[Mikhail Nosyrev] Symphony No.4 (Score-Video)

This symphony has 2 movements: 00:10 - I. Moderato sostenuto - Andante - Moderato sostenuto - Andante - Tempo precedento - Andante 23:03 - II. Allegro molto - L'istesso tempo - Grave - Allegro molto - Andante Performers: Vladimir Verbitsky / St. Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra —————— Nosyrev's Symphony No.4 was published in 1985 by Muzyka in Moscow; strangely, the edition ran to 119 copies. The piece was described by one commentator as a 'catastrophe symphony' - on account not only of its partly tragic content, but also of the fact that the composer died suddenly and unexpectedly a few months after its completion. There can only be a few works in all of music that begin with a solo for four triangles. The tender sonority is only temporary, however: more and more instruments enter, until the trumpet presents the maintheme of the symphony (a distant relative of the theme of Scriabin's Le poème de l'extase), a sort of fate theme which, like its counterpart in Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony, is constantly being altered - in contrast to a wide variety of other elements, ranging from a chorale in the low woodwinds to a tender violin solo, from pianissimo bells to a strangely angular episode in the unusual time signature of 10/8, which recurs on several occasions. The movement ends in a subtle pianissimo. The second movement begins in a furious 3/4, like a scherzo starting with sinister sonorities which invoke a dance of death. Two motifs struggle against each other: one is dark, appearing on the bass clarinet after the lengthy introduction, whilst the other is considerably brighter, first occurring in the flutes shortly afterwards and with an interval structure similar to that of the first movement's theme. The mighty struggle does not, however, lead to a genuine resolution; instead - after a vehement climax, interrupted by several pauses and followed by a tam-tam stroke - the main theme of the first movement returns, followed by a conclusion that is almost identical to that of the first movement. ls this agesture of hopelessness or perhaps, despite everything, of balance? An insight into life in a gulag can be gained by reading Boris Pasternak, or indeed by listening to Nosyrev's music: the composer's son states emphatically that every single work by his father bears the traces of his time in prison. The composer may have shed some light on this matter when he remarked 'Art alone has been my salvation'. Nosyrev's family constantly recalls these words, which may also serve as an explanation of the unusual profundity of his music. (Source from CD Booklet, Written by Per Skans) More details of this symphony: www.nosyrev.com/articles —————— I do not own neither the score, nor the recordings used in this video. This is only for educational purposes. If you have any complaints regarding copyright issues, please write to me directly at asorabji20(at)gmail(dot)com before submitting a report to YouTube and I will remove the video as soon as possible.