This is a perfectly planned Rachmaninov orchestral music CD, offering works that span his entire career, from his first major orchestral piece, the Tchaikovskian tone poem The Rock, to his fully characteristic maturity in The Isle of the Dead, and culminating in the instrumental sophistication and hard-edged glitter of his last big project, the Symphonic Dances. Happily, the performances are just as wonderful as the programming concept.
Vasily Petrenko digs deep into the Symphonic Dances right from the initial outburst. He seems to have figured out the first movement’s puzzling “non allegro” marking particularly well, finding a bracing tempo that doesn’t compromise rhythmic accent. The second-movement waltz features an amazing range of tempo within a phrase, but Petrenko never sounds mannered or loses the pulse. The finale blazes, particularly in the closing pages, while the moody central interlude never sags. Through it all the orchestra plays magnificently: velvet strings, clean and clear winds, powerful brass, and crisp percussion.
The two tone poems are just as fine. The Rock (just which rock Rachmaninov had in mind we’re not quite sure) seldom has sounded so confident and cohesive (as well as exciting), but this version of The Isle of the Dead really is special. Check out the pulverizing return of the main theme, forte, about nine minutes in, or the devastatingly intense final climax followed by the numb muttering of the “Dies irae” chant melody in the strings. It’s exhausting and exhilarating at the same time, helped in no small degree by really excellent sonics that let the strings soar and the bass frequencies really throb. None of this music lacks for excellent performances, but you’d be hard pressed to find demonstrably superior versions of any of these pieces gathered together on a single disc.
