Taneyev, Sergei Ivanovich: Suite De Concert (Naxos Audio CD)

• Inspired by a poem by Aleksey Tolstoy, Taneyev’s cantata John of Damascus was the first work that the self-critical Russian composer deemed worthy of an opus number, its sublime music drawing on an ancient sacred chant woven into rich passages of expressive counterpoint.

• A quarter of a century later, the virtuosic and scintillating Suite de concert, Taneyev’s first work for solo violin and orchestra, was also successfully premièred.

• Thomas Sanderling’s first disc in the Naxos Taneyev series (Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 / 8.570336) was praised by The Guardian for its “strongly characterised performances”.

“These strongly characterised performances under Thomas Sanderling suggest that Taneyev’s music does have something to offer, with a personality distinct from that of his fellow countrymen… an excellent budget-price introduction to the composer.” The Guardian