Daniel Beland asks regarding Eshpai and Boiko:

>Can you tell me more about these two composers? I think that you can help
>me to expand my own list!

First, apologies for the delay.  Waxing lyrical about composers whose
discs still lurked in boxes yet to be unpacked six months after moving
back to the UK has necessitated a) buying furniture, b) assembling it and
c) unpacking the boxes and finding the discs before attempting a response.
But thanks for the impetus!

Both these composers came into my life via the same accidental route.
About three years ago I noticed a series of Russian Disc deletions in the
Berkshire catalogue and bought a few of those whose composers I vaguely
recognised.  I was so overwehelmed by the quality and diversity of the
music that I immediately bought every Russian Disc Berkshire had (they were
$1.99 each and I seem to recall the second order was for 56 of them!) --
these included both Boiko and Eshpai.

Rostislav Boiko was born in 1931 in Leningrad -- a city that figures
strongly in much of his music.  He studied in Moscow under Khachaturian
(among others) and quickly developed a unique voice that sets him apart
from many of his contemporaries.  I find his music big, bold and gutsy
without being derivative.  Parts of it remind me of Strauss, other parts
of Gliere and Mahler, but overall I find the very small selection of his
music that I have to be distinctive and immensely moreish (as opposed to
moorish!)

Russian Disc RD CD 11 045 (1994)
Symphony No. 2; Vyatka Songs (bass and orchestra); Peter's Chimes
(orchestral)
USSR Symphony Orchestra, cond. Evgeni Svetlanov

Russian Disc RD CD 11 020 (1994)
Symphony No. 3 (orchestra and chorus); Gutsul Rhapsody (orchestral); Volga
Rhapsody (orchestral); Carpathian Rhapsody (violin and orchestra); Gypsy
Rhapsody (piano and orchestra) USSR State Symphony Orchestra; Gosteleradio
Chorus; Andrei Korsakov, vn; Dmitri Sakharov, pno; Evgeni Svetlanov, cond.

Andrei Eshpai is from the Mari autonomous republic on the Volga, where
he was born in 1925.  His ethnicity has an effect on some of his chamber
music and songs, as well as a few of his orchestral works.  He seems
to have been a fairly prolific compoiser and some of his work is still
available on Albany, I believe.  It's so long since I listened to these
discs that I would rather not 'characterise' this music till I have done
so, so with your permuission (and Dave's) I'll post reviews in the next ten
days.  Suffice to say that both composers' works were revelations to me and
demand repeated listening.  But then -- I have rarely heard 'serious' music
I wouldn't listen to at least twice!

Albany TROY 286 (1998)
Symphonic Dances on Mari Themes; Violin Concerto No. 4; Symphony
No. 2 "Praise to Light"
All-Union Radio & TV Symphony Orchestra cond.  Leonid Nikolaev (1980);
Jennifer Koh, vn - Symphonic Orchestra of St. Petersburg Capella cond.
Vladislav Chernushenko (1994); USSR Large SO cond.  Konstantin Ivanov (1964)

Russian Disc RD CD 11 051
Symphony No. 4 "Symphony-Ballet"; Symphony No. 5
USSR Radio and TV Large SO and USSR SO, cond. Vladimir Fedoseyev

Russian Disc RD CD 11 054
Viola Concerto; Violin Concerto No. 2; Piano Concerto No. 2;
Concerto Grosso
Yuri Bashmet, va - USSR SO cond.  Fedor Glushchenko; Eduard Grach, vn -
Moscow PO cond.  Dmitri Kitaenko; Vladimir Krainev, pno - Moscow PO cond.
Dmitri Kitaenko; Anatoly Maksimenko, tpt - Rodion Azarkhin, db - Petr
Meshchaninov, pno - Boris Stepanov, vibraphone - USSR SO cond.  Evgeni
Svetlanov.

Tim Mahon
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