Symphony No. 1 / Prince Rostislav, symphonic poem (1891)

To be truthful, when BIS launched the first volume (BIS-CD-1279) in this series a year or so ago, they were pleasantly surprised at the response it received from the buying public and, not least, from reviewers. (Répertoire named "this immensely touching and poetic version" one of the top ten discs of the month and CD Compact, in its recommendation stated that it was the ideal reading "for Rachmaninovians and for those who thinks that Art should be communicative.") The turn has now come to the third and last volume, featuring the first of Rachmaninov's symphonies - a work that caused the unfortunate composer an awful lot of distress on account of its disastrous reception! Later generations of listeners have rejoiced that Rachmaninov did not follow his immediate instinct to burn it. (The score did however disappear, though the orchestral parts and a piano reduction enabled it to be reconstructed.) Owain Arwel Hughes, known to BIS fans for his pioneering recordings of Vagn Holmboe's symphonies, is an inspired guide to this youthful work with the committed support of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.