# SS 30.04.16 - Rimsky-Korsakov "Antar"



## realdealblues

A continuation of the Saturday Symphonies Tradition:

Welcome to another weekend of symphonic listening! 
_*
*_For your listening pleasure this weekend:*

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908)*

Symphony No. 2 (or Symphonic Suite), Op. 9 "Antar" 

1. Largo-Allegro giocoso
2. Allegro-Molto allegro-Allargando
3. Allegro risoluto alla marcia
4. Allegretto vivace-Andante amoroso

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Post what recording you are going to listen to giving details of Orchestra / Conductor / Chorus / Soloists etc - Enjoy!


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## realdealblues

Another Saturday Symphony is up on us  I'm not familiar with this work so I'm looking forward to hearing it this weekend. I'll be listening to:

View attachment 84078


Neeme Jarvi/Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra


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## Pugg

My vote goes to:

​
*Rimsky Korsakov: Symphony No. 2, Op. 9 'Antar'	
*
Scheherazade, Op. 35

Orchestra of the Suisse Romande, *Ansermet*


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## chesapeake bay

I'll go with this one









Evgeny Svetlanov and the Russian state Symphony Orchestra


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## D Smith

Svetlanov here too but with the Philharmonia. I don't really think of Antar as a symphony but always enjoyable to listen to.


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## Jeff W

View attachment 84084


I'll be listening to Svetlanov and USSR Symphony Orchestra. Is this the same as the Russian State Symphony Orchestra? Anyway, I've only heard this work once and that was a long time ago. I do remember it being enjoyable, although not quite on the same level as Scheherazade.


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## Orfeo

Jeff W said:


> View attachment 84084
> 
> 
> I'll be listening to Svetlanov and USSR Symphony Orchestra. *Is this the same as the Russian State Symphony Orchestra?* Anyway, I've only heard this work once and that was a long time ago. I do remember it being enjoyable, although not quite on the same level as Scheherazade.


It is. And I love the version they used for that recording, which is the 1897 one. To D Smith's point, it was first categorized as a symphony, before the composer changed it to a suite (in that revised 1897 edition). I think it is a toss-up frankly. The first movement in particular is more or less in a sonata form while the middle movements are more befitting to a symphonic poem, not far removed from, say, Tchaikovsky's "Manfred." The finale is quite safe in any of the aforementioned genres.


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## Mahlerian

Going with what's available, I'll listen to the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra with Zinman.


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## Triplets

I actually listened to Pierre Monteux's version from the 1940s with San Francisco a few weeks ago. I was playingthe Scherazade from the same disc. An interesting work but not from Rimsky's top drawer.


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## Vaneyes

*Rimsky-Korsakov* "Antar", I don't have it in my collection anymore. I see The Hurwitzer gave a positively glowing review for Malaysian PO/Bakels on BIS (rec.2002). On the other hand, Don Satz disses it. Maybe the truth is somewhere 'tween? I'll see if I can locate it for complimentary listening or sampling. :tiphat:










Reviews:

http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-9613/

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Jun04/rimsky_bakels.htm

Later edit:

I jumped the gun, as I occasionally do for SS listening. As suspected, the truth for the above rec. was somewhere in between. I had nothing better to do, so I visited "Antar" recs that I knew, and some I didn't. I came away liking Philharmonia/Butt (ASV, Brilliant Classics) the most. Philharmonia was one of the same orchs. Svetlanov used for this piece, but I thought the Russian overplayed it (some too fast tempi) in comparison, and the recording was miked unpleasantly closer.


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## Haydn man

This one via Spotify


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## Mika

Mahlerian said:


> Going with what's available, I'll listen to the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra with Zinman.


My choice also.


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## elgar's ghost

Jarvi for me also. I'm not a great fan of R-K's symphonies but I think this is the most interesting of the three.


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## Manxfeeder

This is the recording I have, so that's what I'm going with.


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## KenOC

Here's mine.


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## TurnaboutVox

*
Rimsky-Korsakov
Symphonic Suite: "Antar", for orchestra (Symphony No. 2), Op. 9*
Pittsburg SO, Lorin Maazel [Telarc, 1986]

I didn't much care for this, I'm sorry to say. Perhaps the performance is sub-par?


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## chesapeake bay

TurnaboutVox said:


> *
> Rimsky-Korsakov
> Symphonic Suite: "Antar", for orchestra (Symphony No. 2), Op. 9*
> Pittsburg SO, Lorin Maazel [Telarc, 1986]
> 
> I didn't much care for this, I'm sorry to say. Perhaps the performance is sub-par?


You can check this thread http://www.talkclassical.com/13295-rimsky-korsakovs-gorgeous-antar.html which, at least by one persons opinion, grants this disk pretty high praise. That being said I was fairly underwhelmed by this piece as well and I really like Rimsky-Korsakov


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## HaydnBearstheClock

chesapeake bay said:


> You can check this thread http://www.talkclassical.com/13295-rimsky-korsakovs-gorgeous-antar.html which, at least by one persons opinion, grants this disk pretty high praise. That being said I was fairly underwhelmed by this piece as well and I really like Rimsky-Korsakov


I agree, Lorin Maazel's 'Antar' is very good. Scherchen's is also very solid, possibly even stronger than Maazel's rendition.









I really like the beginning of this symphony, there is a definite sense of 'foreboding'. The melodies in it are also top notch imo.


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## techniquest

Mine is/was from the Brilliant Classics set of orchestral music by R-K. It's the Philharmonia Orchestra under Yondani Butt (not a conductor I've heard of before).


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## Pugg

No new poll this week realdealblues


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## realdealblues

Pugg said:


> No new poll this week realdealblues


Had a power outage this morning so I had to post it a little later than normal but thank you for the concern  Thanks to everyone for participating in these threads each week


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## Pugg

realdealblues said:


> Had a power outage this morning so I had to post it a little later than normal but thank you for the concern  Thanks to everyone for participating in these threads each week


I found the new one, bit childish to remove this one, I salute you for continuing this topic.:tiphat:


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