Search - Boris Mykolayovich Lyatoshyns'ky, Theodore Kuchar, Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra :: Lyatoshnsky: Symphony 1/ Grazhyna

What a difference thirty-six years would make!

David A. Hollingsworth | Washington, DC USA | 04/13/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recordings has this interesting habit of containing works of composers of different periods of their careers. Is that a good thing? Indeed, since it's fascinating of how much the composer's music change in terms of idiom, communication, maturity, & so forth as the years passed by.Boris Nikoleyevich Lyatoshynsky (1895-1968) had written his first symphony by 1919 whereas the symphonic ballad, Grazhyna, was completed by 1955. The symphony, in three movements, is a work having traceable influences of both Gliere & Scriabin, with a hint of Wagner & Rachmaninoff. It's a youthful yet a daring work, with the outer movements having virtually no restraints as far as expressionism is concerned. Whereas the 1st & 3rd movements are dramatic, powerful, & heroic, the 2nd movement is mournful, beautiful, yet mystic. It is where one notices Gliere's & Scriabin's influence more readily. Nevertheless, the symphony is refreshing, & served as a very important step for Lyatoshynsky in finding his voice, & the voice of the Ukraine. In fact, Lyatoshynsky's first symphony is generally regarded as the first Ukrainian symphony as a matter of importance in the development of Ukrainian music.Grazhyna was composed in commemoration of the centenary of the death of Adam Mickiewicz, a great Polish poet. Lyatoshynsky was very fond of Polish culture & heritage, & has attended many of it's cultural events. The symphonic ballad begins & ends in a similar fashion to Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Poem "Prince Rostislav": mystic, mournful, very quiet, muted strings, with theme played by the woodwind (the cor anglais in Grazhnya). The work picks up the pace, with drama & heroics dominating the work until a funeral march sets in. Unlike the first symphony, Grazhyna is somewhat more restraint & mature, but no less appealing. It's a work of substance & heartfelt homage to the Poet instrumental in shaping the culture of Poland.The performances of Theodore Kuchar & the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra (now the Ukrainian National Orchestra) were blistering, highly passionate & sonorous (more so than the one with Gnadesh conducting the same emsemble, with the recording re-issued by Russian Disc). The recording is perfect. Recommendable to the upmost!!!
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