsky's third symphony "is an epic,ambitious work,conceived in a grand manner and cast in two long movements;it's world is close to that of Gliere's Ilya Mourmetz Symphony." Is that true? I've never heard it. Maybe vandermolen (or someone else) will know?!

Yes, that is the CD.  It is good!  I typically think of Liadov to be very conservative but in this work, Fragment from the Apocalypse, there seems to be some really interesting era transitions.  For instance the orchestration is unusual - 2 sets of timpani and 2 tubas for example.  Which darkens the colors and adds to the sense of darkness plus those building climaxes with percussion playing their own (just like Gliere's bass drum + tam-tam climaxes).  Also the poly-chord at the end of Liadov (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw7YXNXaaYk&feature=player_detailpage#t=496) at 8:20 of this recording has G augmented and F Augmented at the same time.  Very Stravinsky-esque and Prokofievian!!

I do agree Myaskovsky's Symphony No. 3 also has a similar esthetic to the Gliere No. 3 in its heavy reliance on low register tremolos and brassy heroics.  It feels programmatic and nostalgic. 

[vandermolen]

Is this from the DG cd? I presume it is. Some fantastic recordings on there,including R-K's The Golden Cockerel-Suite and Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini. I think the Markevitch Liadov is my favourite recording after Svetlanov's on Melodiya (or next to?!) I can see what you mean in terms of the general atmosphere of the piece;but Gliere's score is obviously more varied and quite a bit longer!
Incidentally,my old Penguin guide (to compact discs and cassettes) tells me that Miaskovsky's third symphony "is an epic,ambitious work,conceived in a grand manner and cast in two long movements;it's world is close to that of Gliere's Ilya Mourmetz Symphony." Is that true? I've never heard it. Maybe vandermolen (or someone else) will know?!

I agree that Miaskovsky's Third Symphony, his first really excellent one in my view, has echoes of Gliere. It also sounds a bit like Cesar Frank's Symphony. Miaskovsky's Third Symphony ends in the deepest gloom, rather like the Gliere - which appeals to me.

[cilgwyn]

Thank you for your reply. Sounds very intriguing,and tempting,vandermolen! Unfortunately,as usual,for me anyway,the prospect and expense of a further twenty five symphonies that aren't in my collection (got two No's 21!) may prove too much!