Bernard Chasan wrote:

>Who knew?  I heard it this afternoon on WGBH - the work is 60 years old,
>the recording about fifty years old, but available on cd.  It is a long
>work of great expressiveness and eloquence- very reminiscent of Shostakovich,
>yet with a voice of its own.

Please do tell me the conductor on the disc.  There is one recording of
that piece I don't have have.  It was on a set of 78s from Melodia and
featured, as I recall, Gauk conducting.  I read of a reference to that
in a review. I have Gauk doing the First Symphony by Khachaturian, but
not the Second.  That set predates the Rachlin recording which was issued
on MGM.

My first recording was the London issue with the composer conducting.
I have tried to collect every version I can find.  I have never figured
out why it isn't performed very often.  If of interest, I can list the
recordings I have, including a live performance with Stokowski conducting.

Karl