Bocklin painted numerous versions of Isle, but it is Rachmaninoff's dirgelike vision of the rowing motif, the Dies Irae of the Latin mass, that remains as constant. and, in typical Rachmaninoff fashion, the BSO is perfect for the piece with its sweeping tonality, clashes of chromaticism, and simple theme, yet complex underpinnings.
Stravinsky studied under the great Russian pedagogue and master of the tone poem, Rimsky-Korsakoff. This is nowhere near as obvious as listening to the harmonization and almost studied use of the different sections of the orchestra in their technical glory. Indeed, the opening of the Scherzo fantastique almost sounds as if a younger Rimsky-Korsakoff added on to Scheherazade or Tsar Sultan. Comic and tragic both, every instrument scored is left out to "sink or swim" and is exposed in the delightful character of the piece.
The story of Shostakovich's Symphony #10, is quite different. Fighting for decades with the whims of Josef Stalin, Shostakovich was at times in favor, at times out of favor, depending on the whim of the Party and whether they...
When Stalin died in March 1953, a collective sigh of relief was heard throughout the artistic community in the Soviet Union. Only four months after being intellectually free from Stalin, Shostakovich began work on this 10th symphony. By October he was finished, producing what many called the first major work of the post-Stalinist era. Rather than the preferred program music, the 10th is a personal outcry from Shostakovich for a more enlightened sense of individualism. Not broody, not triumphant, but, like many works that remain true to the repertoire, Shostakovich's 10th is a mature composer looking back, and at the same time forward.
The BSO is a pinnacle of sound, musical shape, and stunning timbre. Some find their sound too bombastic, but this reviewer would disagree, pointing to the slower, more intimate movements of the Shostakovich and the quite passages in the Rachmaninoff as proof at just what a virtuoso ensemble it remains. Truly, an American cultural treasure, laying back and having the music pour over one simply makes us…
