SERGEI TANEYEV (1856-1915): John of Damascus for Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 1 (rec. 1977), Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 12 (rec. 1988), Concert Suite in G Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 28 (rec. 1990), Temple of Apollo at Delphi from Oresteia (rec. 1984).

Description: 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. It’s been recorded before, by Naxos, Chandos and DG, but we offer it for collectors of Svetlanov since this live Melodiya recording (once available on Russian Disc in the 90s) has rarely seen the light of day. 2 CDs. Andrei Korsakov (violin), USSR All-Union Radio Choir, USSR State Symphony Orchestra; Evgeni Svetlanov.