R-Sorch Stutt Swr/Sanderling - Kurt Sanderling conducts Rachmaninov Symphonie No. 3

The legendary conductor Kurt Sanderling was always a great admirer of Rachmaninov�s music. There is just one other, old recording of Sanderling conducting Rachmaninov�s Third Symphony. This is, therefore, another notable release in the SWR historic series. The performances on this disc are from his Stuttgart concerts, beginning with Mussorgsky�s prelude to his unfinished opera Khovanshchina, the work he began after completing Boris Godunov. Sanderling did not use the version originally published by Rimsky-Korsakov, but Shostakovich�s orchestral version (from 1959), which is based on Mussorgsky�s original piano score and is still used today. The other highlight of that evening was Sergey Rachmaninov�s Third Symphony. This was his last symphony and his penultimate orchestral work, a 45-minute piece in three movements, composed in 1935/36 (rev. 1938). Rachmaninov�s monumental Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 always remained close to Sanderling�s heart. Violinist Efim Belsky of the Leningrad Philharmonic once said: In my opinion, his interpretation of Rachmaninov�s Symphony No. 3 was his most brilliant achievement in the field of Russian music. This release is a unique collection of Fritz Wunderlich�s recordings from 1954 � 1957 of Early Music predating J. S. Bach, and is a new instalment from SWR�s comprehensive series of Fritz Wunderlich�s recordings. The album has been digitally remastered from the original SWR tapes.