Run of The Mill

Vladimir Scherbachov was a big name in his day, at least in the Soviet Union. It is easy to dismiss his work today as run-of-the-mill Socialist realism, but the two works on this disc show the composer at the top of his game, and while there is a slight tendency toward officially sanctioned blandness, they are still well worth a listen. The Fifth Symphony is completely tonal but it is quite a roller-coaster, two quite lyrical movements, the first and third, are all elegant woodwind solos and calm string passages, while the second and fourth are in a more dramatic/heroic mould. The stylistic influences and constraints on this music are quite difficult to pin down. The Socialist realism policies of the Soviet Union led to music emulating the styles of the Russian late-Romantics. While this was anachronistic for composers of Shostakovich’s generation, …….

Gavin Dixon @ musicweb-international.com