ET SPENNENDE SYMFONISK PAR

Det er herved duket for den andre og siste i rekken av Vasily Petrenko og Oslo-Filharmoniens utgivelser med symfoniske verker av Sergej Prokofjev og Nikolaj Mjaskovskij. Både Prokofjev og Mjaskovskij, som var nære venner, fikk lide under det undertrykkende sovjetregimet og måtte opp gjennom karrieren komponere med trusler om kunstnerisk sensur hengende over seg. 

Prokofjev komponerte sin Symfoni nr. 6 i ess-moll, opus 111, mellom 1945 og februar 1947, men skissene skriver seg fra 1944 – før han ble ferdig med den femte symfonien. Verket er skrevet for stort orkester. Det er et dypt og personlig verk med et umiskjennelig tragisk element. Han sa selv at denne symfonien delvis var inspirert av krigsårene. «Nå jubler vi over den store seieren, men vi har alle sår som ikke kan leges.» Mjaskovskij ferdigstilte den siste av symfoniene sine – i c-moll, opus 85 – i november 1949. De 27 arbeidene hans i denne sjangeren er så påfallende varierte i karakter at det er nærmest umulig å definere en «typisk» Mjaskovskij-symfoni. Nr. 27 blir ofte omtalt som en av hans mest populære, selv om musikken hans omtrent ikke ble fremført utenfor Russland. Prokofjev beskrev musikken til sin gode venn slik: «Mjaskovskij var litt av en filosof – musikken hans er klok, lidenskapelig, dyster og navlebeskuende.»

Vasily Petrenko er en av de mest signifikante musikerne av i dag, og han har høstet mye ros og vunnet priser for sine innspillinger av det russiske repertoaret, bl.a. to Gramophone Awards. Med Oslo-Filharmonien har han spilt inn verker av Sjostakovitsj, Szymanowski og Rimskij-Korsakov, i tillegg til store sykluser med orkesterverker av Aleksandr Skrjabin og Richard Strauss.

Oslo-Filharmonien så dagens lys i 1919, og i løpet av det neste halve hundreåret vokste orkestrets renommé jevnt og trutt. I 1979 overtok Mariss Jansons dirigentstaven, og under hans ledelse nådde OFO sitt fulle potensiale som en verdig konkurrent til de store filharmoniske orkestrene i Wien, Berlin og New York. Under Vasily Petrenko har de arbeidet på høyeste nivå med detaljer og stil.

AN EXCITING SYMPHONIC COUPLE

The table is hereby set for the second and final recording of Vasily Petrenko and Oslo Philharmonic’s releases with symphonic works of Sergei Prokofiev and Nikolai Myaskovsky. Both Prokofiev and Myaskovsky, who were close friends, suffered under the oppressive Soviet regime, and, in the course of their careers, had to compose with threats of artistic censorship hanging over them.

Prokofiev composed Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor, Op. 111, between 1945 and February 1947, though some sketches date from 1944 — before he completed the fifth symphony. It is written for large orchestra and is a profound and personal work with an unmistakable tragic element. He said himself that this symphony was inspired in part by the war years: “Now we are rejoicing in our great victory, but each of us has wounds that cannot be healed.” Myaskovsky completed the last of his symphonies — in C minor, Op. 85 — in November 1949. His 27 works in this genre are so strikingly varied in character that is virtually impossible to define a “typical” Myaskovsky symphony. No. 27 is often referred to as one of his most popular, even though his music was hardly performed outside of Russia. Prokofiev described the music of his good friend in this way: “Myaskovsky was something of a philosopher — his music is intelligent, passionate, sombre and self-absorbed.”

Vasily Petrenko is one of the most acclaimed classical recording artists alive and has won numerous accolades for his recordings of Russian repertoire, including two Gramophone awards. With the Oslo Philharmonic he has recorded Shostakovich and Szymanowski concertos, Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev, and major cycles of orchestral works by Alexander Scriabin and Richard Strauss.

The Oslo Philharmonic first saw the light of day in 1919. Vasily Petrenko led the orchestra through its 100th anniversary season, including a European tour. In Oslo’s burgeoning cultural scene, the Philhamonic under Petrenko’s leadership has been a vital and forward-looking centenarian.

ANMELDELSER/REVIEWS:

"This last of Vasily Petrenko’s discs as chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic finds the team on something like top form." Gramophone, August 2021

"Curiously, perhaps, it’s the interpretation of the less well-known and distinctive symphony which wins this disc its five stars...Although the bittersweet bucolics of Myaskovsky’s 27th could have been composed in the years leading up to the First World War by Glazunov or Elgar, there’s something touchingly sincere about them. Petrenko’s Oslo woodwind play the lonely solos beautifully, and the lyricism takes wing." BBC Music Magazine, August 2021

"Petrenko stepped down last summer as chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, and his final recording with them shows an orchestra in fine form, with classy wind soloists and big-toned strings." The Guardian, May 2021

"It's fascinating to hear the two symphonies side-by-side, for although the Myaskovsky was actually written two years after the Prokofiev, its musical language is noticeably more conservative (perhaps not surprising given that Myaskovsky's composition teacher was Rimsky-Korsakov). Much like the Myaskovsky, the Prokofiev is treated to an immensely vivid performance." PrestoMusic, James Longstaffe, May 2021