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Naxos

Film Music Classics - Shostakovich: Odna [Alone] / Fitz-Gerald

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Details

Composer
SHOSTAKOVICH, DMITRY
Artist
Mataeva, Kiknadze, Voropaev, M. Fi
Format
CD
Label
Naxos
Released
Jan 29, 2008
Catalog #
8570316
UPC
747313031672

About

Shostakovich scored dozens of films, starting in the silent era with a long, almost symphonic, accompaniment to Kozintsev and Trauberg’s New Babylon (1929). At the last minute the censors imposed heavy cuts on the film and there wasn’t time even to begin to try and make Shostakovich’s music fit what was left of the film. For his next film Odna (Alone) Shostakovich decided to make things easier for everybody and wrote music in easily assimilated portions ranging in duration from about 30 seconds to four and a half minutes. There are 48 cues on this CD – the complete score for the film.

Odna was planned as the first Soviet sound film but, due to the bulkiness of the sound recording equipment, it was shot, on location, as a silent with the soundtrack being added later at the Leningrad studios. As the soundtrack was poor, title cards were used as well as sound – hence the description of a sound/silent film. The plot is simplicity itself. Elena, a young teacher looks forward to a life with her husband-to-be in Leningrad but she is sent to the Altai, on the Mongolian border. She tries to teach the children, and they enjoy their lessons, but the parents need them to tend the sheep. Elena nearly dies in a snowdrift but is rescued “thanks to the Soviet State”, as a title card tells us. Finally, Elena leaves the Altai and returns to Leningrad, but we have no idea if her presence in the village has made any difference to the lives if the people she leaves behind. Shostakovich is much more positive in his closing music, giving a quite optimistic view.

The music covers a wide variety of styles and moods. There’s a lot of the kind of music we know from The Age of Gold, and the opera The Nose, circus music similar to that which appears in the first movement of the 4th Symphony, highly serious (but with a slight thumbing of the nose) for the village Soviet chairman waking up (track 29), but there’s also high drama, especially in the scenes where Elena nearly freezes to death, a very evocative use of the Theremin here.

The booklet tells us that this is one of Shostakovich’s best scores. It’s certainly one of his most varied and it’s easy to follow the slender plot. There’s also some delightful orchestrations – I particularly loved the duet for bassoons and harp and the duet for oboe and wood blocks! – ranging from full orchestra to chamber music combinations. You can hear the orchestral sound Shostakovich became famous for, sometimes in embryo, in almost every track.

The restoration of the score was obviously a labour of love. Much time and effort has obviously gone into the making of this disk. The performance is excellent: the orchestra is on top form and the soloists are, mercifully, lacking the kind of wide vibrato we used to get from Soviet singers.

All in all, an exciting release which finally does justice to a score we have only really known, in tantalisingly incomplete form, through Rozhdestvensky’s short Suite - which he recorded in the early 1980s, and which is now available in a 14 disk set from BMG/Melodia, or as a 2 disk set of Manuscripts from Different Years 74321 59058 2 - a version of the Suite by Dmitri Smirnov for wind ensemble (Netherlands Wind Ensemble, Meladina Record MRCD0021) and a Russian Disc issue of 1995 (RD CD 10 007) which included 29 cues from the score.

This is the real thing and it was worth the wait. Recording and notes are superb.

This Naxos series of Film Music Classics simply goes from strength to strength.

-- Bob Briggs, MusicWeb International

Tracklist 48 tracks

  1. 1 The Beginning (Overture) 00:53
    Track
    1
    Title
    The Beginning (Overture)
    Duration
    00:53
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  2. 2 Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: Kuzmina wakes 01:20
    Track
    2
    Title
    Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: Kuzmina wakes
    Duration
    01:20
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  3. 3 Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: Konchen, konchen tekhnikum 01:05
    Track
    3
    Title
    Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: Konchen, konchen tekhnikum
    Duration
    01:05
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Irina Mataeva
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  4. 4 Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: Morning Exercises 01:27
    Track
    4
    Title
    Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: Morning Exercises
    Duration
    01:27
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  5. 5 Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: March, "The Street" 00:37
    Track
    5
    Title
    Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: March, "The Street"
    Duration
    00:37
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  6. 6 Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: Kuzmina waits Sobolevsky 00:42
    Track
    6
    Title
    Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: Kuzmina waits Sobolevsky
    Duration
    00:42
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  7. 7 Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: Galop - Kakaya horoshaya budet zhizn'! (How Good Life will Be!) 02:42
    Track
    7
    Title
    Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: Galop - Kakaya horoshaya budet zhizn'! (How Good Life will Be!)
    Duration
    02:42
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Dmitry Voropaev
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  8. 8 Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: March 00:45
    Track
    8
    Title
    Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: March
    Duration
    00:45
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  9. 9 Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: (Original) Introduction - The Cockery Sings: Ostan'sya! (Stay!) 03:59
    Track
    9
    Title
    Reel 1, Kuzmina in Leningrad: (Original) Introduction - The Cockery Sings: Ostan'sya! (Stay!)
    Duration
    03:59
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Irina Mataeva, Dmitry Voropaev
    Ensemble
    Frankfurt Vocal Ensemble, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  10. 10 Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: Office Typewriters 00:04
    Track
    10
    Title
    Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: Office Typewriters
    Duration
    00:04
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  11. 11 Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: A Young Girl Signs Up 00:59
    Track
    11
    Title
    Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: A Young Girl Signs Up
    Duration
    00:59
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  12. 12 Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: Music from the Loudspeakers During Telephone Box Scene (composed by Padre Martini, arr. F. Kreisler) 00:57
    Track
    12
    Title
    Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: Music from the Loudspeakers During Telephone Box Scene (composed by Padre Martini, arr. F. Kreisler)
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Ulrich Edelmann
  13. 13 Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: Kuzmina Starts to Sign Up 01:05
    Track
    13
    Title
    Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: Kuzmina Starts to Sign Up
    Duration
    01:05
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  14. 14 Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: March 00:47
    Track
    14
    Title
    Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: March
    Duration
    00:47
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  15. 15 Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: Barrel-Organ 01:05
    Track
    15
    Title
    Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: Barrel-Organ
    Duration
    01:05
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  16. 16 Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: The Old Janitor Flirts with Her 00:31
    Track
    16
    Title
    Reel 2, Kuzmina Enlists as a Teacher: The Old Janitor Flirts with Her
    Duration
    00:31
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Dmitry Voropaev
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  17. 17 Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: Overtone Singer 00:43
    Track
    17
    Title
    Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: Overtone Singer
    Duration
    00:43
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Mark van Tongeren
  18. 18 Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: The Steppe of the Altai 00:57
    Track
    18
    Title
    Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: The Steppe of the Altai
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  19. 19 Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: The Altai 04:59
    Track
    19
    Title
    Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: The Altai
    Duration
    04:59
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  20. 20 Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: She Meets the Village Chairman and Some of the Locals 03:38
    Track
    20
    Title
    Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: She Meets the Village Chairman and Some of the Locals
    Duration
    03:38
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  21. 21 Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: Kuzmina in Her Peasant's Hut 03:07
    Track
    21
    Title
    Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: Kuzmina in Her Peasant's Hut
    Duration
    03:07
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  22. 22 Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: Kuzmina Takes Courage 00:25
    Track
    22
    Title
    Reel 3, Kuzmina Arrives Alone in the Altai Steppes: Kuzmina Takes Courage
    Duration
    00:25
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  23. 23 Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: Introduction 00:20
    Track
    23
    Title
    Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: Introduction
    Duration
    00:20
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  24. 24 Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: The School Class 00:59
    Track
    24
    Title
    Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: The School Class
    Duration
    00:59
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  25. 25 Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: The Bai Selects the Children to Tend The Sheep 02:53
    Track
    25
    Title
    Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: The Bai Selects the Children to Tend The Sheep
    Duration
    02:53
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  26. 26 Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: Kuzmina is Struck as She Protests 00:43
    Track
    26
    Title
    Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: Kuzmina is Struck as She Protests
    Duration
    00:43
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  27. 27 Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: The Village Children's Wife Sings A Lullaby to Her Baby 02:46
    Track
    27
    Title
    Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: The Village Children's Wife Sings A Lullaby to Her Baby
    Duration
    02:46
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Anna Kiknadze
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  28. 28 Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: Kuzmina Sees the Wife's Crockery and Reminisces 00:51
    Track
    28
    Title
    Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: Kuzmina Sees the Wife's Crockery and Reminisces
    Duration
    00:51
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Dmitry Voropaev
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  29. 29 Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: The Village Soviet Chairman Waking Up 03:04
    Track
    29
    Title
    Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: The Village Soviet Chairman Waking Up
    Duration
    03:04
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  30. 30 Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: Kuzmina Confronts the Village Chairman 01:16
    Track
    30
    Title
    Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: Kuzmina Confronts the Village Chairman
    Duration
    01:16
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  31. 31 Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: The Village Chairman Drinks Tea with His Wife 00:41
    Track
    31
    Title
    Reel 4, Kuzmina Starts Teaching the Local Children: The Village Chairman Drinks Tea with His Wife
    Duration
    00:41
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  32. 32 Reel 5, Kuzmina Teaches in the Open Air: The Children Play and Dance with Her 02:12
    Track
    32
    Title
    Reel 5, Kuzmina Teaches in the Open Air: The Children Play and Dance with Her
    Duration
    02:12
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  33. 33 Reel 5, Kuzmina Teaches in the Open Air: The Bai and the Sheep Trader, a Sheep is Slaughtered 02:48
    Track
    33
    Title
    Reel 5, Kuzmina Teaches in the Open Air: The Bai and the Sheep Trader, a Sheep is Slaughtered
    Duration
    02:48
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  34. 34 Reel 5, Kuzmina Teaches in the Open Air: Kuzmina Protests 01:24
    Track
    34
    Title
    Reel 5, Kuzmina Teaches in the Open Air: Kuzmina Protests
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  35. 35 Reel 5, Kuzmina Teaches in the Open Air: The Bai Shouts Back at Her 01:11
    Track
    35
    Title
    Reel 5, Kuzmina Teaches in the Open Air: The Bai Shouts Back at Her
    Duration
    01:11
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  36. 36 Reel 5, Kuzmina Teaches in the Open Air: The Locals Conspire to Murder Kuzmina 04:44
    Track
    36
    Title
    Reel 5, Kuzmina Teaches in the Open Air: The Locals Conspire to Murder Kuzmina
    Duration
    04:44
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  37. 37 Reel 6, Attempted Murder of Kuzmina: Kuzmina on Her Way to The Next Town 02:06
    Track
    37
    Title
    Reel 6, Attempted Murder of Kuzmina: Kuzmina on Her Way to The Next Town
    Duration
    02:06
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  38. 38 Reel 6, Attempted Murder of Kuzmina: A Snowstorm Starts to Build 01:13
    Track
    38
    Title
    Reel 6, Attempted Murder of Kuzmina: A Snowstorm Starts to Build
    Duration
    01:13
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Barbara Buchholz
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  39. 39 Reel 6, Attempted Murder of Kuzmina: Snowstorm 02:18
    Track
    39
    Title
    Reel 6, Attempted Murder of Kuzmina: Snowstorm
    Duration
    02:18
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  40. 40 Reel 6, Attempted Murder of Kuzmina: Kuzmina Almost Freezes to Death (beginning) 01:33
    Track
    40
    Title
    Reel 6, Attempted Murder of Kuzmina: Kuzmina Almost Freezes to Death (beginning)
    Duration
    01:33
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  41. 41 Reel 6, Attempted Murder of Kuzmina: Kuzmina Almost Freezes to Death (conclusion) 04:47
    Track
    41
    Title
    Reel 6, Attempted Murder of Kuzmina: Kuzmina Almost Freezes to Death (conclusion)
    Duration
    04:47
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  42. 42 Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Village Chairman Meets with the Locals 00:28
    Track
    42
    Title
    Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Village Chairman Meets with the Locals
    Duration
    00:28
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  43. 43 Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: Kuzmina Close to Death to Bed 00:57
    Track
    43
    Title
    Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: Kuzmina Close to Death to Bed
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Anna Kiknadze
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  44. 44 Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Village Chairman and Meeting 00:26
    Track
    44
    Title
    Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Village Chairman and Meeting
    Duration
    00:26
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  45. 45 Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Children Come to Comfort Kuzmina 01:08
    Track
    45
    Title
    Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Children Come to Comfort Kuzmina
    Duration
    01:08
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Barbara Buchholz
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  46. 46 Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Village Chairman Plans Her Funeral 00:55
    Track
    46
    Title
    Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Village Chairman Plans Her Funeral
    Duration
    00:55
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  47. 47 Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Locals Express Themselves Violently 01:39
    Track
    47
    Title
    Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Locals Express Themselves Violently
    Duration
    01:39
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald
  48. 48 Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Aeroplane from Moscow Arrives to Rescue the Teacher 03:46
    Track
    48
    Title
    Reel 7, Kuzmina's Rescue by Aeroplane: The Aeroplane from Moscow Arrives to Rescue the Teacher
    Duration
    03:46
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Ensemble
    Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt
    Conductor
    Mark Fitz-Gerald