Search - Anatol Konstantinovich Lyadov, Alexander Tcherepnin, Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov :: The Enchanted Kingdom / Pletnev, Russian National Orchestra

Polished magic

Julian Grant | London, Beijing, New York | 01/17/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar. The suite from Rimsky's 'Golden Cockerel' comes off least well here, the first movement suffers from perfunctory phrasing and the passage depicting the Astrologer, with its clockwork mechanical textures (track 6: approx.2'25) is taken way too fast and is made to sound inconsequential. The later movements are much better, though this reading does not compare with classic accounts from Efrem Kurtz (on budget price EMI) or Ernest Ansermet. The three Liadov pieces are given vivid performances, beautifully textured and balanced. But this disc is worth exploring on account of the pieces by Nicolai Tcherepnin, particularly 'The Enchanted Kingdom' -a dreamy and gorgeous piece of tone-painting that reeks of Stravinsky's roughly contemporary 'The Firebird'. Ideally the Rimsky should have been dropped, and more Liadov (when will we get a world class recording of his 'From the Book of Revelation'?) and Tcherepnin included, but this is an enjoyable release that will be appreciated by lovers of technicolour orchestration and musical impressionism."

Russian Fantasies Filtered Through French Impressionism

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 04/25/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At a time when the works of Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Prokofiev et al are clearly established as part of the standard repertoire composers it is refreshing to come across this CD of some of the lesser known Russian composers. The most well known composer on this recording is of course Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov and his famous 'Le Coq d'Or' suite is probably the reason the CD was made.



But though Mikhail Pletnev conducts the Russian National Orchestra in a zinging rendition of the work, the true reason for paying attention to this recording is the work of Nikolai Tcherepnin, a Russian who immigrated to France and was greatly influenced by the 'French sound' such as the Debussy school. He is a colorful orchestrator and Pletnev gives ample reason for erasing his neglect in these performances of 'Le Royaume enchante' (The Enchanted Kingdom) and 'Prelude pour la princesse lointaine'. The music is atmospheric and languid, sharing the tonal palette with the Impressionists. Pletnev draws a beautifully scaled performance from his orchestra.



The other neglected Russian composer Pletnev features is Anatol Konstantinovich Lyadov and indeed his 'The Enchanted Lake' is performed with all of the ethereal beauty the piece contains. And as though to demonstrate the full range of Lyadov's writing the recording also features 'Baba-Yaga' and 'Kikimora', works for large orchestra that describe fantastical tales with plush colors and dynamics. This is one of those recordings to bring out when a taste of the different is needed to tantalize the ear - or works to place before friends as a musical quiz! Grady Harp, April 06



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Gentle, mystic music

Cory | Virginia | 05/26/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This selection of music was the perfect choice for an 'Enchanted Kingdom' theme. If you have ever heard the Fire Bird by Igor Stravinsky (and if you are looking into classical pieces such as this, you probaly have), this music is very similar in mood. The actual Enchanted Kingdom piece was very mysterious and enchanting, for lack of a better word. It almost resembles the opening to the Firebird. The Distant Princess, also by Tcherepnin, resembles the love scene in Firebird just slightly longer and more involved. Baba-Yaga is another wonderful 'action-packed' piece much like the the music right before Infernal Dance in Firebird. Overall, I enjoyed this CD and found it to be average among my collection. The cover is nice too. A drawing of a castle in a mid 1400s style is displayed."