Prokofiev & Shostakovich / Mata, Dallas Symphony

$18.99
Label
Sono Luminus
Release Date
August 31, 1993
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      PROKOFIEV SHOSTAKOVICH
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Dallas Symphony Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
    • PERFORMER
      Mata, Paunova
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      August 31, 1993
    • UPC
      053479016928
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      DOR-90169
    • LABEL
      Sono Luminus
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Orchestral & Symphonic
    Works ⌄

    1. I. Russia under the Mongolian Yoke

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Mariana Paunova

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    2. II. Song about Alexander Nevsky

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Mariana Paunova

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    3. III. The Crusaders in Pskov

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Mariana Paunova

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    4. IV. Arise, ye Russian People

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Mariana Paunova

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    5. V. The Battle on Ice

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Mariana Paunova

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    6. VI. The Field of the Dead

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Mariana Paunova

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    7. VII. Alexander's Entry into Pskov

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Chorus, Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Performer: Mariana Paunova

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    8. I. Allegro

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    9. II. Moderato

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    10. III. Presto -

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    11. IV. Largo -

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata

    12. V. Allegretto

      Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

      Ensemble: Dallas Symphony Orchestra

      Conductor: Eduardo Mata


Eduardo Mata leads a virile performance of Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky cantata, wherein the Dallas Symphony’s bold and occasionally brash playing commands your attention–especially so in The Crusaders In Pskov and Battle on the Ice–while the Dallas Symphony Chorus musters up a darkly robust sound that sets and maintains the music’s grim mood. This grimness turns tender for the Field of the Dead, where the chorus provides a soothing cushion for Mariana Paunova’s rich-voiced, Slavic-toned alto solo. Even so, Mata’s rendition sounds mild after the eviscerating and enthralling performances by Ancerl and Schippers. Abbado’s is another strong rendition that completes the troika of great Nevsky recordings. Mata has the advantage of Dorian’s vivid, high-impact recording which has held up very well since it was made in 1993.

Good recorded sound also informs the coupled Shostakovich Symphony No. 9. Again the Dallas Symphony’s playing is technically beyond reproach, and Mata’s keen conducting illuminates Shostakovich’s unique orchestral timbres and biting rhythms. The opening Allegro is brisk and bright, while the Moderato charms with its graceful melancholy. However, the rather gingerly played trumpet solo in the Presto scherzo points up the lack of edginess in this performance, something you’ll find in abundance in Rudolf Barshai’s gripping rendition on Brilliant Classics. So, while not the last word in either work, this disc serves as an excellent memento of the Dallas Symphony’s Mata period.

-- Victor Carr Jr., ClassicsToday.com