Kolokola, Op. 35 (The Bells) [Alf:36-A545802]

In the summer of 1912, Mariya Danilova, a cello student at the Moscow Conservatory, stumbled across Konstantin Balmont's idiosyncratic, Russian translation of the poem THE BELLS by Edgar Allan Poe. Feeling that it ought to be set to music, she wrote an anonymous letter to Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) imploring him to undertake the task. Completed in 1913, KOLOKOLA, Op. 35 (The Bells) premiered on November 30, 1913 at the Mariisnky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the composer at the baton. It was dedicated to Willem Mengelberg and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Later in life, Rachmaninoff declared that the choral symphony was his favorite of his own works. Instrumentation: 3+Picc.3+EH.3+BCl.3+CBsn: 6.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(5-6): Hp.Clst,Org(opt).Pno: Str(9-8-7-6-5 in set): Soli Sop.Ten.Bar: Mixed Chorus.