Sergey Tanayev - Symphony No. 4, Op. 12 (1898) {Järvi}

Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev (Russian: Серге́й Ива́нович Тане́ев, 25 November [O.S. 13 November] 1856 – June 19 [O.S. June 6] 1915) was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of composition, music theorist and author.

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Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 12 (1896-98)
Dedication: Aleksandr Glazunov (1865–1936)

1. Allegro molto (0:00)
2. Adagio (13:04)
3. Scherzo: Vivace (25:51)
4. Allegro energico - molto maestoso (31:41)

Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Neeme Järvi.

According to IMSLP:
Originally published as Symphony No.1. The second symphony was published in a completion (by Vladimir Blok by 1977) and the first (in E minor) and third (in D minor) while complete were published posthumously (in 1948 and 1947 respectively).

Taneyev's Symphony No.4 was composed between 1896-8, written during a productive period in which the composer was at the height of his creative powers. It was premiered in St. Petersburg on April 2 of 1898, conducted by the score's dedicatee Alexander Glazunov. The piece was received with great acclaim, and in the following years it was performed in Moscow and again in St. Petersburg, attracting great attention both among audiences and the musical intelligentsia. It was the only one of his four symphonies to be published in his lifetime, retaining its popularity in the years that followed and being recorded multiple times.

By the time he completed the symphony, Taneyev had earned the nickname of "Russian Brahms", which he vehemently rejected, but, as this work suggests, the comparison was certainly not without foundation. The music of both composers, renowned masters of counterpoint who produced four symphonies each, bears striking similarities in its melodic and harmonic structures, form, and even origins. Since its premiere, Taneyev's fourth has ranked alongside the symphonies of Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Balakirev, and Glazunov, among the late-romantic masterpieces of Russian music. Countess Sophya Tolstaya wrote in her diary: "Sergey Ivanovich played for me his wonderful symphony and it affected me very much: it is a beautiful work, with noble, elevated style". Rimsky-Korsakov also wrote to Taneyev: "I think that your symphony is the best contemporary work: it is noble in style, excellent in form and marvelous in the development of all its musical ideas".