Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3

I like to hear the early works of certain composers, especially when they later developed a distinctive style, like Taneyev: formally advanced, contrapuntally complex, richly textured. The 1st Symphony recorded here was written as a student assignment when Taneyev was a teenager studying with Tchaikovsky, and while it is clearly the work of a beginning composer, it is also just as clearly by a composer who had a definite idea of what he wanted to do. One of the features of Taneyev's later work that stands out are his masterly development sections in sonata movements. In this symphony, Taneyev shows himself to be concerned with development, though he didn't yet know how to do it as cleverly as he later did. The result, however, is not only rather charming, but curious, in that it has a seriousness and purposeful intent that does not strike one as the work of a teenager. In the finale he uses a Russian folk theme (not something he often did in later work), apparently at the suggestion of his teacher, Tchaikovsky, who had himself just written his 2nd Symphony. Though Taneyev rather beats the melody to death, he does so in some interesting ways! As for the 3rd Symphony, it may appear a bit dry at first (apparently Tchaikovsky's complaint about it), but it grows on one, and the finale is immediately appealing and full of vigor. Buy the companion volume with Symphonies 2 and 4 as well: the 4th is his greatest symphony.

One must listen to this CD (and its predecessor) Tanayev is a Russian composer totally unknown to me until a year ago. I purchased the first CD with two of his four symphonies and recently purchased this one. An exciting bridge between Tchiakovsky and Shostakovich, this composer helps to complete the development of the Russian symphony. This particular CD by Chandos is exceptionally clear, well balanced, and places the listener in the middle of the orchestra. All that is missing is the sound of turning pages, or the occasional sound of an orchestra member taking a breath.

A while ago I wrote a review of this disc's companion, which contains Taneyev's Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4. I wasn't thrilled by that release, and quite frankly I am similarly unenthusiastic about this one. Oh, I certainly won't fault the playing of The Russian State Symphony Orchestra under Valeri Polyanksy -- it's all quite polished and draws as much from this music as anyone could, I'm sure. I just find these compositions themselves to be quite uninteresting. Except for a few bright flashes in the First Symphony, the music never seems to know where it wants to go, and I was left in a state of continuous anticipation. The composer's chamber works strike me as having more appeal, frankly -- an all-star recording of the Piano Quintet on Deutsche Grammophon should perhaps be your first stop in exploring Taneyev, along with his string quartets, and then the Concert Suite for Violin and Orchestra if you want to go to a grander scale.