01. - 04. Sergei Rachmaninov - Symphony No.2 in E minor, op.27 [63'15]
05. Anatoly Liadov - The Enchanted Lake, op.62* [6'45]
Bergen Philarmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton
BIS SACD2071 (recorded June 2014 & 2013*; SACD issued 2015)
(digital download; 24bit/44.1kHz flacs; booklet, cover and inlay scans)
Recording venue: Grieg Hall, Bergen
Recording engineer: Jens Braun; Producers: Robert Suff & Ingo Petry*
05. - 08. Sergei Rachmaninov - Symphony No.2 in E minor, op.27 [63'12]
09. - 11. Sergei Rachmaninov - Symphony No.3 in A minor, op.44 [42'43]
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton
Virgin VBD5380372 (recorded May 1989; this CD issue 2002)
(CD-rip; 16bit/44.1kHz flacs; booklet, cover and inlay scans)
Recording venue: Abbey Road Studio No.1, London
Recording engineers: Mark Vigars & Simon Rhodes; Producer: Andrew Keener
Andrew Litton's later recording of Symphony No.2 in Bergen is undoubtedly one of the finest studio recordings of the work with very fine sound. But some commentators have expressed dislike of his use of portamenti. They don't trouble me at all but I still have a sneaking liking for his earlier 1989 recording with the Royal Philharmonic. Interesting that the total timing for this work in each recording, made 25 years apart, is almost identical - with both performances uncut and including the exposition repeat in the first movement. This earlier recording is handily packaged with his contemporaneous recordings of the first and third symphonies but it does mean that the original fill-ups are excluded - The Isle of the Dead, Symphonic Dances and Vocalise. [Although the Twofer format required the second symphony to be split between two discs, this seemed absurd in a digital download so the track numbering here doesn't match the booklet for the second and third symphonies.]
Although Litton made later recordings of both The Isle of the Dead and Symphonic Dances in Bergen for BIS, the first and third symphonies don't seem to be forthcoming there. If you warm to Litton's earlier recording of the second symphony, you are likely to enjoy these recordings of the first and third symphonies just as much.
