Third in Line

Next up we have Rachmaninov, Isle of the Dead and Symphony No 1 with Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra. I seem to have an affinity with the Russians. although tastes range a lot wider too. Rachmaninov known more for his piano compositions and his own virtuoso playing but coming in at the end of the Romantic era and presaging a lot of Hollywood film music styles too. The Isle of the Dead symphonic poem is impressive on any level. The first symphony had a notoriously disastrous debut conducted by a probably drunken Glazunov. Strange to think back to these days when performances caused such high feelings and had such long lasting effects. Rachmaninov took a considerable time to get over the trauma. Listening now, it's hard to think what could have caused such an outcry, even if it was badly played. There are some current orchestras I could think of ( well, one ) who routinely butcher pieces each summer at the Proms.