Rachmaninov: The Bells, Op. 35 / Taneyev: John of Damascus, Op. 1

Rachmaninov: The Bells, Op. 35 / Taneyev: John of Damascus, Op. 1

Rachmaninov: The Bells, Op. 35 / Taneyev: John of Damascus, Op. 1
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CD Details

Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov
Composer: Sergei Taneyev
Conductor: Mikhail Pletnev
Performer: Moscow State Chamber Choir
Edition: Music CD
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2001-04-02
Music Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Soundtracks:
  1. The Bells, Op.35: I. Allegro, Ma Non Tanto - Marina Mescheriakova/Sergei Larin/Vladimir Chernov
  2. The Bells, Op.35: II. Lento - Adagio - Marina Mescheriakova/Sergei Larin/Vladimir Chernov
  3. The Bells, Op.35: III. Presto - Marina Mescheriakova/Sergei Larin/Vladimir Chernov
  4. The Bells, Op.35: IV. Lento Lugubre - Allegro - Andante - Marina Mescheriakova/Sergei Larin/Vladimir Chernov
  5. John Of Damascus, Op.1: I. Adagio Ma Non Troppo - The Moscow State Chm Chor/Vladimir Minin
  6. John Of Damascus, Op.1: II. Andante Sostenuto - (Attacca) - The Moscow State Chm Chor/Vladimir Minin
  7. John Of Damascus, Op.1: III. Fuga. Allegro - Moderato - The Moscow State Chm Chor/Vladimir Minin

Music reviews of Rachmaninov: The Bells, Op. 35 / Taneyev: John of Damascus, Op. 1

Music Review: Probably the best choice, for now
Rating: 4 Stars

Mikhail Pletnev enjoyed a honeymoon with Western listeners around the time of the emergence of the new Russia, putting together a polished orchestra that was like a breath of fresh air compared to the usual crude Soviet ensemble. But he was overpraised as a conductor, perhaps as an afterglow from his superlative piano playing. This 2001 account of The Bells from 2001 was the capstone of his Rachmaninov cycle. It offers refined orchestral work, excellent vocal soloists, a smallish but superior chorus, and a blessed lack of Soviet punch and crudeness. This last point is especially important. The composer was the epitome of a White Russian aristocrat, in no way a Red Russian comrade. He felt much closer to the French Symbolistes than to a Siberian potato commune.

We spent decades hearing his exquisite "choral symphony" from 1913 filtered through a hearty, at times bombastic sensibility. Pletnev reverses that misrepresentation. The Bells is very difficult to bring off. It requires, without a doubt, a Russian chorus and soloists. Each movement has its own mood, roughly following Poe's four-part poem. In the original, the bells are tinkly and silver, then golden and joyous, brazen and terrifying, and finally iron and demonic. Rachmaninov keeps to this ground plan fairly roughly, transposing the four moods into the ages of man from birth to death. It's a viable adaptation, and he conjures something of Poe's eerie aestheticism and perverse love of death in the finale, which defies convention by being very slow. The rest has little relationship to Poe's versification and unique sound world.

Rachmaninov put his ultimate skill as an orchestrator into this work, in keeping with two other choral symphonies, Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde and Zemlinsky's Lyric Sym., both triumphs of orchestration. It is also as sumptuous as its kin, and perhaps more coloristic than either. We are lounging in a purple haze, voluptuously bathed in Rachmaninov's slithery harmonies. I cannot fault the notable Russian tenor, Sergei Larin, or the equally impressive baritone, Vladimir Chernov, whose appearances in the first and last movement are more important than the soprano's in the second movement, where Marina Mescheriakova is lovely but not entirely memorable. The chamber chorus sings strongly, and although Pletnev has chosen the simplified alternative score for the Scherzo, I don't feel a huge loss (the Gramophone critic did).

In the end, there's something a bit too safe about Pletnev's direction. We still need for a Gergiev, Petrenko, or Jurowski to do full justice to this elusive yet very beautiful work. Petnev's illustrious predecessors, Svetlanov and Kondrahsin, produced readings in the Soviet mold and were given bad Soviet-era sound. Among Western recordings, the Decca one with Ashkenazy looks promising and features a sterling solo from Tom Krause in the finale, but the conducting is disjointed and ham-handed by turns. No, Pletnev will have to do for now while we wait to see if someone can expose The Bells as an unblemished masterpiece.
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Description of Rachmaninov: The Bells, Op. 35 / Taneyev: John of Damascus, Op. 1

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Rachmaninov allegedly considered The Bells to be his best work, and it is not difficult to hear why. Written in 1913, it has a freshness of invention that is irresistible. Perhaps the text (an adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe poem) struck a chord with this composer's sensibilities: different bells symbolize different facets of existence. The piece deserves more frequent airing, and it is to be hoped that Mikhail Pletnev and his Russian forces help raise awareness of it. The soloists are superb (Mescheriakova is particularly impressive), but the real star is the Moscow State Chamber Choir. This is a worthy companion to Pletnev's accounts of Rachmaninov orchestral works. Also included is a piece by Sergei Taneyev, a composer who should be more widely appreciated. Too often castigated in the textbooks for being overly academic, his works nevertheless demonstrate a creative originality that has immediate appeal. The cantata John of Damascus is something of a find. The Russian National Orchestra creates a superbly chilly atmosphere in the first movement, and once again the choir triumphs with fervent singing that conveys belief in the quality of this music. The Bells ranks as a fine modern performance, but the Taneyev might prove even more fascinating. --Colin Clarke

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