Bernstein's charisma is effectively demonstrated in a collection of Russian music... [P]redictably energetic...are Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture and Glière's Russian Sailors' Dance from The Red Poppy... But the highlights are lyrical, with Bernstein suitably atmospheric in a fine account of Borodin's In the steppes of Central Asia and giving a coolly poised reading of the beautiful Prelude to Khovantschina of Mussorgsky (with glowing orchestration from Rimsky-Korsakov).

-- Gramophone [7/1985]

------------------------------------------------

...Prokofiev's Scythian Suite, which [Bernstein] does well; I have not heard all the other available recordings but I should imagine that none surpasses this one in brilliance of colour, excitement and virtuosity.


-- Gramophone [10/1969, reviewing the original LP release of the Scythian Suite]

------------------------------------------------

These very popular examples of colourful Russian music are very well played and recorded in a style to emphasise brightness, thus enabling us to hear clearly some of the inner parts that are sometimes obscured.


-- Gramophone [12/1967, reviewing the original LP release of the Glinka, Mussorgsky, and Ippolitov-Ivanov works]

Although there have been many fine and some thrilling performances of Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony since it first appeared on record, there are only two that really count—and this is one of them. The other is the perfectly proportioned and beautifully played Karajan (DG, 1/93). Of course, there are many more modern and better recorded versions that can be recommended but (to put an unwelcome scenario) were the bomb about to drop, and one had only time to play one version of the Fifth, for me it would be this one. Unaccountably it was never released in this country on 78s after the war, although numbers in HMV's DB series were allotted to it. In those days duplication was the exception rather than the rule and this symphony had not established the popular following it now enjoys. Perhaps it was felt that its release would impair the success of the now deleted rival set with Artur Rodzinski and the New York Philharmonic (Columbia, 2/49).

When the work was first issued on LP, I wrote: ''Not even the Berlin Philharmonic under Karajan can match the strings of the Boston Symphony in sheer power and eloquence under the baton of Koussevitzky. They possess a lyrical intensity matched by few others. Above the stave they sing with unerring purity of intonation: the sound is marvellously clean and their tone can only be called luminous.'' (Writing in another context Harris Goldsmith declared, ''the voluminous warmth of the Boston string section under Koussevitzky was one of the hedonistic delights of Western civilization''.) The wind and brass are of comparable excellence. This account dates from February 6th and 7th, 1946, yet the musicians sound as if they have known this music all their lives. As they do in an earlier performance I have on AS Disc (not available in the UK) from November 17th,1945, which must have been made very near the work's premiere.

To the Fifth Symphony and the four Romeo and Juliet excerpts (which were coupled on the LP) RCA have added two performances recorded during the orchestra's visit to New York in November 1947: the Classical Symphony and the ''Danse finale'' from Chout. I don't think the Classical is superior to the marvellous account on 78s recorded by Koussevitzky in the early 1930s (HMV, 10/31) which I hope will reappear in due course, but it is still both vivacious and enchanting. As I wrote of the Fifth and the four Romeo and Juliet excerpts first time round, these interpretations are totally unmannered yet of outsize personality, their virtuosity worn lightly. Superb performances, then, in a class of their own, which produce even better results now than they did on vinyl.'

Robert Layton, The Gramophone

His passing most unfortunately coming on the same day as the dreaded Stalin's, Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953), most fortunately, left to posterity a far better, less lethal legacy. His music, often marked rhythmically and instrumentally by the violence and war which surrounded him after his return to the Soviet Union, is all the more dramatic as a result. Few could capture that drama as well as his countryman Sviatoslav Richter, a pianist seemingly born to play his music. These 1956-8 Moscow recordings of the Sonatas Nos. 6, 7 & 9, capture Mr. Richter at the height of his interpretative powers.

The Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev was one of the giants of 20th century music. Reference Recordings is proud to present the Utah Symphony conducted by Thierry Fischer, in grand new performances of "Alexander Nevsky" and the "Lieutenant Kijé Suite", two of his most brilliant and dramatic musical works. The music of Lieutenant Kijé was originally written as the score to the film of the same name, released in March 1934. Prokofiev soon adapted it into the five-movement Lieutenant Kijé Suite, first performed in December 1934, and which quickly became a favorite in the international concert repertoire. Then, in 1938, Prokofiev collaborated with film director Eisenstein to create the score for the film Alexander Nevsky. He later adapted much of his score into the large-scale cantata for mezzo-soprano, orchestra and chorus featured on this recording.

-----

REVIEW:

The Lieutenant Kijé Suite's piquant opening movement, ‘Kijé’s Birth’, is notable for some nimble playing, especially from the Utah Symphony’s woodwinds. ‘Romance’ is nicely shaped and I liked the contributions of the tenor saxophonist. The cheeky music of ‘Kijé’s Wedding’ is nicely pointed and the tuba ‘oompahs’ add a suitably amusing touch. In the concluding ‘Kijé’s Funeral’ Prokofiev offers a kind of musical obituary by weaving in snippets from the four preceding movements. This is a very nicely done performance and I enjoyed it.

The Alexander Nevsky cantata is a vivid, theatrical score and in the right hands it certainly packs a punch. This new version from Thierry Fischer has a lot going for it, not least the vivid recorded sound.

The quality of the sound is immediately evident in ‘Russia under Mongolian Tyranny’ where the brooding atmosphere established by Fischer and his orchestra is emphasised by the wide-ranging recording. The sound has impact and genuine presence, offering a vivid aural picture of the orchestra. The Utah choirs make a strong showing in the delivery of their long phrases in ‘Song of Alexander Nevsky’. Things really get cracking in ‘The Crusade in Pskov’ where the oppressive dissonance of Prokofiev’s music is strongly projected by the orchestra, reinforced eventually by the choir. The recording has power and clarity, maximising the impact of the performance.

– MusicWeb International

This two-CD set offers all the works that Prokofiev wrote for the violin as solo instrument. One of the most sought-after and acclaimed virtuoso violinists today, James Ehnes is accompanied by the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Gianandrea Noseda and by the pianist Andrew Armstrong, with whom he has previously made a number of highly acclaimed Chandos recordings. The distinguished Amy Schwartz Moretti joins him in the Sonata for Two Violins.- Chandos

Reviews

Orchestral Choice "... James Ehnes’s particular combination of matchless virtuosity, sweet tone, flowing tempi and interpretative restraint suits all this music down to the ground... the contribution of the BBC Philharmonic is distinguished throughout ... Strongly recommended." David Gutman - Gramophone magazine - October 2013

“Wow. Everything works here. James Ehnes rarely disappoints, and the playing on this beautifully recorded two-disc set is immaculate. It’s not just the musicality, the remarkable ability to give shape and colour to the thorniest solo writing, but his modesty – he’s a player who knows exactly when to step back and let collaborators take the spotlight… Unmissable.” Graham Rickson – theartsdesk.com – 28 September 2013

"... Ehnes and his pianist give performances worthy of the giants (Oistrakh and Richter) for whom their parts were conceived." Hugh Canning - The Sunday Times - 8 September 2013

Classical CD of the Week "... Ehnes is joined by Amy Schwartz Moretti for an electrifying performance of the duo sonata... In their mix of lyricism and sharpe-edged rhythmic and harmonic piquancy. Ehnes and Moretti are absolutely spot on in defining the music’s character. This is playing that truly grabs you by the scruff of the neck and commands attention... For the two concertos Ehnes teams up again with an orchestra and conductor he knows well - the BBC Philharmonic and Gianandrea Noseda - who yield apt, complimentary shades of colouring, both brilliant and pungent, to match Ehnes’s superb artistry." ***** Geoffrey Norris - The Daily Telegraph - 28 September 2013

"... the sound is terrific, and given the excellence of the performance throughout, and the convenience of having all of these works ’under one roof’. as it were, there’s no reason to put off acquiring this set..." Raymond S Tuttle - International Record Review - October 2013

"... Prokofiev wrote tuneful music, rich and rhythmic, and James Ehnes is outstanding in bringing this attractive music to life." Peter Spaull - Liverpool Post - 19 September 2013

PROKOFIEV Violin Sonatas: No. 2 in D; No. 1 in f. Five Mélodies, op. 35a • Isabelle van Keulen (vn); Ronald Brautigam (pn) • CHALLENGE 72580 (60: 59)


Violinist Isabelle van Keulen and her frequent duo partner, pianist Ronald Brautigam, present Prokofiev’s two violin sonatas in the order of their appearance. The Second Sonata originally appeared as a flute sonata; David Oistrakh, who heard the premiere, asked the composer to arrange it for violin and piano. Prokofiev left the piano part untouched and collaborated with Oistrakh on adapting the flute part to the violin. When once practicing the Sonata, I heard a flute player in the next room playing the flute version. We both emerged into the hallway to argue about the superiority of the one over the other—I championing the flute version, and she the one for violin. Apparently, Oistrakh and Prokofiev did their jobs well. In fact, though, I always thought that Oistrakh played the piece like a flute sonata, while Nathan Milstein played it like a violin sonata (I can’t think of any flute players who play it like a violin sonata).


Van Keulen digs so deeply into the strings in her aggressive statement of the two themes that she erases all vestiges of that flute version. Yet she adds a silvery sheen to some of the passagework that keeps the movement from sounding coarse or brutal. She or Brautigam occasionally releases an intense outburst that reveals the music’s bubbling hot core, however irenic Prokofiev himself thought the music to be overall; and they showcase the Scherzo’s quicksilver sprightliness, although van Keulen draws an almost hoarsely rich tone from the lower registers of her 1734 Guarneri del Gesù in the trio—a timbre that also suggests steamy sultriness in the outer portions of the third movement—to say nothing of its slinky middle section. Van Keulen sounds almost ferocious—as did Milstein—in the Finale’s opening theme. I remember Dmitry Sitkovetsky’s recording as suggesting high resolution but equalized tension (Virgin 7243 5 61887, Fanfare 25:2). The resolution’s all here in van Keulen’s reading, but not the equalized tension—at the very least, the dynamic interplay between the duo partners guarantees that and they sprint with breathtaking élan to the finish.


In the First Sonata, van Keulen deploys a tone of great strength—modern textile armor wrapped around steel—which lends a hard edge to the first movement; and Brautigam delivers the already grim musical message with intimidating intensity, spreading the terror from the “wind in the graveyard” passages throughout the entire movement. The second movement begins with a snarl; and van Keulen’s very strength—a strength that occasionally causes her violinistic voice to crack, principally the first time it’s heard—lends a somewhat different musical meaning to the lyrical second theme from that which many listeners may have come to expect. She adopts a somewhat kinder and gentler manner in the more introspective third movement, but the duo gives the Finale a topsy-turvy sense of hurling jagged fragments.


The program ends with the Five Melodies . Once again a violinist, this time Paul Kochanski, helped Prokofiev arrange the part for violin. In Joseph Szigeti’s reading of these pieces with Carlo Bussotti, they retained a quirkiness that they lack in van Keulen’s and Brautigam’s version; but since van Keulen and Brautigam play passages like the middle of the second with joyous energy, and bring an almost searing intensity to the opening of the third, they can hardly be accused of pruning the pieces emotionally.


For those seeking a view of these works more recent than those of the first performers, van Keulen and Brautigam certainly provide an almost comparable musical understanding combined with, arguably, an equally ample technical command and, not at all arguably, superior recorded sound. Very strongly recommended.


FANFARE: Robert Maxham

I discovered with Sakari Oramo’s Nielsen symphonies that writing off an entire cycle based on just one instalment is very unwise. To ensure I don’t do that again I’ve elected to review Andrew Litton’s Prokofiev Fifth, even though I found his Sixth rather disappointing. The Bergen Phil are a fine band, as their work with Andrew Davis, Edward Gardner and Juanjo Mena so amply demonstrates; not only that, Chandos and Hyperion seem to get better results in the Grieg Hall than BIS have managed thus far.

Then there’s the stiff competition; Neeme Järvi’s much-celebrated cycle for Chandos springs to mind, as does Dmitri Kitaienko’s for Phoenix Edition. Sakari Oramo’s Ondine Fifth and Sixth mustn’t be overlooked either. All offer very different views of the Fifth, Prokofiev’s great wartime symphony, and that in itself suggests the work responds well to opposing interpretations. Oramo’s is a case in point, for he taps into a vein of lyricism that others don’t always find. He also has a very transparent recording that exposes much of the score’s inner workings.

The Järvi Fifth dates from the conductor’s halcyon days with the RSNO – then the Scottish National Orchestra – which yielded particularly memorable recordings of Richard Strauss, Shostakovich and Prokofiev. Revisiting his Prokofiev Fifth after a long break I discovered the performance has all the spunk and spike that I remember, although the treble is fiercer and the big moments are rougher than I recall. I have no such qualms about his Scythian Suite – coupled with a white-hot Alexander Nevsky – which is my benchmark for the piece.

Litton’s Andante is powerful enough, but alongside Järvi and Kitaienko it takes a little while to limber up. Admittedly, this is the kind of music that lends itself to large, gruff gestures, but as Oramo’s forensic reading confirms there’s more to this score than that. For sheer excitement, though, Järvi is hard to beat; as for Kitaienko he plays the music with a a bold, deep-rooted conviction that’s impressive too. Litton isn’t quite so overt, so visceral, but I soon came to realise that's no bad thing. The recording is exceptionally vivid, although there's an occasional hardness in the treble.

Moving on, Litton’s perky Allegro marcato is nicely phrased, and he captures the score’s veers and vacillations very well indeed. Now this is more like it. The Bergen Phil are well up to the challenge and the BIS balances are much more believable than Phoenix's; while that certainly helps to soften the music’s sharpest edges it doesn't undermine the thrust and energy of Litton's reading. Oramo’s version is the most pliant and personal one here, but some may feel that robs the music of its pith and piquancy. As for Järvi he's as taut and compelling as ever in this movement, a reminder of just how good a team he and the RSNO once were.

The yearning Adagio with its inner musings and gentle tread finds Litton at his most thoughtful and communicative. There’s a pleasing lucidity and openness here that's most welcome. In short, this is a very persuasive account of this lovely, multi-faceted movement. Built on a smaller, more intimate scale Oramo’s Adagio is the most lyrical and colourful; the Ondine recording has a very strong stereo spread, and it’s closer to BIS's in terms of subtlety and tonal sophistication. Unfortunately Oramo allows the pace to flag, which is a shame as I like what he’s trying to do. Both are commendably refined, and that makes for more congenial performances than either Järvi's or Kitaienko's; frankly, the latter have a raw edge and restless angularity that can be a tad unremitting at times.

In that rather forceful context Litton’s frisky Allegro giocoso may seem rather reticent, although it’s actually alert and keenly paced. Not only that, there's a joy, a sparkle, to this music that brisker and more declamatory performances tend to miss. I'm also extremely imprssed by the recorded sound, which really brings out the score's muances and competing timbres. Here and in the symphony as a whole Litton is nearer to the affectionate and reflective Oramo than he is to the volatile Kitaienko/Järvi. I can live with both extremes, but it's a relief - and a pleasure - to hear Prokofiev performances that don't sound like they're being forged on a factory floor.

The Scythian Suite gets a typically febrile outing, with thumping bass and glittering treble. Järvi may have the rhythmic edge, not to mention the most spectacular recording, but Litton’s no slouch either. As with the symphony he combines slam with subtlety, and there's a mervellous sense of a tale being told. He’s aided and abetted by wide-ranging sonics and an orchestra that's in tip-top condition. Indeed, this strikes me as the very best of BIS’s Grieg Hall productions to date, and that augurs well for the rest of Litton’s Prokofiev cycle.

Despite some initial reservations I’m delighted to welcome this addition to the Prokofiev discography. These are performances that grow in stature with each hearing; in fact, not only is Litton's Scythian Suite every bit as thrilling as Järvi's, it's also the more illuminating - the most interesting - of the two.

A terrific pairing, very well played and recorded; here’s to the next instalment.

– MusicWeb International