Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances, The Isle of the Dead & The Rock

Andrew Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra follow their acclaimed recordings of ballets by Stravinsky with a disc that features the first and last published orchestral works by Sergei Rachmaninov. The disc opens with The Isle of the Dead, which was inspired by the painting by Arnold Böcklin and based on the first notes of the plainchant setting of the Dies iræ. The Rock was inspired by an image from a short story by Chekhov, and shows the youthfulness of a composer just turned twenty. The Symphonic Dances, by contrast, sum up a lifetime’s musical and emotional experience. The composer noted that its three movements depicted the sequence of Midday – Twilight – Midnight.