Album Notes

Symphony #1 in D minor, Op.13 is significant in the creative biography of S. Rachmaninov. The special traits of the musical language typical of the composer are vividly revealed in the symphony. Rachmaninov began composing the symphony in January of 1895; it was completed on August 30th. The symphony was premiered the 15th of March, 1897 in ST. Petersburg under the baton of A. Glazunov. It was not a success. Fifty tears later, on October 17, 1945, the symphony was performed for the second time at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. It was conducted by A. Gauk. The symphony is a tragic story of man’s fight with a fatal force. An old Russian melody serves as a thematic grain and leitmotiv for the symphony. "Vocalise", Op. 34 No. 14 – is one of Rachmaninov's most popular works. It was written in 1915 and dedicated to an outstanding Russian singer, A. Nezhdanova. Artistic perfection, extraordinary plasticity and beauty of a melancholic melody, and lucidity rate the work among the best samples of the world’s vocal literature.