Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1. Symphonic Dances

The Philadelphia Orchestra has a long and distinguished tradition of playing the music of Rachmaninoff. This was said to be the composer’s favorite orchestra, and he dedicated the Symphonic Dances to Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. It has recorded the Rachmaninoff Symphonies twice in modern stereo sound, conducted by Ormandy and Charles Dutoit. The Ormandy versions are classic performances with somewhat mediocre Sony sound, and the Decca Dutoit recordings are very well played but otherwise rather earthbound interpretations with excellent sound. Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra emphasized elegance and transparency while playing down lush and sweeping Romanticism in their recent recordings of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concertos with Daniil Trifonov. There is no question that the Philadelphia Orchestra is capable of the ideal and suitably rich sonority required for this music, but questions remain over Nézet-Séguin’s interpretive approach to Rachmaninoff’s orchestral music when you consider his tendency toward fast tempos and light instrumental textures. Elegance and transparency can work in the Piano Concertos because of Trifonov’s impeccable pianism, but the orchestral music requires a different, more floridly Romantic approach.

The massive opening chord of Rachmaninoff’s First Symphony is sharply cut short by Nézet-Séguin giving an almost staccato effect that decreases the motto motif’s power and weightiness. The orchestra plays so well that some listeners will not mind this, but for others, it will potentially change the overall effect of the symphony. The second movement is dazzling with Nézet-Séguin’s moderately fleet tempo. The third movement, which can sometimes bog down, does not at all, again largely because of Nézet-Séguin’s tempos and emphasis on transparency, plus the peerless Philadelphia Orchestra strings. The fourth movement is played spectacularly by the orchestra, but the ending sounds somewhat restrained compared to Vladimir Ashkenazy and Walter Weller. Just compare Nézet-Séguin’s nearly inaudible timpani at the end to Ashkenazy and Weller to hear what I mean. 

The Symphonic Dances, which Nézet-Séguin has referred to as almost balletic, work better. The overall effect is somewhat lean in comparison to Ormandy. Nézet-Séguin simply does not allow the sumptuous richness that was the orchestra’s sonic signature in the 1950s and 1960s to dominate his interpretation. Nevertheless, the orchestral performance is electrifying. The quotation from the Symphony No. 1 at the end of the first movement is magical as only the Philadelphia Orchestra can make it sound. As expected, the numerous staccato chords in the Symphonic Dances are brilliantly articulated by Nézet-Séguin and the orchestra. The third dance sounds amazing, and the end is explosive at the conductor’s well-chosen tempo. He allows the gong crash to fade away after the final chord. 

Deutsche Grammophon’s detailed and dynamic sound presents the orchestra in all of its glory. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear one of the wonders of the world of Romantic music: The Philadelphia Orchestra performing the big orchestral music of Rachmaninoff. It actually sounds better than the Concertgebouw Orchestra in the Decca Ashkenazy Rachmaninoff recordings.