Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Polish State Philharmonic Orchestra of Katowice conducted by Stephen Gunzenhauser.
I - Adagio - Allegro: 0:00
II - Andante: 13:54
III - Allegro: 24:04
Taneyev's Symphony No.2 was begun in 1875, but quickly left aside. Tchaikovsky, who had been Taneyev's composition teacher at the Moscow Conservatory and a close friend afterward, urged Taneyev to finish the composition with little success. He returned to the piece and continued sketching it between 1877-8, finishing the first and third movements but leaving the andante unorchestrated. A scherzo was initially conceived but it was never written. The first movement was conducted by Anton Rubinstein at a symphonic rehearsal in Moscow.
The composer was unsatisfied with the piece (particularly its orchestration) and left it aside again, not returning a second time up to his death in 1915. The work was discovered among Taneyev's papers on 1916. Soviet musicologist Vladimir Blok, with the help of composer Leonid Feigin, edited the first and last movements and orchestrated the andante. It was then published in 1977, being premiered in the same year by the USSR State Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio and Television conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev, by then over fifty years after the composer's death. Taneyev's very high standards of artistry left many of his compositions unfinished or unpublished.
The first movement is structured in sonata form. It begins with an adagio introduction, with oboes and clarinets introducing a melancholic and darkly coloured theme in B-flat minor, reminiscent of Tchaikovsky as he had used these instruments to depict Friar Laurence in his "Romeo and Juliet". Strings take in an expressive manner, leading into the main allegro. A rhythmic and determined main theme is presented by strings and woods, which is contrasted by a widely lyrical second theme introduced by the woods. The ensuing development is is substantial, characterized by Taneyev's prolific use of counterpoint, as well as by its willful and striding spirit. A powerful climax is reached, followed by a struggle between minor and major. The recapitulation begins with the brilliant and majestic return of the main theme. A rather gloomy coda evokes the opening introduction before vanishing in the silence
The second movement is also in sonata form. It opens with a brief introduction, before the English horn presents an expressive main theme accompanied by strings, with occasional reminiscences of Handel, one of Taneyev’s favourite composers. The music is rather archaic in style, seeming to look back to the music of Anton Rubinstein and Germanic romanticism in general. Clarinet introduces a melodic second theme, hardly contrasting in nature. The ensuing development is heavily contrapuntal in nature, building towards an imperious and passionate climax in its central part. The main themes are then recapitulated. A dignified coda ends the andante
The third movement is also structured in sonata form. It begins with a timpani roll, followed by a vigorously animated and folkish main theme, reminiscent of the composers of the Mighty Handful, particularly Borodin. It is contrasted by a widely lyrical second theme on strings, extracted from Taneyev's 1877 romance "People are Sleeping". The development is dominated by the main theme, being quickly transformed as the music modulates through the keys. A wilful climax leads directly into the recapitulation of the themes. An accelerando begins a coda that brings the symphony to an exciting and animated end.
Picture: "Brook in a Birch Forest" (1883) by the Russian painter Ivan Shishkin.
Musical analysis partially written by myself. Sources: tinyurl.com/28j6scph, tinyurl.com/2bgrdbhk and tinyurl.com/24cocjeu
Unfortunately, the score isn't freely available.
Polish State Philharmonic Orchestra of Katowice conducted by Stephen Gunzenhauser.
I - Adagio - Allegro: 0:00
II - Andante: 13:54
III - Allegro: 24:04
Taneyev's Symphony No.2 was begun in 1875, but quickly left aside. Tchaikovsky, who had been Taneyev's composition teacher at the Moscow Conservatory and a close friend afterward, urged Taneyev to finish the composition with little success. He returned to the piece and continued sketching it between 1877-8, finishing the first and third movements but leaving the andante unorchestrated. A scherzo was initially conceived but it was never written. The first movement was conducted by Anton Rubinstein at a symphonic rehearsal in Moscow.
The composer was unsatisfied with the piece (particularly its orchestration) and left it aside again, not returning a second time up to his death in 1915. The work was discovered among Taneyev's papers on 1916. Soviet musicologist Vladimir Blok, with the help of composer Leonid Feigin, edited the first and last movements and orchestrated the andante. It was then published in 1977, being premiered in the same year by the USSR State Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio and Television conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev, by then over fifty years after the composer's death. Taneyev's very high standards of artistry left many of his compositions unfinished or unpublished.
The first movement is structured in sonata form. It begins with an adagio introduction, with oboes and clarinets introducing a melancholic and darkly coloured theme in B-flat minor, reminiscent of Tchaikovsky as he had used these instruments to depict Friar Laurence in his "Romeo and Juliet". Strings take in an expressive manner, leading into the main allegro. A rhythmic and determined main theme is presented by strings and woods, which is contrasted by a widely lyrical second theme introduced by the woods. The ensuing development is is substantial, characterized by Taneyev's prolific use of counterpoint, as well as by its willful and striding spirit. A powerful climax is reached, followed by a struggle between minor and major. The recapitulation begins with the brilliant and majestic return of the main theme. A rather gloomy coda evokes the opening introduction before vanishing in the silence
The second movement is also in sonata form. It opens with a brief introduction, before the English horn presents an expressive main theme accompanied by strings, with occasional reminiscences of Handel, one of Taneyev’s favourite composers. The music is rather archaic in style, seeming to look back to the music of Anton Rubinstein and Germanic romanticism in general. Clarinet introduces a melodic second theme, hardly contrasting in nature. The ensuing development is heavily contrapuntal in nature, building towards an imperious and passionate climax in its central part. The main themes are then recapitulated. A dignified coda ends the andante
The third movement is also structured in sonata form. It begins with a timpani roll, followed by a vigorously animated and folkish main theme, reminiscent of the composers of the Mighty Handful, particularly Borodin. It is contrasted by a widely lyrical second theme on strings, extracted from Taneyev's 1877 romance "People are Sleeping". The development is dominated by the main theme, being quickly transformed as the music modulates through the keys. A wilful climax leads directly into the recapitulation of the themes. An accelerando begins a coda that brings the symphony to an exciting and animated end.
Picture: "Brook in a Birch Forest" (1883) by the Russian painter Ivan Shishkin.
Musical analysis partially written by myself. Sources: tinyurl.com/28j6scph, tinyurl.com/2bgrdbhk and tinyurl.com/24cocjeu
Unfortunately, the score isn't freely available.
