Moscow Archive
Russian Ballet Transcriptions for 2 Pianos = STRAVINSKY, BORODIN, TCHAIKOVSKY, KHACHATURIAN – Piano 21
Cyrpien Katsaris and Etsuko Hirose provide fingers and firepower to a compilation of Russian ballet favorites. Russian Ballet Transcriptions = STRAVINSKY: The Firebird – Suite No. 2; BORODIN: Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, Act II; TCHAIKOVSKY: Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66: Adagio; The Nutcracker – Suite, Op. 71a; Swan Lake, Op. 20: 3 Dances; KHACHATURIAN: Gayaneh: Sabre Dance and Lezginka – Cyprien Katsaris and Etsuko Hirose, pianos – Piano 21 P 21 056-N, 76:06 (1/20/17) [www.cyprienkatsaris.net] ****: Hearing this 2016 performance of Stravinsky’s The Firebird – Suite (1919) in Achilleas Wastor’s 2-piano arrangement, I could well recall director Jan Kounen’s 2010 Stravinsky & Coco Chanel and its dramatized (and apocryphal) evolution of the ballet music for Le Sacre du Printemps. We feel through the excellent ensemble of Katsaris and Hirose – in this world premier recording – the evocation of those colors the orchestra will realize, along with Stravinsky’s use of the 50 Russian Folksongs that aided Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, especially in the latter’s Op. 31 Sinfonietta on Russian Themes. The two keyboards literally purr in the Ronde des princesses and then explode with flatulent fire in the Danse infernale du roi Kastchei. Though I miss the ineffable harp’s entry for […]
Snowden (Oliver Stone), Blu-ray (2016)
A gripping political thriller as Oliver Stone can make. Snowden (Oliver Stone), Blu-ray (2016) Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Tom Wilkinson, Zachary Quinto Director: Oliver Stone Studio: Open Road/ Universal Studios Home Ent. 55176941 (12/27/16) 2 discs Video: 2.40:1 for 16:9 screens, HD color Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, DD 5.1 Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish No region encoding Extras: Digital copy incl. UltraViolet, Deleted scenes, “Find the Truth,” Q & A with Snowden, Previews Length: 270 min. Rating: ****1/2 Probably the most important true story of the 21st century so far, this Oliver Stone film doesn’t present anything new but is certainly more exciting than any of the various Snowden films before. The whole detailed background of the controversial figure is given in the film. And quite a bit of his relationship with his girlfriend, who now resides with him in Moscow. He exposed the shocking illegal surveillance actives of the NSA and became one of the most wanted men in the world. His relationships with several of the top people in the CIA are revealed. Stone keeps this a politically-charged thriller from beginning to end but there is no denying that he thinks Snowden is a […]
Russian Adventure, Cinerama, Blu-ray (1966/2016)
A great remastering of the Russian version of Cinerama into a wonderful (though now dated) Russian travelogue. Russian Adventure, Cinerama, Blu-ray (1966/2016) Narrator: Bing Crosby Directors: Leonid Kristy, Roman Karmen, Boris Dolin, Oleg Lebedev, Solomon Kogan Reconstruction & remastering: David Strohmaier Studio: Cinerama Corp./Hal Dennis Productions/ Flicker Alley Deluxe Combo Edition FA0049 (11/22/16) Video: Smile-Box simulated curved screen for 16:9 screens, 1080p color Audio: English, DD 5.1, PCM stereo Extras: Fortress of Peace (1964) a Swiss Army propaganda film in Cinerama; Concord (1966) a short about the soon-to-be active supersonic passenger jet; Working with our Father on Russian Adventure; Reconstructing Russian Adventure restoration demonstration; Russian Adventure trailer; Trailer gallery from other Cinerama films; Slideshows, ads and public materials from Russian Adventure; Facsimile of original program booklet. Length: 127 min. Rating: **** This travelogue was originally shot by the Russians in their similar eight years of Kinopanorama productions. They gave copies of the original six three-panel productions to Cinerama to show in 127 minutes both a brand new and intimate view of their country and culture which was so often cited but seldom seen during the Cold War years. The Cinerama folks got Bing Crosby to be the narrator for this […]
TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker – complete ballet transcribed for piano – Stewart Goodyear – Steinway & Sons
An outstanding transcription for piano of a most beloved ballet score – it’ll have you dancing! PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker – complete ballet transcribed for piano – performed by Stewart Goodyear – Steinway & Sons multichannel SACD 30040, 82:21 [10/9/15] *****: Few people are neutral on the subject of Christmas: most either love it or hate it. I’m one who loves it, and I find the music of Christmas to be an enormously important part of the tradition. So I was excited when this transcription for solo piano of the full Nutcracker ballet score arrived. I had enjoyed for years the DGG recording by Martha Argerich and Nicolas Economou of the Nutcracker Suite (in Economou’s piano transcription, and paired with Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances), but that contained only the highlights of Tchaikovsky’s score. This is the whole thing! . . the whole story! Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893) was a unique composer – and the Nutcracker is unique among his works. His father was a mining engineer and his mother was of French background. The boy was destined to be a civil servant, and indeed completed full training at the St. Petersburg School of Jurisprudence at age 19. But […]
TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Concerto No. 2; KHACHATURIAN: Piano Concerto – Xiayin Wang, p. – Royal Scottish Nat. Orch./Peter Oundjian – Chandos
Two little known Romantic Russian piano concertos thrill in expansive SACD sound. TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Concerto No. 2; KHACHATURIAN: Piano Concerto – Xiayin Wang, p. – Royal Scottish Nat. Orch./Peter Oundjian – Chandos multichannel SACD CHSA 5167, 75:54 ****: The pairing of these two Russian Romantic warhorses brings together two works that deserve to be performed more often. Both have explosive melodic invention supported by rich orchestration and virtuosic opportunities for piano and orchestra. Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) was Eastern Armenian by birth, but lived in Russia (Moscow) most of his life. Initially interested in biology, at age 19 entered the Moscow Conservatory as a cellist, studying with Nicolai Miaskovsky. His music was tonal and fell easily on the ears. That helped him elude the Communist conservative forces that nearly destroyed Shostakovich. He grew up surrounded by folk music. “Popular festivities, rites, joyous and sad events in the life of people always accompanied by music,” he once wrote. His music is colorful, ripe with folk melodies and rhythmically dramatic. In the 1951 Record Guide a critic wrote, “A clever musician who knows every trick of the trade…Khachaturian’s talent seems fundamentally commonplace; but the athletic rhythms and luxurious texture of his orchestral […]
PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19; Violin Concerto No. 2 in g, Op. 35; Solo Sonata in D Major, Op. 115 – Vadim Gluzman, v./ Estonian Nat. Sym. Orch./ Neeme Jarvi – BIS
Strong collaborations and incisive sound editing give us fine interpretations of Prokofiev’s major violin works. PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19; Violin Concerto No. 2 in g, Op. 35; Solo Sonata in D Major, Op. 115 – Vadim Gluzman, v./ Estonian Nat. Sym. Orch./ Neeme Jarvi – BIS multichannel SACD-2142, 60:21 (8/12/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Ukrainian-Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman (b. 1973) recorded the present Prokofiev works between May 2014 and July 2015, playing upon an extraordinary instrument, the 1690 Stradivarius once owned by pedagogue Leopold Auer. The quality of instrumental tone has an ardent complement in Gluzman’s natural sympathy for the works he performs here with the support of Neeme Jarvi and his veteran Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. The D Major Prokofiev Concerto (1917) still vibrates with a sense of the enfant terrible who wishes to astonish the conservative status quo. Although Nathan Milstein – who premiered the work in Moscow in 1923 – called the music “one of the best modern violin concertos,” many of the elite virtuosos declined to perform it, and it was left to the enterprising Joseph Szigeti to make the first recording with Sir Thomas Beecham. The dreamy first movement […]
RACHMANINOV: P. Con. No. 3; The Bells – Van Cliburne, p./Sym. of the Air/Soloists/ Krill Kondrashin – Praga Digitals
The best version yet of this classic. RACHMANINOV: Piano Concerto No. 3 in d, Op. 30; The Bells, Op. 35 – Van Cliburn, p./ Symphony of the Air/ Elizaveta Shumskaya, sop./ Mikhail Dovenmann, tenor/ Alexei Bolshakov, bar./ Moscow P.O./ Kirill Kondrashin – Praga Digitals Reminiscences stereo-only SACD PRD/DSD 350 123, 78:01 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] *****: Yes, this is that recording from 1958, Cliburn’s homecoming triumph after winning, against all odds—considering who was in power at the time in the Soviet Union—the First International Tchaikovsky Competition, a huge Cold War ploy if ever there was one, considering the wealth of musical talent present in Russia at the time, almost guaranteeing a win. It was the performance of the Tchaikovsky First and Rachmaninov Third that won the day for the young Harvey Lavan Cliburn, and when he returned to New York, Maestro Kondrashin was there at Carnegie Hall with him, subsequently recording the piece for RCA Victor. Only history will testify as to how much this significant event in the relationship between the United States and the USSR was soothed by the balm of Cliburn’s love for the Russian people, and their very demonstrable love for him. This recording has been […]
TANEYEV: Chamber Music with Piano = Piano Quartet in E Major, Op. 20; Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 22; Violin Sonata in a; Piano Quintet in g – Solisti dell’Officina Musicale – Aevea (2 CDs)
A survey of Taneyev’s chamber music with piano unearths several mighty treasures of earnest power and learned style. TANEYEV: Chamber Music with Piano = Piano Quartet in E Major, Op. 20; Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 22; Violin Sonata in a; Piano Quintet in g, Op. 30 – Solisti dell’Officina Musicale – Aevea AE15004005 (2 CDs), 85:30, 72:03 (10/9/15) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Recorded 21-25 November 2013, these chamber works display the significant talent of Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915), whom some consider to be Tchaikovsky’s natural successor, both as composer and pedagogue. The Piano Quartet (1907) provides a good example of Taneyev’s Romantic style, having been conceived before Taneyev’s departure from the Moscow Conservatory in 1905. The four soloists – Alessandro Deljavan, piano; Daniela Cammarano, violin; Paolo Castellitto, viola; and Andrea Agostinelli, cello – inject a direct energy into the music, the first movement’s offering a robustly expansive Allegro brillante that seems less Russian than lyrically ornamental and militant in the manner of Mendelssohn. Clear period breaks mark the various aspects of Taneyev’s conception of sonata-form. The main interest lies in the keyboard part, which displays liquid runs and a purring accompaniment to the soaring expressiveness – nostalgic, akin to […]
BRAHMS: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3 & others – David Oistrakh, v. – Praga Digitals
The complete Brahms violin sonata cycle from David Oistrakh shines in live concert performances from Prague and Moscow. BRAHMS: Scherzo in c minor, WoO 2; Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 “Regenlied-Sonata”; Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100 “Thun”; Violin Sonata No. 3 in d minor, Op. 108 – David Oistrakh, violin/ Frida Bauer & Sviatoslav Richter, p. (Scherzo, Op. 100) – Praga Digitals PRD 250 321, 73:38 (2/19/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Russian violin master David Oistrakh inscribed his live Brahms works over the course of six years, 1966-1972, in concerts alternating between Prague and Moscow. Oistrakh opens (8 December 1968, Moscow) with the 1853 Scherzo that formed a part of the so called F-A-E Sonata that Brahms, Albert Dietrich, and Robert Schumann co-created for their mutual friend Joseph Joachim. Oistrakh and Richter strike a potent, slashing tone throughout the movement, although its tender episodes enjoy a sympathetic pathos. The musical scene switches to Prague (17 May 1972), where Oistrakh and Frida Bauer collaborate on the 1878 G Major Sonata. The transparent theme, based on the Op. 59, No. 3 “Regenlied,” gains volume and momentum from both performers, gravitating to a […]
Romeo & Juliet = TCHAIKOVSKY, BERLIOZ, PROKOFIEV – Kondrashin/Monteux /Mravinsky – Praga
Despite an askew assemblage, the Romantic ethos of these scores has exemplary conductors at their respective helms. Romeo & Juliet = TCHAIKOVSKY: Romeo and Juliet – Overture Fantasy in b minor; BERLIOZ: Romeo et Juliette Symphonie, Op. 17: four excerpts; PROKOFIEV: Romeo and Juliet Ballet – Suite 2, Op. 64b – Moscow Philharmonic Orch./ Kyrill Kondrashin (Tchaikovsky)/ Choir and London Sym. Orch./ Pierre Monteux (Berlioz)/ Leningrad Philharmonic Orch./ Yevgeny Mravinsky (Prokofiev) – Praga Digitals multichannel SACD PRD/DSD 350 116, 79:20 (2/5/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Praga assembles various musical responses to the 1595 Shakespeare play of the two star-crossed lovers of Verona, utilizing first Kyrill Kondrashin’s 7 January 1967 live performance from Moscow of the 1869 Fantasy-Overture by Tchaikovsky. Kondrashin (1914-1981) assumed major international renown through his collaboration on the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto on RCA with Van Cliburn in 1958. His reading of the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy enjoys a broad canvas, rife with drama and sumptuous, erotic longing. The Moscow Philharmonic strings, winds, and brass achieve lofty heights without losing the manic drive that often marks a Kondrashin realization. The reading offers a fine balance between the too-often rushed approaches of some conductors who want virtuosity to […]
Ruggiero Ricci & Martha Argerich = BEETHOVEN: Sonata in E-flat Major for Violin and Piano; PROKOFIEV: Solo Sonata for Violin in D Major; BARTOK: Sonatina for Violin and Piano (arr. Gertler); Sonata for Violin Solo; SARASATE: Introduction and Tarantella; RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G – Martha Argerich, p./ Ruggiero Ricci, v./ Southwest German Radio Orch./ Ernest Bour – Doremi
A pair of talents combine for a dazzling, intellectually exciting recital from Soviet Russia, complemented by the young Argerich in blistering Ravel.
Yevgeny Mravinsky, cond. = BARTOK: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; HONEGGER: Symphony No. 3 “Liturgique”; STRAVINSKY: Agon – Leningrad Philharmonic Orch./ Yevgeny Mravinsky – Praga Digitals
Yevgeny Mravinsky and his loyal Leningrad Philharmonic indulge their potent talents upon three modern works of enduring quality.
HILARION ALFEYEV: Stabat Mater; Concerto grosso; Fugue on the B-A-C-H Motif; Canciones de la muerte; De profundis – Pentatone
This is getting a lot of attention. But does it deserve it?
Conductor Kirill Kondrashin = WAGNER: Siegfried Idyll; RAVEL: Ma mere l’oye; TCHAIKOVSKY: Serenade in C Major – Staatskapelle Dresden – MeloClassic
Spirited, rare readings from East Germany by Kirill Kondrashin, made shortly after his international “emergence” from Moscow, 1958.
“Spirit, Strength, & Sorrow” = Setting of the Stabat Mater by ALISSA FIRSOVA, TONU KORVITS, CLAUDIO CASCIOLINI, MATTHEW MARTIN, DOMENICO SCARLATTI – The Sixteen/ Harry Christophers – Coro
Christophers’s Coro goes from strength to strength in this absorbing collection.
SOFIA GUBAIDULINA: “Repentance” = Repentance; Serenade for solo guitar; Piano Sonata; Sotto voce – various performers/soloists – BIS
Very interesting collection of chamber works by this characteristically “dark”-sounding composer.
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 15 – Mark Wigglesworth, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orch. – BIS
Definitive performances and sound for these two symphonies.
MIECZYSLAW WEINBERG: Complete String Quartets – Quatuor Danel – CPO (6 CDs)
One of the great quartet cycles of the 20th century receives definitive performances.
ARENSKY: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor; Piano Trio No. 2 in F Minor; RACHMANINOV: Vocalise (arr. Conus) – Leonore Piano Trio – Hyperion
Russian Romanticism is well served in this assemblage of Arensky trios and the perennial Vocalise of Rachmaninov.
KABALEVSKY: Cello Concerto No. 1 in G Minor; Cello Concerto No. 2; Colas Breugnon Suite – Torleif Thedeen, cello/ NDR Radio-Sym. Orch./ Eji Oue/ Adrian Prabava (Breugnon) – CPO
Color and persuasive energies dominate this all-Kabalevsky disc, featuring brilliant virtuosity from cellist Torleif Thedeen.
RACHMANINOV: The Bells; Symphonic Dances – Soloists/ Radio-Choir Berlin/ Berlin Philharmonic Orch./ Sir Simon Rattle – Warner Classics
Sir Simon Rattle indulges in a spectacular sonics and large gestures for his all-Rachmaninov disc, a tour-de-force of color and power.
TCHAIKOVSKY: String Quartets Vol. 2 = No. 3, Op. 30 and Children’s Album Op. 39 – Utrecht String Quartet – MD&G
A very listenable disc of lesser-known Tchaikovsky.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
