NIKOLAI MYASKOVSKY (1881-1950): Silence, Op. 9, Sinfonietta in B Minor, Op. 32/2, Divertissement, Op. 80.

Description: One of the most intriguing releases of this series: Silence (1909), a response to Poe's short-story of the same name and as black and lugubrious as you would expect from this composer, is Myaskovsky's first orchestral work after his first symphony. Passing over the comparatively well-known Sinfonietta, we then have 1948's Divertissement, written with Zhdanov's boot on his neck. Myaskovsky writing something called Divertissement is a true oxymoron; it's much lighter than 99% of Myaskovsky but much darker than anything else with such a title. USSR State Symphony Orchestra; Evgeny Svetlanov.