Prokofiev: Le Pas D'acier, L'enfant Prodigue / Jurowski, Wdr

$18.99
Label
CPO
Release Date
November 1, 2003
Format
Added to Cart! View cart or continue shopping.


    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      PROKOFIEV
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Cologne West German Radio Symphony Orchestra
    • PERFORMER
      Michail, Jurowski
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      November 01, 2003
    • UPC
      761203997428
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      999974-2
    • LABEL
      CPO
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Ballet
    Works ⌄

    1. Scene 1: Appearance of the Participants

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    2. Scene 1: The Train of Trading Peasants

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    3. Scene 1: Commissars

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    4. Scene 1: Toffee and Cigarette Vendors

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    5. Scene 1: Orator

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    6. Scene 1: Sailor with a Bracelet and the Worker Girl

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    7. Scene 2: Change of the Scenery

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    8. Scene 2: Sailor's Transformation into a Worker

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    9. Scene 2: Factory

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    10. Scene 2: Hammers

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    11. Scene 2: Closing Scene

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    12. Scene 1: The Departure

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    13. Scene 2: Meeting with Friends

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    14. Scene 2: The Temptress

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    15. Scene 2: The Dancers

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    16. Scene 2: The Prodigal Son and the Temptress

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    17. Scene 2: Drinking Bout

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    18. Scene 2: The Robbery

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    19. Scene 2: Awakening and Remorse

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    20. Scene 2: Sharing the Loot

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski

    21. Scene 3: The Return

      Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

      Ensemble: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln

      Conductor: Michail Jurowski


Neither of these ballets receives regular performance on stage or in concert. Indeed, L'enfant prodigue enjoys the remarkable distinction of being ignored both in ballet form and as arranged (twice!) as the composer's Fourth Symphony. And yet the composer's unwillingness to let go of the music tells us something, for although it isn't in his popular, "Romantic" vein, it's a pretty substantial 38 minutes that contains plenty of first-rate invention. And in fact the same holds true for Le Pas d'Acier (The Steel Steps), which many listeners associate with Mossolov's Iron Foundry and other examples of Socialist Realist machine music. In reality, it sounds just like Prokofiev, full of the gawky harmonies, rhythmic ostinatos, bass drum-laden and heavy brass orchestral textures, and the hard brilliance that feature prominently in all of the composer's big works.


So the bottom line is that both ballets are in fact consistently inventive, ear catching, and very well played and recorded by Michail Jurowski, the WDR orchestra, and CPO. Jurowski manages to maintain a consistent level of excitement and energy without ever becoming crude or coarse, which is no mean achievement in the more densely written passages. There aren't many recordings of these pieces in any case, and if you enjoy the Prokofiev of, say, The Gambler and the other early operas, you really ought to give this a listen.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com