Critic Steven J. Haller, writing in the September/October issue of American Record Guide, offered a thorough and expert review of Delos’ recent Russian Disc (RD) reissue of Russian romantic composer Anton Rubinstein’s Symphony No. 2, the “Ocean” (DRD 2010) – which also includes four symphonic dances from his opera, Feramors. He knows the symphony’s history, citing the three seldom-heard additional movements that Rubinstein later wrote to “improve” the piece (not included in this version). He compares this performance with the few competing recordings of the work from other labels. Moreover, he is obviously very familiar with RD’s entire Rubinstein series (he apparently owns the original RD releases). He even lists all of the upcoming reissues in the DRD series in the course of his review.
While Mr. Haller has a few complaints about conductor Igor Golovchin’s tempo choices, his opinion of the recording is mostly quite positive. Realizing both the rarity and value to musical posterity of the entire RD series, he ends the review by urging his readers to “…snap up each of these Delos reissues as soon as they surface … Golovchin knows and understands this music by one of the great Russian romantics, and we can never have too many recordings of Anton Rubinstein’s wonderful ‘Ocean’ Symphony.”
Scroll down to sample tracks from this bracing symphony – they will surely make a convert of you!
Listen to Symphony No. 2 “Ocean” in C Major, Op. 42 – Movement III. Allegro on Delos Radio:
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