Svetlanov

6CD set of complete Glazunov Symphonies, and six other orchestral works.

Firma Melodiya presents an album of Maurice Ravel’s symphonic works dedicated to the great French composer’s 135th birthday. “Music, I insist, must in spite of everything be beautiful,” as Ravel declared his artistic credo. When the composer lived, his works were frequently a subject of relentless criticism. He was accused of imitating his contemporaries, compliance with outdated standards and banality. However, Ravel’s music has been loved by millions of listeners for more than half a century now, which lets him take a deserved place in the pantheon of the world’s classical music. Devoting attention to all genres and forms, Ravel had a special predilection to orchestra. Being one of the most important figures of musical impressionism, he was a great master of the instrumental palette. Not he was a stranger to romantically passionate impulses.

Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887—1959), a Brazilian composer, was the first South American composer who has become world-famous. He was also a pianist and a teacher. He left prolific output, including 6 operas, 5 ballets, 12 symphonies, an Operetta, 17 string quartets, a lot of chamber music for various instruments, songs etc., written in varied styles but frequently with pronounced ‘national' flavour. He composed 14 works called "Choros" for various combinations (some including Brazilian native instruments), explaining the title as synthesizing different modalities of Brazilian, South American Indian and popular music, and having for principal elements rhythm and any typical melody of popular character'. His 'Bachianas Brasileiras' are supposed evocations of Bach in a Brazilian spirit.

Hugo Emil Alfvén (1 May 1872 – 8 May 1960) was a Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter. Alfvén was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and studied at the Royal College of Music (Kungliga Musikhögskolan) from 1887 to 1891 with the violin as his main instrument while receiving lessons from Lars Zetterquist. He also took private composition lessons from Johan Lindegren, a leading counterpoint expert. He earned a living by playing the violin at the Royal Opera in Stockholm. He also played the violin in the Royal Swedish Orchestra.

Mars was depicted as ‘headstrong and at times too forceful’; Venus emphasising the ‘affectional and emotional side of her subjects, giving them a keen appreciation of art and beauty’; Mercury with the ‘ability to use the mind in various ways’; Jupiter’s ‘abundance of life and vitality…noble and generous spirit’; Saturn’s ‘slow and steady progress through life; Uranus’ inclination towards the ‘metaphysical and occult…producing eccentric, strange and erratic reactions’; and Neptune being psychically sensitive and attuned to other-worldly experiences.

Firma Melodiya presents a complete set of orchestral music by one of the most influential domestic composers of the 20th century Tikhon Khrennikov. The musician headed the USSR Union of Composers for more than fifty years combining crucial organizational activities with a busy creative and educational work. His compositions were performed by some of the leading orchestras, music theatres and best-known performers of the Soviet Union. Then, due to social and political rather than artistic reasons, many of his works were consigned to oblivion. Today, when time puts everything into place, the best qualities of Tikhon Khrennikov's music return it to the concert bills and listeners' hearts. The composer's bright, Prokofiev-like sunny melodies, simplicity and clarity of the musical language, harmonic originality, and heartwarming and optimistic spirit, which were typical of his style since he was a young man, remained intact in his latter works as well. Khrennikov's prowess of symphonic drama and exquisite understanding of the concert genre and nature of each of the soloing instruments (piano, violin and cello) are needless to mention.