Now back to band recordings. This is a performance of the first movement of Boris Kozhevnikov's Symphony no 3. I like the dance nature and energy of this piece, it's a very typical Russian sound that gets you going. This recording is a little rough around the edges but I still very much enjoyed working on it.

I am playing Timpani

Program Notes:
Slavyanskaya is a fairly conventional Russian-sounding symphony in four movements. The first is at times aggressive and lyrical, opening with a strong F-minor declamation. The second is a slow waltz with an exuberant episode in its coda. A spritely piccolo solo opens the third movement, a rondo which whizzes by at lightning speed. The fourth movement is an exuberant finale. Throughout the symphony, Kozhevnikov uses folk tunes from his native city of Novgorod as the sources of his melodic material. Although Kozhevnikov wrote Slavyanskaya in 1950, it did not receive its first performance in the U.S. until the late 1990s.

The word “Slavyanskaya” (in Russian Славянская) appears to be nothing more than a proper name. It’s also applied to a public square in Moscow, a fancy Radisson hotel also in Moscow, and a Russian brand of vodka.



...So if you haven't heard the news; moments after uploading this, I emailed a local wind ensemble saying I want to join. After two years of being inactive in bands, I am finally going to be playing under a conductor's baton again. More here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5134254/