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Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3

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Following acclaimed LSO Live recordings of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No 2 and Symphonic Dances, Valery Gergiev conducts a scintillating account of the powerfully emotional Third Symphony, framed with a work by one of the Mighty Five; Balakirev’s Russia. 

Rachmaninoff's third and final symphony was composed nearly 20 years after the composer’s emigration from his homeland. Often considered to be his most overtly Russian symphony, Rachmaninoff makes subtle use of a motto theme which appears throughout the work and can be heard in the finale as a variant of the Dies Irae plainchant – a melodic tag used in Rachmaninov’s music as a dark reminder of mortality. 

Russia, the epic symphonic poem, is a reworking of an Overture on Russian Themes, collected during Balakirev’s expedition up through the Volga. It was composed in 1864 and is based on three folksongs – a slow wedding song and two round-dances which are varied, fragmented and combined throughout the piece. 

Composers Sergei Rachmaninoff, Mily Balakirev
Conductor Valery Gergiev
Performers London Symphony Orchestra

Symphony No. 3
1. I. Lento – Allegro moderato – Allegro
2. II. Adagio ma non troppo – Allegro vivace
3. III. Allegro – Allegro vivace – Allegro (Tempo primo) – Allegretto – Allegro vivace
4. Russia 

Release Date 28 August 2015
LSO0779 | 822231177920

Producer James Mallinson
Engineers Classic Sound Ltd
Recorded November 2014, Barbican, London

DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording

Booklet in English, French & German

FLAC - 24bit 96kHz - Compatible with Windows and Android devices
MP3 - 320kbps - Universal compatibility
SACD - Compatible with all CD players

Available on streaming services

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Reviews

“

Performance: ***** Recording: ***** ‘Valery Gergiev and the LSO capture the score’s expressive beauty, and also the sense of its transience as chill winter encroaches…Truly magical.’

- BBC Music Magazine
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'A five star performance from Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra.’

- Classic FM Full Works Concert
“

‘This spacious, beautifully detailed account of Rachmaninov’s Third Symphony and the Balakirev were recorded live during Gergiev’s Rachmaninov retrospective in November last year. The band is on its best form, the playing imbued with affection and nostalgia as well as verve and drive.’

- The Sunday Times