Musicatlas
Music
There is only one disc available by him on Olympia, Catalogue No. 486. The disc contains Symphonies No. 20 & 23.
Roel Groen <Groenzvb
cybercomm.nl> adds the following:
A new CD appeared:
Decca 452 850-2
Symphony #22 "Let it be"
Symphony #23 "I am Jesus"
Performed by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy
The six symphonies, 18 to 23, composed between 1976 and 1980, together form a cycle on themes from the Apocalypse with the collective title "Let it be". The other four symphonies in this cycle are called:
(18) "To He who loves us";
(19) "Blood of the Lamb";
(20) "Blessed areb the dead";
(21) "The Great City"
A friend suggested he should change the titles of his symphonies in order to try to break the ban by the Sovjet authorities. Following this suggestion eventually some of his symphonies were played. Symphony no. 19 got the name "Born for victory", no. 23 "Risen from the ashes", while the complete cycle was renamed to "Poem of Victory".
Max & Celestine <MaxCelswlink.net> add the following: There are now 2 discs of Karamanov’s music available. I purchased from Tower Records a great CD from Marco Polo #8.223796 containing the following:
- Symphony #3 (40:10)
- Andantino (17:37)
- Moderato (5:38)
- Andantino (7:55)
- Allegro (8:58)
- Piano Concerto #3 "Ave Maria" (33:23)
- Allegretto (12:29)
- Largo (6:16)
- Andantino (14:37)
Vladimir Viardo, Piano
Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Antonio de Almeida, Conductor
The Symphony #3 is absolutely wild. It starts with pleasant and tranquil string passages and changes into Pettersson-like clashes of conflict in the orchestra. The Piano Concerto #3 is a little more conservative and accessible in nature, but very enjoyable nonetheless (reminiscent of Rachmaninoff).
Life
He was a co-student with Alfred Schnittke. Schnittke considered him "the most the talented student composer" at the Moscow Conservatory. Shostakovich called him "one of the most original and unique composers of our time."
Sources — links
- If you need more information you can contact Karamanov Society in England: (0) 1234 750843 - fax (0) 1234 751881.