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Prokofiev: Ivan the Terrible
Nikolai Putilin, Sergey Prokofiev, Valery Gergiev
Prokofiev: Ivan the Terrible
Genres: Soundtracks, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (23) - Disc #1

PROKOFIEV: IVAN THE TERRIBLE "This studio account of Ivan ranks with the best of Gergiev's opera recordings. The Russian choir and some notably forward timpani help Gergiev to build the right atmosphere. The wide vibrato o...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Nikolai Putilin, Sergey Prokofiev, Valery Gergiev, Liubov Sokolova, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Title: Prokofiev: Ivan the Terrible
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Philips
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 11/14/2006
Album Type: Original recording remastered
Genres: Soundtracks, Classical
Style: Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 028947577782

Synopsis

Album Description
PROKOFIEV: IVAN THE TERRIBLE "This studio account of Ivan ranks with the best of Gergiev's opera recordings. The Russian choir and some notably forward timpani help Gergiev to build the right atmosphere. The wide vibrato of his young mezzo is nothing if not authentic and there will be no complaint about the robust singing of Nikolai Putilin."--Gramophone Good CD Guide "Prokofiev's vividly colourful music for the Eisenstein film of Ivan the Terrible has never sounded quite so bitingly dramatic on disc as under Gergiev--as electrifying as any of his opera recordings with the Kirov Company." --The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs FEATURING: Liubov Sokolova, mezzo-soprano Nikolai Putilin, baritone Chorus of the Kirov Opera Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Valery Gergiev, conductor
 

CD Reviews

A sonic blockbuster from a great Prokofiev conductor
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/31/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Prokofiev wrote a lot of garish, at times nearly berserk music for Eisenstein's epic, unfinished trilogy, Ivan the Terrible. The project, begun in 1942, dragged on for years, and the composer lost both inspiration and his health, dying before his music could be shaped into concert form like the wildly successful cantata derived from Alexander Nevsky. The music for Ivan is boisterous, at times steely, lacking in the tragic element, but full of folk choruses and even a few moments of quiet mystical serenity in the midst of a lot of bombast.



To really bring it off you need Russians, and those Russians should be going hell-for-leather. Under Gergiev they do as never before. Despite the Dutch orchestra (which sounds Russian enough to fool the rest of us), the Kirov chorus brings the right Slavic energy, as do the two soloists and of course Gergiev himself. There are moments when you think he's the greatest conductor in the world, especially when sheer dramatic momentum is called for. This CD rises to the top of the list. For those who care about performance editions, this is the long oratorio arranged by Abram Stasevich, minus the (extensive) spoken narration."
One of my favourite operas-this is magnificant.....
Sam | Seahurst, Washington | 09/13/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Prokofiev's vividly colourful music for the Eisenstein film of "Ivan the Terrible" has never sounded quite so bitingly dramatic on disc as under Gergiev-as electrifying as any of his opera recordings with the Kirov Company. Here he has the advantage of excellent sound, recorded in the Rotterdam Hall, De Doelen, with his other orchestra, thrustful and earthy. Like competing versions, this one in based on Abram Stassevich's editing of the music into an "oratorio," but without the spoken narration-hardly necessary on disc, when notes and text are provided. The two soloists, Liubov Sokolova and Nikoai Putilin, vibrantly Slavonic, add to the drama, as do the Kirov Chorus."
Awesome account of Prokofiev
Abel | Hong Kong | 05/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"The labelling said that this is an oratorio work. Certainly it is dramatic even without any staging. The performance is full of drama, majesty, awe and passion, all in one go.

May be Russian music requires some one with the essential 'Soviet' background knowledge and upbringing to 'reactivate' the spirit and soul behind all the massive sounds.

Certainly Gergiev is the man best-suited to this job. His reading of the work is believably authentic, and deeply moving. At many places he simply makes the listener's hairs stand on their ends.

Even if you do not normally enjoy Russian music, this is a recording that you will raise your eyebrows, suggesting clearly to you what is the 'Russian spirit'!"