12.09.2011 - Alexandr Grechaninov

[french frank]

Alexandr Grechaninov (1864 - 1956)

1/5. Early years battling against poverty.
2/5. How Grechaninov became popular with some of his early published songs.
3/5. Struggle with the Holy Synod.
4/5. Collision with the Orthodox Church.
5/5. Final years, including moving to Paris and then the USA.

[Anna]

I'm really pleased that next week it'll be Grechaninov. I only have his Passion Week and Liturgia Domestica and no idea of his symphonies, chamber music, etc., although I have dithered about taking a chance and buying some.

[Suffolkcoastal]

This is the one bright spark in a dire schedule this week. I have recordings of all his symphonies and some of his choral works. His symphonies aren't anything special though the 2nd & 3rd aren't too bad. The choral works are a different matter especially the Cantat 'Praise the Lord' which is highly atmospheric. He also composed quite a lot of piano music for beginners which can be quite fun to play.

[umslopogaas]

Just one item by Gretchaninov on my shelf: 'Liturgica Domestica', a 2 LP set on the Balkanton label, made in Bulgaria and not much seen in these parts, in my experience. I bought it not for the composer, but for the singer, Boris Christoff, who in my diffident opinion was one of the finest voices I've ever heard. Actually I cant remember a note of the music, but I do recall Christoff sounding as good as he usually does. Presumably Balkanton chose to honour Gretchanikov not for his musical merits, but because they and Christoff were both Bulgarian.

[ahinton]

I'm really pleased that next week it'll be Grechaninov. I only have his Passion Week and Liturgia Domestica and no idea of his symphonies, chamber music, etc., although I have dithered about taking a chance and buying some.

Thr fourth symphony strikes me as the best of them - well worth investigating!

[Bax-of-Delights]

Coincidentally I have been collating the CD collection of a late customer of mine and what should pop up out of one of the hundreds and hundreds of cds but Gretchaninov's Liturgia Domestica. I put it in the laptop just to play the "Credo" which I hadn't heard for years but which used to be a regular on Your 100 Best Tunes back in the 60's. Ah, not the same Credo! Then along he comes on CotW. I hadn't realised he composed symphonies as well so, among all the dross that passes for R3 these days, a real find.

[Roslynmuse]

Two (tenuously connected) things. I remember the Gretchaninov 'Creed' (as Alan Keith used to refer to it) in a grimly tremulous performance on Your 100 BTs; I used to dislike it intensely. AK used to pronounce the composer's name Gret-CHAN-inov, and so it's been an education and a surprise to hear Donald MacLeod refer to him as Gretchan-IN-ov. I'm enjoying much of the music more than I was expecting too - not as anonymous (or tremulously grim) as I thought it was going to be.

[meles]

I have enjoyed the programme - both the interesting presentation by Donald Macleod, and the music, which I had never heard before. Reminded me of Radio 3 in the old days, when one learned so much.