After his enormously popular piano concertos and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (which are always among the most performed concert works), the most admired of
Sergey Rachmaninov's large-scale orchestral compositions are his symphonies No. 1-3, the Symphonic Dances, The Isle of the Dead, The Rock, and the choral symphony, The Bells. They are imbued with the composer's characteristically brooding expressions, rich harmonies, and somber, mysterious themes, and their place among the great post-Romantic masterpieces is unchallenged today, despite a period in the mid-20th century when critical opinion was sometimes unkind. This box set is a good response to any rigid prejudices because
Mikhail Pletnev's performances with the
Russian National Orchestra do full justice to
Rachmaninov's music and make the case for his skills as a symphonic composer. Yet
Rachmaninov's orchestration is occasionally problematic because it is often dense and situated in the orchestra's middle range, so it takes a conductor of considerable ability to draw out the lines and make the counterpoint as transparent as possible.
Pletnev does this with consistency, so the orchestra plays with precision and focused sound, and the textures are further clarified by Deutsche Grammophon's excellent recording. But even more important than the fine sound of the recordings are the sympathetic readings, which show
Pletnev to have a thorough knowledge and emotional connection to this composer, which is vital in communicating the spiritual essence of his music.