I adore this piece. The words are from the poem The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe, very freely translated into Russian by the symbolist poet Konstantin Balmont. It was one of Rachmaninoff's two favorite compositions, along with his All-Night Vigil. It is considered, by musicologists, to be one of Rachmaninoff's finest masterpieces. Each movement is about a different kind of bell or group of bells. It is exquisite. I had the opportunity to sing this piece when I was a teenager. I was in a national youth choir that was chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall. It was a lovely experience.
1:20 Allegro ma non tanto: "The Silver Sleigh Bells" (Слышишь, сани мчатся в ряд) in A-flat major 7:50 Lento: "The Mellow Wedding Bells" (Слышишь, к свадьбе зов святой) in D major 18:10 Presto: "The Loud Alarm Bells" (Слышишь, воющий набат) in F minor 27:20 Lento lugubre: "The Mournful Iron Bells" (Похоронный слышен звон) in C-sharp minor
A true masterpiece! Rachmaninoff favored this piece. It is exquisite. This is one of the finest performances I have ever heard. I am retired now. When I was young, I sang this piece as a chorus member in a performance at Carnegie Hall. Thank you so much for this lovely performance and for the good memories that it brings to me.
This is very good as you say but try the Y.T. post of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic/James Gaffigan with the outstanding Ukrainian baritone Andrei Bonderenko - it's even better, probably as good as you will ever hear.
After forty five years of singing choral masterpieces and operas, including 16 operas and 73 Carnegie Hall appearances, The Bells remain near the top of my " Bucket " list. If you know of anyone doing a performance who could a good second Bass, let me know. The top of my " Bucket " list is Mahler - Das Klagende Leid.
Sang this in Montreal Symphony Chorus with Dutoit and Philadelphia Orchestra at Mann Centre in Philly summer of ‘91. Also Janacek Glagolitic Mass. Next night Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms and Orff Carmina Burana. The Bells was by far the hardest to absorb/learn and also the most rewarding musically next to the Stravinsky. SO REWARDING!!!!
The vocal vibrato is very much what is intended by Rachmaninoff. The orchestra and chorus play off one another. Rachmaninoff considered this piece to be something of a third symphony. The Boston U. Symphony and Chorus are truly excellent. This is a top-notch performance.
It's not often I can say this, or maybe it's the recording, but the quality of the orchestral playing in this performance is superior to the singing by a long way. Well done! However, well done too to the chorus for the Russian.
The young orchestra is impressively professional and though the chorus might lack some volume at times they are also extremely good.. Yes, the soprano suffers from excessive vibrato but at least she sings in tune unlike the soloist on the otherwise great Polyansky recording with the Russian State S.O.
@ A 1: Rachmaninov is one of my favorite composers too, but this piece, The Bells, is *not* a "song." A song is sung by a solo vocalist (one person usually; there can be two people singing a duet in harmony on a song). Many people make the mistake of calling any piece of music "a song" (even symphonic works for orchestra only; there is no one singing in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony for example) which is very incorrect. I think this speaks to a lack of music education in our school systems. But The Bells is a choral symphony or symphonic choral work for Orchestra and Chorus and soloists. Hope this helps.
A previous commenter wrote: "A young chorus, lacking in maturity, added to which the orchestra is simply too loud." Rubbish. The age of the choristers has nothing to do with their maturity level; the same for the orchestra, nor was it too loud. This is a most enjoyable performance and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, which is good to see. The BUSO is one of the finest student orchestras I've ever heard. I've watched parts of it many times, especially the third movement. I enjoyed most of the soloists, but unfortunately couldn't take the soprano with her vibrato. Who selected her? A soprano from the Chorus singing with a straight-tone could have sung that part beautifully. And I don't know how anyone would know "what Rachmaninov wanted" (regarding vibrato) unless one is able to channel him from the grave. This piece is described as a choral symphony. It's a symphonic choral work. It's not opera, so why the excessive annoying vibrato? I heard the Tanglewood Festival Chorus perform this piece and this performance is better. I don't think the average University Orchestra and Chorus would attempt such a demanding piece as this (it's a very difficult piece - I know from having sung it), but the orchestral and choral forces from BU School of Music should be very proud of themselves. Thank you Ceylon for posting this excellent performance, and I saw you in the orchestra watching the conductor very closely.
A young chorus, lacking in maturity, added to which the orchestra is simply too loud. But bravo all the same, especially to the chorus. Orchestral playing very assured, the solo singing suffers from excessive vibrato.
I adore this piece. The words are from the poem The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe, very freely translated into Russian by the symbolist poet Konstantin Balmont. It was one of Rachmaninoff's two favorite compositions, along with his All-Night Vigil. It is considered, by musicologists, to be one of Rachmaninoff's finest masterpieces. Each movement is about a different kind of bell or group of bells. It is exquisite. I had the opportunity to sing this piece when I was a teenager. I was in a national youth choir that was chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall. It was a lovely experience.
1:20 Allegro ma non tanto: "The Silver Sleigh Bells" (Слышишь, сани мчатся в ряд) in A-flat major
7:50 Lento: "The Mellow Wedding Bells" (Слышишь, к свадьбе зов святой) in D major
18:10 Presto: "The Loud Alarm Bells" (Слышишь, воющий набат) in F minor
27:20 Lento lugubre: "The Mournful Iron Bells" (Похоронный слышен звон) in C-sharp minor
A true masterpiece! Rachmaninoff favored this piece. It is exquisite. This is one of the finest performances I have ever heard. I am retired now. When I was young, I sang this piece as a chorus member in a performance at Carnegie Hall. Thank you so much for this lovely performance and for the good memories that it brings to me.
This is very good as you say but try the Y.T. post of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic/James Gaffigan with the outstanding Ukrainian baritone Andrei Bonderenko - it's even better, probably as good as you will ever hear.
Thank you, I will do just that.
love how the soloists were sitting inside their voice range section of the orchestra!
After forty five years of singing choral masterpieces and operas, including 16 operas and 73 Carnegie Hall appearances, The Bells remain near the top of my " Bucket " list. If you know of anyone doing a performance who could a good second Bass, let me know. The top of my " Bucket " list is Mahler - Das Klagende Leid.
Sang this in Montreal Symphony Chorus with Dutoit and Philadelphia Orchestra at Mann Centre in Philly summer of ‘91. Also Janacek Glagolitic Mass. Next night Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms and Orff Carmina Burana. The Bells was by far the hardest to absorb/learn and also the most rewarding musically next to the Stravinsky. SO REWARDING!!!!
Wow BU's symphony orchestra is suprisingly fantastic
The vocal vibrato is very much what is intended by Rachmaninoff. The orchestra and chorus play off one another. Rachmaninoff considered this piece to be something of a third symphony. The Boston U. Symphony and Chorus are truly excellent. This is a top-notch performance.
love the piccolo
Beautiful....
It's not often I can say this, or maybe it's the recording, but the quality of the orchestral playing in this performance is superior to the singing by a long way. Well done! However, well done too to the chorus for the Russian.
The recording is obviously skewed in favour of the orchestra, as is the camerawork. I suspect the choral singing is excellent.
A orquestra é maravilhosa!
It sounds like it should be in a Disney movie
The young orchestra is impressively professional and though the chorus might lack some volume at times they are also extremely good.. Yes, the soprano suffers from excessive vibrato but at least she sings in tune unlike the soloist on the otherwise great Polyansky recording with the Russian State S.O.
Inconnu jusqu'à ce jour : une révélation !
excellent, I am going to hear this performed at the London Albert Hall in aug. 2014
hope its as good. Jeff. U>K>
Jeff - is it this performance at the BBC Proms? www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2014/august-18/15104 Hope it's good as I'm in one of the choirs :-)
OMG CEYLON THIS IS EPIC how did I not know this happened?!? Where's your piccolo solo?
I love last 3 minutes.
This is by far, the strangest song I have ever heard in my life, and Rachmaninoff is my FAVORITE composer!
@ A 1: Rachmaninov is one of my favorite composers too, but this piece, The Bells, is *not* a "song." A song is sung by a solo vocalist (one person usually; there can be two people singing a duet in harmony on a song). Many people make the mistake of calling any piece of music "a song" (even symphonic works for orchestra only; there is no one singing in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony for example) which is very incorrect. I think this speaks to a lack of music education in our school systems. But The Bells is a choral symphony or symphonic choral work for Orchestra and Chorus and soloists. Hope this helps.
love it !
36:15 humility
A previous commenter wrote: "A young chorus, lacking in maturity, added to which the orchestra is simply too loud." Rubbish. The age of the choristers has nothing to do with their maturity level; the same for the orchestra, nor was it too loud. This is a most enjoyable performance and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, which is good to see. The BUSO is one of the finest student orchestras I've ever heard. I've watched parts of it many times, especially the third movement. I enjoyed most of the soloists, but unfortunately couldn't take the soprano with her vibrato. Who selected her? A soprano from the Chorus singing with a straight-tone could have sung that part beautifully. And I don't know how anyone would know "what Rachmaninov wanted" (regarding vibrato) unless one is able to channel him from the grave. This piece is described as a choral symphony. It's a symphonic choral work. It's not opera, so why the excessive annoying vibrato? I heard the Tanglewood Festival Chorus perform this piece and this performance is better. I don't think the average University Orchestra and Chorus would attempt such a demanding piece as this (it's a very difficult piece - I know from having sung it), but the orchestral and choral forces from BU School of Music should be very proud of themselves. Thank you Ceylon for posting this excellent performance, and I saw you in the orchestra watching the conductor very closely.
ps--showing this in all my music classes. :)
BU does their concerts at symphony hall? WTF???
best UMass got was Old South Church.
Andy Warhol as a conductor? ;)
Does anyone know if you have to be a music major to join this symphony orchestra or can you just join like in high school?
Better than the rather turgid performances by some Russian orchestras.
Unrecognizable. Try other performances of this piece before you believe in this one -- I sang in the BSO performance of this in 1979.
Just came to listen to the coughs...................................Sorry, I'll show myself the door.
A young chorus, lacking in maturity, added to which the orchestra is simply too loud. But bravo all the same, especially to the chorus. Orchestral playing very assured, the solo singing suffers from excessive vibrato.
was für gesichter
Love it !