Alla Pavlova: Symphony No. 4 “Path to Shambala“ (2002)

Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow Radio conducted by/ Orquesta Sinfónica Tchaikovsky de la Radio de Moscú dirigida por Vladimir Fedoseyev. Organ/órgano: Georgy Khachikyan. Alla Pavlova, a Russian émigré to America, is one of the foremost female composers of our age. Her language, in the beginning close to the avant-garde, shifted to neo-romanticism from year 2000 on. Her topics have revolved around spirituality, which is quite present in her Symphony No. 4 “Path to Shambhala”. According to Hindu, Nepali and Tibetan legends, Shambhala is a mythical kingdom that lies in the middle of the Himalayans, whose almighty last king will emerge at the height of a catastrophic war to eradicate evil and hate. However, Buddhist teachings consider this place as a state of mind that can only be achieved through the following of the Eight Noble Truths, heart and soul to Buddhist philosophy. It is in this spirit that Pavlova composed the symphony. Alla Pavlova, quien emigró