Some fascinating musical discoveries are coming out of Russia recently, and this obscure find certainly qualifies. It was recorded in Moscow just last year, so sonics are excellent, and so are the performances and notes. Poor Alyabiev, who lived from 1787 to 1851, had much more than his share of ups and downs. He started his career as a young musician of high birth and wealth, was talented and energetic, and had a high standing in his field. Then one awful event began to follow another: he had to survive blackmail, a false accusation of murder, a rigged trial and three years imprisonment in exile. He was stripped of his military decorations and title, had chronic illnesses and there was a prohibition on the performance of his compositions in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
However, the indomitable Alyaviev bounced back somehow. He was a good-looking war hero and quite a Don Juan, and his travails didn’t seem to slow him down in that area. He continued to write and perform music during his Siberian exile, taken in by the local governor. He became interested in the folk culture of that area and the Urals, where he later spent time, and many of his songs reflect the culture of these areas. He was the first composer in Russia to compose song cycles. He introduced Shakespeare’s plays to new audiences in his operas, and later Russian composers admitted their debt to his work.
The Symphony for Four Horns is the work that most attracted me on the disc; unfortunately it is a symphony in one movement that runs only eight minutes. But it has some glorious sounds that reminded me of Schuman’s work for four horns. The short ballet that ends the disc would be the second most interesting item here. It is subtitled “A Sequel to the Magic Flute” and is sort of a Russian orchestral fantasy inspired by Mozart’s opera. The various overtures are rather advanced for the time and led the way to similar works much later in the century by Rimsky-Korsakov and others.
– John Sunier
