Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances; Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements – London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev
The Symphonic Dances, an orchestral suite in three movements, was the last work that Rachmaninoff completed, and proved one of his most popular compositions. Although rarely sentimental, it draws on many reminiscences of Russia, whence he had emigrated in 1917. It is characteristically lyrical with vivacious rhythmic sections, and thus recalls Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps and the composer’s own Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
Gergiev couples the Symphonic Dances with another work in three movements by a Russian émigré to the USA. Written in 1942 – 45, the Symphony in Three Movements was the first work that Stravinsky completed after his arrival in the USA. Although he claimed that it was a ‘War Symphony’, his true inspiration was typically vague.