The
Bavarian Radio Choir has been nominated for “Best Choral Performance” for the
2019 Grammys, which air February 10 at 8 p.m. EST. Their performance of Sergei
Rachmaninoff’s choral symphony, The Bells,
is outstanding to say the least. It’s on a new-release from BR Klassik that
also contains Rachmaninoff’s final orchestral work, the Symphonic Dances. The album was recorded live in Munich in 2016
under the direction of Bavarian Radio Symphony Chief Conductor, Mariss Jansons.
If
you’ve never sat and listened to The
Bells in its entirety, now’s the time to do so. Larissa Kowal-Wolk’s liner
notes bring the piece to life, giving the listener an overview of what they can
expect from Rachmaninoff’s masterpiece. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem by
the same name, the piece contains four movements – one for each of Poe’s bells.
From the carefree sleigh bells of childhood, to the chiming of wedding bells,
to the harsh reality of life in the sounds of alarm bells, to finally, the
dreaded iron bells of death – Rachmaninoff’s setting is deeply moving, and
something I believe will rattle the inner emotions of anyone who listens.
Peter
Dijkstra is Chorus Master for the Bavarian Radio Choir, and they are joined by
soloists Tatiana Pavlovskaya, Oleg Dolgov, and Alexey Markov for this
performance. WGUC will air the work in its entirety on February 3, just after
11 p.m. EST. You can listen at 90.9, online at wguc.org, via our free mobile
app, or with your smart speaker. Give it a listen, and then post your
reflections. Then tune in for the 2019 Grammys to see if the Bavarian Radio
Choir takes home the prize!
