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Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky; Lieutenant Kije / Slatkin, St. Louis Symphony
Vox

Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky; Lieutenant Kije / Slatkin, St. Louis Symphony

$19.99

Details

Composer
Sergei Prokofiev
Artist
Claudine Carlson, Arnold Voketaitis, Leonar
Format
CD
Label
Vox
Released
Feb 09, 2024
Catalog #
VOX-NX-3033CD
UPC
747313303380

About

Leonard Slatkin released multiple albums on the Vox label. These classic Vox recordings of Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky (sung in English) and Lieutenant Kijé have been praised as ‘powerful and compelling performances’. Produced by the legendary Elite Recordings team of Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz who made some of the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.

REVIEW:

Despite having been conceived and composed as film scores, these two key works by Sergei Prokofiev stand perfectly well on their own, and are prime examples of the Russian musical landscape during the Soviet era. Written in 1939 and 1934 respectively, they are perfect entry points within Prokofiev’s output.

Alexander Nevsky is a stirring dramatic cantata of epic proportion, scored for mezzo-soprano, chorus, and orchestra. It’s a tour de force in orchestral writing, and conductor Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony capture and project all of its brutal magnificence.

On the other hand, Lieutenant Kijé presents Prokofiev’s lighter side, as it depicts in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, the life and times of a fictional or nonexistent army officer. It’s good to hear the rarely performed or recorded original version with voice for a change. Slatkin and the orchestra musicians fully convey a fictional life well spent, during the closing “Burial of Kijé” segment.

During the early years of stereo recordings Vox Classics, along with Mercury Living Presence, Everest, and Vanguard Records, had a notable reputation for producing audiophile quality recordings. This 1977/79 recording is one of them. This is a new 192 kHz / 24-bit high definition transfer of the original Elite Recordings analogue master tapes. The Elite Recordings for Vox by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings. In my opinion, they deliver a somewhat more tangible and realistic sound than most of the recent digital productions.

-- Classical Music Sentinel (Jean-Yves Duperron)

Tracklist 12 tracks

  1. 1 Russia under the Mongolian Yoke 03:30
    Track
    1
    Title
    Russia under the Mongolian Yoke
    Duration
    03:30
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  2. 2 Song about Alexander Nevsky 03:28
    Track
    2
    Title
    Song about Alexander Nevsky
    Duration
    03:28
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Chorus, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  3. 3 The Crusaders in Pskov 06:37
    Track
    3
    Title
    The Crusaders in Pskov
    Duration
    06:37
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Chorus, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  4. 4 Arise, ye Russian People 02:10
    Track
    4
    Title
    Arise, ye Russian People
    Duration
    02:10
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Chorus, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  5. 5 The Battle on Ice 12:24
    Track
    5
    Title
    The Battle on Ice
    Duration
    12:24
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Chorus, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  6. 6 The Field of the Dead 05:49
    Track
    6
    Title
    The Field of the Dead
    Duration
    05:49
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Performer
    Claudine Carlson
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  7. 7 Alexander's Entry into Pskov 04:45
    Track
    7
    Title
    Alexander's Entry into Pskov
    Duration
    04:45
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Chorus, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  8. 8 I. The Birth of Kijé 04:10
    Track
    8
    Title
    I. The Birth of Kijé
    Duration
    04:10
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  9. 9 II. Romance 04:30
    Track
    9
    Title
    II. Romance
    Duration
    04:30
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Performer
    Arnold Voketaitis
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  10. 10 III. Kijé's Wedding 02:52
    Track
    10
    Title
    III. Kijé's Wedding
    Duration
    02:52
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  11. 11 IV. Troika 02:51
    Track
    11
    Title
    IV. Troika
    Duration
    02:51
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Performer
    Arnold Voketaitis
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin
  12. 12 V. The Burial of Kijé 06:03
    Track
    12
    Title
    V. The Burial of Kijé
    Duration
    06:03
    Composer
    Sergei Prokofiev
    Ensemble
    Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
    Conductor
    Leonard Slatkin