Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 16
I. Andantino - Allegretto
II. Scherzo. Vivace
III. Intermezzo. Allegro moderato
IV. Finale. Allegro tempestoso

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23
I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito
II. Andantino semplice - Prestissimo
III. Allegro con fuoco

Beatrice Rana – piano
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Antonio Pappano – conductor

In 2013 Italian Beatrice Rana received the silver medal and audience award at the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. She had played both Prokofiev’s Second and Beethoven’s Third Piano Concertos. There's already a Rana album on Harmonia Mundi consisting of Bartók Out of Doors, Ravel Gaspard de la nuit and Schumann Symphonic Études and an album for ATMA Classique of Chopin Préludes, and Scriabin Sonata No. 2. Recorded in Rome for Warner this collaboration with Sir Antonio Pappano marks her first concerto release.

Prokofiev was still a student at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory when he wrote his Second Piano Concerto which is scored for large orchestra. At the Conservatory he had gained a reputation as a radical with his often unremitting rhythms and liberal use of chromatic and dissonant writing. When Prokofiev introduced his Second Piano Concerto at Pavlovsk near St. Petersburg in 1913 the audience reaction was negative attracting lots of hissing with a large number of people leaving the hall. During the turmoil of the Russian Revolution the score was thought destroyed so in 1923 the exiled Prokofiev reconstructed the entire thing using a manuscript of a two-piano reduction his mother had brought out of Russia. Twice as long as the First Piano Concerto the immense technical demands of the Second Concerto are some of the most challenging in the repertoire, on the margins of what it is possible to play. Rana is very much at home with the exacting and tempestuous nature of Prokofiev’s writing characteristics as she draws the listener into its contrasting moods with captivating engagement. Its undertow of mystery and foreboding as heard in the opening movement is striking. The Scherzo whirls vigorously along and is almost motoric; a precursor to the sound-world of French composers Poulenc and Françaix. There are wide mood-swings in the unsettling Intermezzo with its suggestion of Ragtime and the energetic and enigmatic Finale is full of dramatic thrills and spills. From the first note to the last Rana’s characterful performance is full of vitality and exuberance yet maintaining total control. Of the alternative recordings of the Prokofiev I admire I would cite the account played by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda. Recorded in 2013 at Salford, Bavouzet is in remarkable form playing with burning commitment. The account forms part of his complete set of the five piano concertos on Chandos. Another excellent recording is the 2014 Berlin account played by Kirill Gerstein and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under James Gaffigan on Myrios Classics. Certainly Beatrice Rana’s high quality performance can hold its own with any of the above accounts.

It seems preposterous today to think that one of the greatest works in classical music repertoire Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto was denounced by pianist Nikolai Rubinstein who was engaged to introduce the work. Completed and published in 1875 Tchaikovsky dedicated it to pianist Hans von Bülow who believed in the work and who gave the première in Boston, United States the same year. Decisive and well shaped Rana’s thrilling playing of the opening movement feels totally attuned to Tchaikovsky’s world and combines her dramatic power with the grandeur of the writing. In the lyrical Andantino semplice Rana and the solo instruments of the orchestra play marvellously with all the intimacy of chamber musicians. She is thrilling and rather audacious in the Finale — full of drama with marvellous rhythmic impetus together with that rarely achieved poetic quality contained only in the finest accounts. Rana’s performance of the Tchaikovsky is compelling and highly rewarding; nevertheless it is hard to look elsewhere than the distinguished 1994 account from Martha Argerich and the Berliner Philharmoniker under Claudio Abbado at the Philharmonie, Berlin (Deutsche Grammophon). In addition Argerich recorded another exceptional account live in 1980 in Munich with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Kirill Kondrashin on Philips.

Under Sir Antonio Pappano the excellent Orchestra dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is on top form, conveying a vivid sense of urgency. Rana made this exciting recording in 2015 at Sala Santa Cecilia, Rome which seats nearly 3,000 people and has an excellent studio acoustic. For Warner the sound team provide clarity and excellent balance between piano and orchestra. Included in the booklet is an eminently readable essay by Jed Distler.

The combination of the enduringly popular concerto from Tchaikovsky and the lesser known but mightily impressive Prokofiev makes this a really appealing coupling. A name that we are certainly going to hear a lot more about in the future, Beatrice Rana is in quite stunning form. ---Michael Cookson, musicweb-international.com

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Betrothal in a Monastery ('The Duenna'), opera, Op. 86

Disc: 1
  1. Prelude
  2. Act 1. Tableau 1. Scene 1. But this is just fantasy!
  3. Act 1. Tableau 1. Scene 2. Plain. Round-shouldered
  4. Act 1. Tableau 1. Scene 3. She has shaken your hand
  5. Act 1. Tableau 1. Scene 4. The moon looks in your window
  6. Act 1. Tableau 1. Scene 5. Stop that mewing
  7. Act 1. Tableau 1. Scene 6. Masker's Dance
  8. Act 1. Tableau 1. Scene 7. I had better get her married off
  9. Act 1. Tableau 1. Scene 8. Friends, depart
  10. Act 2. Tableau 2. Scene 1. It will work, Nanny, won't it?
  11. Act 2. Tableau 2. Scene 2. Splendid, Señor, splendid
  12. Act 2. Tableau 2. Scene 3. Will you cherish me in my old age?
  13. Act 2. Tableau 2. Scene 4. Give it back!
  14. Act 2. Tableau 2. Scene 5. If you have a daughter
  15. Act 2. Tableau 2. Scene 6. It looks like the first act has been played out wi
  16. Act 2. Tableau 3. Scene 1. Buy some fish from Señor Mendoza's barges!
  17. Act 2. Tableau 3. Scene 2. Rosina... Rosina...
  18. Act 2. Tableau 3. Scene 3. Ferdinand alone is dearer
  19. Act 2. Tableau 3. Scene 4. I had known what pranks
  20. Act 2. Tableau 3. Scene 5. My beard? My beard is not at all bad
  21. Act 2. Tableau 3. Scene 6. There is no greater happiness
  22. Act 2. Tableau 4. Scene 1. Yes, yes, yes!
  23. Act 2. Tableau 4. Scene 2. My pretty... my pretty
  24. Act 2. Tableau 4. Scene 3. When the cheerful fop
  25. Act 2. Tableau 4. Scene 4. Well?

Disc: 2
  1. Act 3. Tableau 5. Scene 1. Ah, time does not want to move on
  2. Act 3. Tableau 5. Scene 2. Come in, come in
  3. Act 3. Tableau 5. Scene 3. Should we take a sly look?
  4. Act 3. Tableau 5. Scene 4. It's bad to peep
  5. Act 3. Tableau 5. Scene 5. How my soul is beaming!
  6. Act 3. Tableau 6. Scene 1. You are not playing in tune
  7. Act 3. Tableau 6. Scene 2. My respectful greetings to the Señor!
  8. Act 3. Tableau 6. Scene 3. Please, let us continue
  9. Act 3. Tableau 6. Scene 4. Lopez! Lopez!
  10. Act 3. Tableau 7. Scene 1. Here I am, a nun
  11. Act 3. Tableau 7. Scene 2. They have gone, gladdened, happy and in love...
  12. Act 3. Tableau 7. Scene 3. It must be here
  13. Act 4. Tableau 8. Scene 1. The bottle is the sun of our lives
  14. Act 4. Tableau 8. Scene 3. They bring more wine!
  15. Act 4. Tableau 8. Scene 4. Take care, Antonio!
  16. Act 4. Tableau 8. Scene 5. Straight down to business now, Don Ferdinand
  17. Act 4. Tableau 9. Scene 1. I can't understand it
  18. Act 4. Tableau 9. Scene 2. Aha, here's Mendoza at last
  19. Act 4. Tableau 9. Scene 3. What is this? Why are you here?
  20. Act 4. Tableau 9. Scene 4. Son! At last
  21. Act 4. Tableau 9. Scene 5. Don Jerome, Don Herome!

Don Jerome - Viacheslav Voynarovskiy,
Ferdinand - Andrey Breus,
Louisa - Lyubov Petrova,
The Duenna - Alexandra Durseneva,
Antonio - Vsevolod Grivnov,
Clara - Nino Surguladze,
Mendoza - Sergei Alexashkin

The Glyndebourne Chorus
The London Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski - conductor

Recorded live at Glyndebourne on 12, 15 & 22 August 2006.

Prokofiev wrote Betrothal in a Monastery in less than three months, in the midst of the turmoil of 1940. The opera is similar in some ways to his only other comedy, Love for Three Oranges, written in 1919. They are based on nearly contemporaneous late eighteenth century plays with plots that are patently absurd, for which Prokofiev provided music of matching whimsicality. Both scores are jumpy, kaleidoscopic, and unpredictable. Love for Three Oranges is a fairy tale and its music is altogether spikier, while Betrothal in a Monastery, a comedy of manners set in Seville, is clearly late Prokofiev, with the idiom of Romeo and Juliet crazily skewed and fragmented. In the later opera, the music is consistently zany and entertaining, but it really takes off in the third and fourth acts and becomes genuinely memorable. This recording is taken from a 2006 Glyndebourne production directed by Daniel Slater and Robert Innes Hopkins that must have been a blast based on the frequent explosions of audience laughter. The entire cast (which is largely Russian) performs with complete mastery of the complex score and with the wild abandon needed to bring the far-fetched story fully to life. It's very much an ensemble piece and it succeeds because there are no weak links. Standouts include Lyubov Petrova, Andrey Breus, Vsevolod Grivnov, Alan Opie, and especially Viacheslav Voynarovskiy and Sergei Alexashkin as the primary schemers. Alexandra Durseneva, in the central role of the Duenna, does not have a conventionally beautiful voice, but she's ideal for the role of the old woman whose machinations finally bring the young lovers together. Vladimir Jurowski, the musical director of the festival, leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Glyndebourne Chorus in a vibrant and sparkling performance. The sound is excellent for a live recording, with good balance between the voices and orchestra. ---Stephen Eddins, AllMusic Review

Prokofiev composed his last complete opera, Betrothal in a Monastery, as the German Nazis were invading Russia and the country descended into a period of political repression and terror. However, the opera, a romantic comedy loosely based on Richard Sheridan's 1775 play, The Duenna, was according to Shostakovich `one of Prokofiev's most radiant and buoyant works'. Betrothal in a Monastery highlights the cultural divisions between the faded glamour of the impoverished aristocracy and the new wealth of the lower classes. Ostensibly the plot concerns the trials of two pairs of lovers, Louisa and Antonio, and Clara and Ferdinand, but ultimately it is the fishmonger, Mendoza, who in the great tradition of the anti-hero, wins our empathy. ---amazon.com

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1 Prologue 
2 No.1. Overture and Chorus (Moderato - Allegro)	
3 No.2. March of Young Ivan (Moderato)	
4 No.3. Ocean - Sea (Andante)	
5 No.4. I will be Tsar! (Moderato)	
6 No.5. God is wondrous! (Allegro)	
7 No.6. Long Life! (Allegro moderato)	
8 No.7. Ocean - Sea (Andante)	
9 No.8. Long Life! (Allegro moderato)	
10 No.9. The Holy Fool (Allegro tempestoso)	
11 No.10. The Swan (Allegro fastoso)	
12 No.11. Celebration Song (Andante)	
13 No.12. The Swan (Allegro fastoso)
14 No.13. On the Bones of the Enemy (Andante mosso)	
15 No.14. The Tartars (Allegro moderato)	
16 No.15. The Gunners (Moderato energico)	
17 No.16. The Storming of Kazan (Moderato pesante - Andante - Allegro)
18 No.17. Ivan's Appeal to the Boyars (Adagio - Andante sostenuto)	
19 No.18. Yesfrosinia and Anastasia (Moderato)	
20 No.19. Song about the Beaver (Andante assai)	
21 No.20. Ivan at Anastasia's Bier (Andante)	
22 No.21. Chorus of the Oprichniki (Andante risoluto)	
23 No.22. The Oprichniki Oath of Loyalty (Moderato energico)
24 No.23: Feodor Basmanov's Song (Allegro moderato)
25 No.24. Dance of the Oprichniki (Allegro ben ritmato)	
26 No.25. Finale (Moderato - Moderato fastoso)	

Irina Arkhipova, Mezzo-Soprano
Anatoly Mokrenko, Baritone
Boris Morgunov, Speaker

The Ambrosian Chorus
Philharmonia Orchestra
Riccardo Muti - conductor

The music to Ivan the Terrible is not well-known, probably because the project for which it was conceived was never completed. A film in three parts by Sergei Einstein (with whom Prokofiev had collaborated with on Alexander Nevsky) was cut short, only two thirds finished, after Einstein's heart attack. What is presented in this CD is "an arrangement by Abram Stasevich, who conducted the score for the original film, described as an 'oratorio for narrator, soloists, chorus and full symphony orchestra.'" I assume that the 25 movements and prologue are taken directly from the film's score; they are all quite brief movements--only one is 8 minutes, a few 5, most 3 minutes or less--as is characteristic of film music. Given the nature of the beast, so to speak, there are no great developments of material. Instead, there is much dramatic Russian narration, often over the music, in the style of a melodrama. There is much picturesque music, with chants and church bells and even the chorale with which Tchiakovsky begins the 1812 Overture. And moments of great drama, which Prokofiev does so well, with exciting brass and percussion, trombone glissandoes and dissonant chords which remind me of Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin. I think it's a fascinating work, although surely not for everyone. Riccardo Muti and the Philharmonia Orchestra do the piece justice, and singers Irina Arkhipova and Anatoly Mokrenko, although not used often, are superb. Boris Morgunov dives into the narration with great style--even though I have no idea what he is saying (no translation is provided)--he's very exciting to listen to. Highly recommended for anyone who doesn't think music died after 1880. --- Dr. Christopher Coleman, amazon.com

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Disc 1
1 Prologue 3:44
2 Act 1: Tableau I : Le palais du Roi de Tréfle	9:40
3 Act 1: Tableau II : Lieu cabalistique 	3:35
4 Act 1: Tableau III : A la cour du Roi de Tréfle 	10:08
5 Act 2: Tableau I : La chambre du Prince 	6:48
6 Act 2: Tableau II : La grande cour du palais royal 	15:50

Disc 2
1 Act 3: Tableau I : Au desert 	9:37
2 Act 3: Tableau II : La cour du chateau de Créonte 	7:55
3 Act 3: Tableau III : Au desert 	23:06
4 Act 4: Tableau I : Lieu cabalistique 	3:33
5 Act 4: Tableau II : Au palais royal 	7:48

Jules Bastin (Bass)
Gabriel Bacquier (Baritone)
Didier Henry (Baritone)
Jean-Luc Viala (Tenor)
Michele Lagrange (Soprano)
Georges Gautier (Tenor)
Hélène Parraguin (Mezzo Soprano)
Vincent le Texier (Bass Baritone)
Gregory Reinhart (Bass),
Béatrice Uria-Monzon (Mezzo Soprano)
Catherine Dubosc (Soprano)
Consuelo Caroli (Mezzo Soprano)
Brigitte Fournier (Soprano)

Lyon National Opera Orchestra & Chorus
Kent Nagano - conductor

A rediscovered masterpiece? Hardly. The music lacks the melodic invention of Prokofiev's mature output, and (perhaps more surprising) the conversational vocal lines are often overlaid on rhythmically static accompaniments. Then, too, the man who composed such highly characterized music for Polina (in The Gambler) and Natasha (in War and Peace) seems baffled by his title character here: the real energy of the opera comes from the submerged, homoerotic interaction between her two lovers, and in the final scene, her music seems like an interruption. But for all its flaws, it's far from negligible: there are hints of specific works to come (premonitions of the First Violin Concerto crop up, for instance, in Stenio's long speech in the third scene) and, more generally, the opera foreshadows Prokofiev's characteristic blend of honey and acid (even though the dark side is consistently more interesting). Thus, for instance, in the dreamy, almost Delian music at the end of scene 1, you can sense (as you never can in Delius) that the dream is hovering on the edge of hallucination. And the opera's power does increase noticeably as the tension between the two men mounts: there's a scorching moment of recognition at the beginning of the fourth scene, and the final confrontation is riveting. The performance is compelling, and except for the unnatural perspective on Maddalena's contributions in the last scene, the sound is quite good. ----- Peter J. Rabinowitz, FANFARE [5/1990]

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Disc 1
1 – 9	 Acte I
10 – 23  Acte II (Debut)

Disc 2
1 – 2 	Acte II (Fin)
4 – 13 	Acte III
14 – 23 Acte IV

Don Jérôme - Nicolas Korchounov : Ténor
Ferdinand - Jan Kratov : Baryton 
Louisa - Valentina Kaievtchenka : Soprano
La Duègne - Tamara Ianko : Contralto
Clara - Nina Issakova : Mezzo-soprano
Antonio - Anatoly Mistchevski : Ténor
Mendoza - Edouard Boulavine : Basse 
Don Carlos/Père Chartreuse - Serge Illinski : Basse
Père Augustin - Ivan Petrov: Basse 

Choeurs et Orchestre du Theatre Stanislavsky
Kemal Abdoullaiev : Direction, Chef d'orchestre

Les fiançailles au couvent (Betrothal in a monastery), opéra lyrico-comique en 4 actes op.86

Prokofiev’s musical production is heavily indebted to his encounter with Britain’s literary heritage, with such important works as his ballet Romeo and Juliet after Shakespeare and his four-act opera buffa Betrothal in a Monastery after Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Duenna or The Double Elopement. Written almost at the same time, the two works indicate the composer’s fascination for a different cultural heritage, so far unexploited in his operas inspired by the works of Russian or Italian writers. Betrothal in a Monastery is particularly arresting as it is based on a libretto to be set to music which Prokofiev immediately saw turned into an opera in the style of Mozart or Rossini. What were the composer’s intentions in writing his opera? What drove him to do so in the political context of the time? How does his interpretation, which revives the tradition of opera buffa, compare with Sheridan’s libretto and what personal viewpoint did he adopt? How did the composer use the original text to elaborate his own dramatic construction and develop his own brand of musical and melodic lyricism? These are the questions raised by his opera. ---lisa.revues.org

Based on the comedy The Duenna by British dramatist Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751 - 1816) and featuring a libretto by Prokofiev's second wife, Mira Mendelssohn, this work was the composer's attempt to adapt Italian opera buffa to the Russian stage. The final product -- full of sparkling themes, brilliant vocal writing and fine comedic moments -- is a masterpiece fit to stand with his other comic effort, the delightful The Love for Three Oranges (1919).

Set in eighteenth-century Seville, the story of Betrothal in a Monastery deals with Louisa, whose father, Don Jerome, wants to marry her off to the wealthy Mendoza. However, she is in love with Antonio, and her nanny is in love Mendoza. The nanny, or Duenna, devises a scheme so that both can marry the man of their choice; disguises, mistaken identities, and other stock opera buffa plot gestures all lead to a happy ending for the lovers.

Prokofiev consciously modeled the style of the work on the comic operas of Mozart and Rossini; their imprint can be heard in several numbers such as the brilliant Act III quartet involving Louisa (soprano), Don Carlos (tenor), Mendoza (bass), and Antonio (tenor). While certain comparisons can be made between this opera and Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges, they are substantially different works, the latter effort being far more lyrical.

Louisa and Antonio's love theme, first introduced in the fourth scene of Act I, is one of the most famous in the work. It is a long-breathed soaring melody that reaches its greatest flowering in the duet between the two in Act III (scene 1, seventh tableau). Oddly, when Prokofiev fashioned a suite from this opera, called Summer Night, Op. 123 (1950), he lightened this melody and gave it a more playful manner.

Much of the music in the opera is light and playful. In the opening scene of the first act, Prokofiev deftly fashions music for the fish merchant Mendoza that imitates the swimming manner of fish. Also, there is a humorous woodwind theme, usually punctuated by percussive "thwacks," that appears several times throughout the opera. It is actually taken up vocally by Don Jerome -- the one character it seems to describe -- at the opening of the sixth tableau in the third act.

Other notable themes from the opera include the brass theme from the brief orchestral introduction, and the obsessive, rhythmic dance theme first appearing in Act I, scene 7; it returns for the wild ending, where the music builds and builds, then explodes to the shouts of the chorus. --- Robert Cummings, Rovi

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1. Andantino – Allegro
2. Scherzo: Vivace
3. Intermezzo: Allegro Moderato
4. Allegro Tempostoso

Evgeny Kissin - piano
Bayerisches Radiosinfonieorchester
Lorin Maazel – conductor

Live, January 1998, Munich

There are in fact two versions of this concerto, the first written during the years 1912-1913, the second written in 1923. During the Russian Civil War, the original manuscript score of the Concerto was destroyed in a fire in Prokofiev's St. Petersburg apartment; in 1923, he recreated the score from memory. According to the composer, the two versions of the work are very different; Prokofiev wrote to a friend that "I have so completely rewritten the Second Concerto that it might be considered the Fourth."

The original version of the Second Concerto was dedicated to the memory of a pianist and close friend of Prokofiev's, Maximilian Schmidt. Schmidt committed suicide in 1913, and left a note to Prokofiev that read, in part, "I am reporting the latest news to you. I have shot myself. Don't grieve overmuch. The reasons were not important." The Concerto is a challenging, virtuosic vehicle for pianistic display. It is a work of some excess, as Philip Ramey has noted, with perhaps the "longest, most demanding cadenza (post-Lisztian in its pyrotechnics) in the literature." It looks forward, according to Ramey, to the neo-primitivism of Prokofiev's works of 1915-1918 (including the Scythian Suite and the cantata Seven, They are Seven), and probably, given the years of its genesis, owes something to Stravinsky as well. After being harshly criticized for the superficiality of his First Concerto, Prokofiev sought to create a work of greater substance and depth. The audience at the premiere was, as became usual for this composer, sharply divided between supporters who applauded and detractors who hissed. The Russian critics were vigorous in attacking this work: after the premiere, Prokofiev was vilified in the press as an uncivilized "futurist" who had created a "Babel of insane sounds." The work, typical of Prokofiev, is a forthright, uncompromising piece, with its bombast and "cacophony" tempered by the pervasive lyricism found in most of his music.

It is cast in four movements. The first movement, Andantino, utilizes sonata form, with two contrasting themes stated in the opening exposition. The development section consists entirely of the grand cadenza described above, and also spills over into the beginning of the recapitulation, where the opening theme is finally heard again. The second movement, Scherzo: Vivace, is very short, with a driving, mechanistic character. The third movement is slow, though it is called Intermezzo: Allegro moderato. There is a darkness and malevolence to this movement (another common trait of Prokofiev's music), and it may be the noisiest and least melodic movement of the whole work. The lyricism of the opening movement returns in the finale, an Allegro tempestoso. This lives up to its title with sharply contrasting themes, some widely spaced, angular melodies, pounding octave passages in the piano, and a second bravura cadenza. The work ends, after a sudden, unexpected false ending, with a brilliant tutti restatement of the opening theme. --- Alexander Carpenter, Rovi

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1. Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 In C, Op.26 - 1. Andante - Allegro	9:03
2. Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 In C, Op.26 - 2. Tema con variazione	9:03
3. Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3 In C, Op.26 - 3. Allegro ma non troppo	8:59

Martha Argerich – piano
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Claudio Abbado – conductor

For his third concerto for piano and orchestra, Prokofiev looked to the past for inspiration: this concerto incorporates material derived from sketches made between 1911 and 1918. The first movement contains two themes that were written in 1916, plus a chordal passage first sketched in 1911; the second movement contains a theme and variations that was written in 1913, while the final movement uses thematic material from a discarded string quartet begun in 1918. When he began composing this concerto during a holiday in Brittany, Prokofiev wrote, "I already had all the thematic material I needed except for the third theme of the finale and the subordinate theme of the first movement." The Third Piano Concerto is perhaps Prokofiev's best known essay in this genre, and approaches Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov in popularity and frequency of performance. Its opus number places it just after the "Classical" First Symphony of 1917, and the concerto is, in its way, similar to the First Symphony is a number of ways: both works are lively, acerbic, with brilliant orchestration and a certain transparent texture. Both pieces are also clearly the work of a deft young composer of considerable technical skill; however, the two works differ greatly in regards to their reception. The "Classical" Symphony was reasonably well received in Russia, where it was performed only once before Prokofiev emigrated to the United States. Subsequent performances of the symphony in America were very successful. The Third Concerto, on the other hand, did not fare so well, and after a good premiere in Chicago (along with the opera Love for Three Oranges) in 1921, the work was roundly denounced in New York.

The concerto displays much of the "harmonic liveliness," in Nancy Siff's words, of the mid-period symphonies, with its sudden shifts from key to key and chromatic harmony. The sophistication and bravura generally associated with Prokofiev's music is ever present, as is the humor found in many of his orchestral works. The concerto is in a traditional three-movement concerto form (the only one of Prokofiev's five piano concertos to use the traditional form), beginning and ending with fast movements that flank a slow middle movement. Each movement is about the same length, and the thematic weight and interest is distributed evenly throughout the movements. The work begins with a vivacious opening movement, which includes a humorous march underlined by castanets, followed by the five variations of the second movement, and concludes with a grandiose display of colorful harmonies and virtuosic orchestration. The solo writing for the piano is also virtuosic, and at times quite percussive. --- Alexander Carpenter, Rovi

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Disc 1
01	1. Introduction	02:49
02	2. Romeo	01:31
03	3. The street awakens	02:21
04	4. Morning dance	02:08
05	5. The quarrel	01:48
06	6. The fight	03:52
07	7. The duke's command	01:15
08	8. Interlude	02:16
09	9. At the Capulets' (Preparations for the ball)	02:17
10	10. The young Juliet	03:26
11	11. Arrival of the guests	04:00
12	12. Masks	02:43
13	13. Dance of the knights	05:24
14	14. Juliet's variation	02:52
15	15. Mercutio	02:18
16	16. Madrigal	03:43
17	17. Tybalt recognizes Romeo	02:11
18	18. Gavotte	03:40
19	19. Balcony scene	03:24
20	20. Romeo's variation	01:37
21	21. Love dance	06:03
22	22. Folk dance	03:52
23	23. Romeo and Mercutio	02:18
24	24. Dance of the five couples	03:54
25	25. Dance with mandolins	01:50

Disc 2
01	26. Nurse	02:04
02	27. The nurse and Romeo	54
03	28. Romeo at friar Laurence's	02:57
04	29. Juliet at friar Laurence's	03:22
05	30. Public merrymaking	03:17
06	31. Further public festivities	02:36
07	32. Meeting of Tybalt and Mercutio	02:00
08	33. The duel	01:27
09	34. Death of Mercutio	02:30
10	35. Romeo decides to avenge Mercutio	02:05
11	36. Finale	01:50
12	37. Introduction	01:14
13	38. Romeo and Juliet	01:20
14	39. Romeo bids Juliet farewell	05:22
15	40. Nurse	02:01
16	41. Juliet refuses to marry Paris	02:26
17	42. Juliet alone	01:24
18	43. Interlude	01:26
19	44. At friar Laurence's cell	04:52
20	45. Interlude	01:37
21	46. Juliet's room	02:40
22	47. Juliet alone	04:16
23	48. Aubade	02:34
24	49. Dance of the girls with lilies	02:11
25	50. At Juliet's bedside	02:04
26	51. Juliet's funeral	05:29
27	52. Juliet's death	04:27

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa – conductor

Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64 In the early- and mid-twentieth century, the three major Tchaikovsky ballets -- Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker -- were viewed as the three greatest full-length ballets. Not surprisingly, they were also more popular by wide margins than all other works in the genre. By the latter quarter of the century, however, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet had entered the trio's select company and remains exceedingly popular today. Some have even asserted it is the greatest of full-length ballets. Certainly, it is one of Prokofiev's supreme masterpieces and, via the three suites extracted from it, among his most often-played music.

His previous ballets had been shorter and more pungent, like Chout, Op. 21 (1915-1920), and Le Pas d'Acier, Op. 41 (1925), which created a bit of a stir in Paris when it premiered. Both, along with The Prodigal Son (1929), were composed for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Romeo and Juliet was thus his first attempt at writing a full-length ballet, and while he would have further successes in the genre, most notably with Cinderella, no other stage work of his would quite approach it in popularity.

Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, based on Shakespeare's play, consists of four acts and ten scenes, within which are 52 separate dance numbers. The work opens with a six-note motif that appears throughout the ballet. This same theme, cut to four notes, opens the composer's Symphony-Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1950-1952) and appears elsewhere in its first movement. There are many famous melodies in Romeo and Juliet, foremost among which is probably the march-like theme that appears in No. 13, "Dance of the Knights." This music symbolizes the strife between the opposing families. A variant of it is played in the next number, "Juliet's Variation," where its character changes from the austere malevolence in No. 13 to innocence and playfulness.

Another important and immensely popular melody is the love theme of Romeo and Juliet. It is a soaring melody in an arch-like pattern that exudes warmth and yearning, passion and grace. But there are many other memorable themes, including the joyous, rhythmic one in No. 12, "Masks," as well as the two in No. 22, "Folk Dance." Perhaps the most profound creation in the ballet, however, is the dark and tragic theme appearing in No. 51, "Juliet's Funeral," whose arch-like pattern is similar to that of the love theme.

Prokofiev also quotes from his own Classical Symphony here (No. 18 "Gavotte"), using music from the third movement Gavotte. It is not for want of thematic material that he resorts to this reference, but to show irony: this post-Renaissance French dance is as much miscast here as the two teenage lovers who are caught up in an unforgiving adult world. Romeo and Juliet lasts about two-and-one half hours in a typical performance. It was premiered in Brno, Czechoslovakia, on December 30, 1938. ---Robert Cummings, Rovi

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1. Ala i Lolli Suite, Op. 20, "Scythian Suite": I. The Adoration of Veless and Ala 
2. Ala i Lolli Suite, Op. 20, "Scythian Suite": II. The Enemy God and the dance of the Spirit of Darkness
 	Neeme Jarvi 	3:11                           play
3. Ala i Lolli Suite, Op. 20, "Scythian Suite": III. Night 	Neeme Jarvi 	5:24 
4. Ala i Lolli Suite, Op. 20, "Scythian Suite": IV. The glorious departure of Lolly and the Sun's procession
 Neeme Jarvi 	5:14 
5. The Steel Step Suite, Op. 41bis: I. Entry of the People 	Neeme Jarvi 	2:21
6. The Steel Step Suite, Op. 41bis: II. The Officials 	Neeme Jarvi 	4:43 
7. The Steel Step Suite, Op. 41bis: III. The Sailor and the Factory-worker 	Neeme Jarvi 	3:13 
8. The Steel Step Suite, Op. 41bis: IV. The Factory 	Neeme Jarvi 	3:03 
9. Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78: I. Russia under the Mongolian Yoke 	Linda Finnie 	3:03 
10. Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78: II. Song about Alexander Nevsky 	Linda Finnie 	3:36 
11. Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78: III. The Crusaders in Pskov 	Linda Finnie 	7:23 
12. Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78: IV. Arise, ye Russian People 	Linda Finnie 	2:17         play
13. Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78: V. The Battle on Ice 	Linda Finnie 	13:14
14. Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78: VI. The Field of the Dead 	Linda Finnie 	5:58 
15. Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78: VII. Alexander's Entry into Pskov 	Linda Finnie 	4:30

Linda Finnie contralto
Scottish National Orchestra & Chorus
Neeme Järvi - conductor

This desirable re-release is from Neeme Järvi’s highly praised Prokofiev cycle recorded by Chandos in the 1980s. The symphonies from this series were all excellent, and the miscellaneous orchestral items that acted as fillers were also of high quality. The first thing to strike one is the typical in-house sound that was a hallmark of Chandos from this period, and indeed still is in some venues. It doesn’t suit everyone, but the mixture of a lively, resonant acoustic with a rather bright, front-end balance does, I think, work well in this type of music. I did tame the treble a tad, but the climactic passages are really tremendous, viscerally exciting but with bags of detail.

The same thing could be said of the readings. Järvi tended in this series towards fast tempos, and for the most part this approach pays off. The Scythian Suite has a nervous edge that is thrilling. In places I miss the sheer weight of tone and savage splendour of Gergiev’s Kirov account on Philips, especially in the second movement, the famous ‘Enemy God and Dance of the Black Spirits’ , but he pays more attention to the tender moments than Gergiev, as in the lovely wind passages of movement 3, entitled ‘Night’ – around one minute in. All told, it’s a very convincing reading, with the Scottish National playing their socks off and only losing out to more famous rivals in exposed high string passages.

The ‘Steel Dance’ of 1927 is a bit of a rarity and well worth having. As with Scythian Suite, this was also originally a Diaghilev ballet commission that ended up as a concert suite, and being subtitled ‘A Ballet of Construction’, one can pretty well guess that it suited Prokofiev’s style from this period. The depiction of factory life and the mechanised age is brilliantly brought to life in orchestral language that balances brutality and atmosphere with consummate skill. Yes, there is an air of pompous propaganda in places, but it’s impossible not to be swept along by the rhythmic vitality and wit of it all, especially in Järvi’s finely gauged and superbly played account.

Alexander Nevsky is the main work here, and the one with most serious rivals. It’s a good rendition, very well played and sung with an edge of rawness from the chorus that is quite fitting. Linda Finnie’s contribution is first rate, and my only concern is that when set alongside the very finest accounts, of which my own favourite is Previn with LSO forces and Anna Reynolds on an EMI twofer, the last degree of excitement is missing. Others may disagree, and I have to admit to being swept away by Järvi’s spectacular rendition of Battle on the Ice, but then this works in just about every version I’ve heard. The Chandos recording really does help here, with a bite and vividness that is thrilling. There is definitely a bitter chill to Järvi’s Russian winter here, and anyone buying this disc is very unlikely to be disappointed. Indeed, with such intelligent couplings, a budget price tag and with well over 70 minutes, it stands out even in a crowded field. -- Tony Haywood, MusicWeb International

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Disc: 1
  1. Introduction - Andante
  2. Tableau 1 - In Front Of Semyon's Cottage
  3. Scene 1: A Soldier Came Back From The Front
  4. Scene 2: Who D'You Want?
  5. Scene 1: The Soldier Kemyon Kotko Has Come Back
  6. Scene 2: He's Woken Up, He's Got Dressed
  7. Scene 3: Good Day, Friends And Neighbours
  8. Scene 4: We Are Very Pleased To See You Again
  9. Scene 5: A Soldier Came Back From The Front
  10. Scene 6: It's Papa Coming Back From The Market
  11. Scene 7: Greetings, Soldiers! Welcome Home!
  12. Scene 8: The Sound Of The Rain
  13. Scene 9: Frosya!
  14. Scene 10: Mother...Mother
  15. Scene 1: I Can't Understand It
  16. Scene 2: Khivrya! What's That?
  17. Scene 3: We've Got Business With You
  18. Scene 4: A Young Prince
  19. Scene 5: We Get The Same Sort...
  20. Scene 6: Women's Tears!
  21. Scene 7: The Groom Is Coming
  22. Scene 8: Morgen!
  23. Scene 9: To Eat?

Disc: 2
  1. Scene 10: Did You See?
  2. A Little Garden Alongside Tkachenko's Cottage
  3. Scene 1: I Had The Same Dream Again
  4. Scene 2: Sonya! Is That You?
  5. Scene 3: So It's The Young Prince!
  6. Scene 4: I Had A Dream, Mikola
  7. Scene 5: Early, Early In The Morning
  8. Scene 6: I Can't Hear Anything...
  9. Scene 7: Uncle Tsaryov...Uncle Tsaryov...
  10. Scene 8: Permettez-Moi De Parler Francais
  11. Scene 9: Permit Me To Present For Your Perusal
  12. Scene 10: No, No, That Wasn't My Vasilyok
  13. Scene 11: So Things Turn Out...
  14. Scene 12: Uncle Semyon...Uncle Semyon
  15. Scene 13: Oh, Frosechka, It's Terrible...
  16. Scene 14: The Swine!

Disc: 3
  1. Scene 1: Oh My God, My God, Forgive Me
  2. Scene 2: So...So...
  3. Scene 3: When I Die, Bury Me In A Grave
  4. Scene 1: So...So...
  5. Scene 2: Then We've Got...
  6. Scene 3: Cu-ckoo. Cu-ckoo
  7. Scene 4: Eh!
  8. Scene 1: Oh Woe, Bitter Woe!
  9. Scene 2: Semyon!
  10. Scene 3: Hm...Hm...
  11. Scene 4: So Now, Stand Up, My Friends
  12. Scene 5: The Cavalry Flies Over A Free Ukraine

N. Panchekhin (Bass)
A. Kleshcheva (Mezzo Soprano)
L. Gelovani (Soprano)
T. Antipova (Soprano)
N. Gres (Tenor)
T. Yanko (Mezzo Soprano)
Nikolai Timchenko  (Tenor)
Georgi Troitsky 	(Bass)
Tatyana Tugarinova  (Soprano)

USSR Radio & TV Choir
USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra
Mikhail Zhukov - conductor

Semyon Kotko was the fifth of Prokofiev's eight operas and the first on a Soviet theme. Conceived and written during the period of Stalin's purges, it is based on a blatantly propagandist novel by Valentin Katayev, I Am the Son of Working People. Even that did not prevent it from running into trouble. It is a story of love and heroism in Ukraine during the disturbed period after the 1917 revolution, when the Bolsheviks were only just establishing their authority, bitterly opposed by the Haydamaks in league with the invading Germans. By the time it was given its first performance in 1940 Stalin had made his pact with the Nazis, and German characters had to be changed to Austrians.

This first really complete recording stems from a studio performance for Moscow radio in 1960, and scores surprisingly well over the 1999 Philips version with Kirov soloists in concert conducted by Valery Gergiev. It contains some 45 minutes more of music omitted from that earlier set, and the Moscow cast is markedly stronger too, with Slavonic wobblers excluded - so often the bane of Russian opera recordings. The tenor, N Gres, is particularly magnificent in the title role, far firmer and more heroic than his opposite number on Philips. Though the Philips recording of the orchestra is more atmospheric, this 1960 radio recording captures the voices vividly, with words exceptionally clear. As for the music, it demonstrates once again that even when he was saddled with a propagandist Soviet theme, Prokofiev's fluent originality could not be submerged, any more than it is in the later propagandist opera, The Story of a Real Man, also issued recently by Chandos.

The libretto, which Prokofiev wrote in collaboration with the author of the novel, tells a complicated story crisply with plenty of contrasts of mood, including Mussorgsky-like passages of rustic humour. Its easy melodic style with hints of Russian folk-music relates it to the music which Prokofiev wrote for the film, Alexander Nevsky, and the dramatic timing also reflects the composer's experience of writing for film. The only disappointment is that it lacks the big surging melodies that make Prokofiev's masterpiece, War and Peace, so memorable, though some of the choruses come close. --- Edward Greenfield, theguardian.com

Sergei Prokofiev Semyon Kotko "The night I heard Semyon Kotko for the first time I realized that Prokofiev was a great composer" – Sviatoslav Richter Firma Melodiya presents a recording of one of Sergey Prokofiev's least frequently performed operas Semyon Kotko. It was the first opera Prokofiev composed after he returned to the Soviet Union. It took him long to find a source for the plot. "I wanted to have living people with their passions, love, hate, joy and sorrow naturally ensuing from the new conditions", the composer remembered. Prokofiev eventually chose a novel titled "I, Son of Working People" by Valentin Katayev who agreed to rework it into an opera libretto. Vsevolod Meyerhold, a director, old friend and companion, was supposed to stage the new opera but he fell victim to the Stalinist terror. The opera was premiered in 1940 in Moscow and just as it was the case with some other outstanding works of that time was a great success with the public and severely criticized 'from above'. Even today, bright and figurative music of Semyon Kotko with its genuinely Gogol-esque humour and genre scenes from everyday life of a Ukrainian village, neat descriptions of the characters, passionate dramatism and monumental chorus scenes cannot leave a keen listener indifferent. The opera Semyon Kotko was recorded in 1960 by soloists of the Moscow opera theatres and the All-Union Radio Choir and Orchestra conducted by Mikhail Zhukov. This remarkable musician was taught by Nikolai Golovanov and Konstantin Stanislavsky. The latter acknowledged Zhukov as an "exemplary music director who was able to decrypt the life of human spirit hidden in the score and explain it to an actor". Zhukov conducted at the premiere of Semyon Kotko at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre, and its recording became the conductor' last work. --- melody.su

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