dmoth
07-19-2014, 02:20 PM
By far my favourite composer - such complexity, drama and passion in his music, here is his complete ballet for the 'lesser known', The Stone Flower. A lovely score and very accessible to those who are new to his music.
Prokofiev's last ballet, The Stone Flower, is among the composer's final works. It's an engaging piece, hardly more challenging in expressive language than a Tchaikovsky ballet. It is very tuneful, with twenty or more attractive melodies, many recycled from earlier Prokofiev works: the festive No. 7, Round Dance, is borrowed from the two-part film score for Ivan the Terrible; Nos. 14, Katerina and Danilo, and 19, Waltz of the Diamonds, are sourced in Music for Children, for piano, Op. 65, (Nos. 11 and 6, respectively). Prokofiev's orchestration is splashy and colorful, a sense of the exotic often permeating the music: there are Russian and Gypsy dance numbers, and much else with a folkish, often Eastern-flavored character that befits the fairy tale-like plot of the ballet.
Gianandrea Noseda, principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and a frequent figure at the Met and Mariinsky Theater, leads the proceedings with a rich lyrical sense here. His tempos tend to be leisurely, but since this ballet's strong point is melody--from the two seemingly ubiquitous big tunes associated with the Mistress of Copper Mountain (No.1), to the livelier, colorful music in Ural Rhapsody (No. 29), and much else--he captures the heart of the score better than anyone on CD, including the once-available Rozhdestvensky. And Noseda's orchestra responds with enthusiasm and commitment: the brass, percussion and xylophone pour on an extra measure of color in Ural Rhapsody and in that wild trio of numbers in the ballet's Third Act--Russian Dance, Gypsy Dance and Severyan's Dance (Nos. 31-33). The strings soar meltingly in the opening pair of melodies mentioned above and in the closing numbers dealing with the reunion of Danilo and Katerina (Nos. 44-46), where the brass join in elegantly to add to the sense of triumph and romance. Chandos' sound is vivid and powerful.
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
The Tale of the Stone Flower, Op. 118 148:19
A ballet in four acts and nine scenes; scenario by Mira Mendelson and Leonid Lavrovsky from the book The Malachite Box by Pavel Bazhov
COMPACT DISC ONE
Prologue
1 1 The Mistress of the Copper Mountain 4:14
2 2 Danilo and his work 2:38
Act I
Scene 1
3 3 Danilo in search of the stone flower 2:17
4 4 Danilo meets his fellow villagers 2:06
5 5 Scene and duet of Katerina and Danilo 5:14
6 6 Interlude I. Severyan and the workers 3:13
Scene 2
7 7 Round dance 2:43
8 8 Katerina bids farewell to her friends 2:14
9 9 Maiden's dance 4:21
10 10 Danilo's dance 1:25
11 11 Unmarried men's dance 1:34
12 12 Severyan's arrival 3:30
13 13 Altercation over the malachite vase 4:45
14 14 Scene of Katerina and Danilo 2:21
15 15 Danilo's thoughts 3:03
Scene 3
16 16 Danilo enticed away by the Mistress of the Copper Mountain 5:22
Act II
Scene 4
17 17 The Mistress shows Danilo the treasures of the earth 2:04
18 18 Duet of the Mistress and Danilo (first temptation) 5:00
19 19 Scene and Waltz of the Diamonds (second temptation) 5:24
20 20 Dance of the Russian precious stones (third temptation) 4:01
21 21 Waltz 4:13
72:39
COMPACT DISC TWO
1 22 Danilo's monologue and the Mistress's reply 1:56
2 23 The Mistress shows Danilo the stone flower 2:15
3 24 Severyan and the workers; the Mistress's warning 3:02
Scene 5
4 25 Scene and Katerina's dance (thinking of Danilo) 3:46
5 26 Severyan's arrival 1:59
6 27 'Where are you, sweet Danilo?' 1:26
7 28 The appearance of the Mistress and Katerina's joy 2:20
Act III
Scene 6
8 29 Ural Rhapsody 8:40
9 30 Interlude II 7:03
10 31 Russian dance 4:13
Scene 7
11 32 Gypsy dance 3:14
12 33 Severyan's dance 1:45
13 34 Solo of the gypsy girl and Coda 3:54
14 35 Katerina's appearance and Severyan's rage 2:06
15 36 The appearance of the Mistress and Scene of Severyan transfixed 1:04
16 37 Severyan follows the Mistress 2:05
17 38 Severyan's death 2:01
Act IV
Scene 8
18 39 Katerina sits by the fire and yearns for Danilo 1:42
19 40 Scene and Katerina's dance with the skipping fire-spirit 3:06
20 41 Katerina follows the fire-spirit 1:33
Scene 9
21 42 Katerina's dialogue with the Mistress 3:28
22 43 Danilo turned to stone 3:26
23 44 The joy of Katerina and Danilo's reunion (Adagio) 4:12
24 45 The Mistress presents gifts to Katerina and Danilo 3:07
25 46 Epilogue 1:29
75:40
Disc 1. https://mega.co.nz/#F!dl4RRSQb!3smXi3iRYhYFPGyy4t9v6w
Disc 2. https://mega.co.nz/#F!Z0BFHLoT!2PBJs-x5E-p8BTO9EtjNAQ
BBC Philharmonic
Gianandrea Noseda
Recorded in:
New Broadcasting House, Manchester
21, 22, 24 & 28 January 2003
Producer(s)
Brian Pidgeon (Executive)
Mike George (Recording)
Sound Engineer(s)
Stephen Rinker
Denise Else (Assistant)
Nick Bell (Assistant)
Format: Digital CD 16Bit 44.1Khz
Originally recorded in: 24Bit 96Khz
Prokofiev's last ballet, The Stone Flower, is among the composer's final works. It's an engaging piece, hardly more challenging in expressive language than a Tchaikovsky ballet. It is very tuneful, with twenty or more attractive melodies, many recycled from earlier Prokofiev works: the festive No. 7, Round Dance, is borrowed from the two-part film score for Ivan the Terrible; Nos. 14, Katerina and Danilo, and 19, Waltz of the Diamonds, are sourced in Music for Children, for piano, Op. 65, (Nos. 11 and 6, respectively). Prokofiev's orchestration is splashy and colorful, a sense of the exotic often permeating the music: there are Russian and Gypsy dance numbers, and much else with a folkish, often Eastern-flavored character that befits the fairy tale-like plot of the ballet.
Gianandrea Noseda, principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and a frequent figure at the Met and Mariinsky Theater, leads the proceedings with a rich lyrical sense here. His tempos tend to be leisurely, but since this ballet's strong point is melody--from the two seemingly ubiquitous big tunes associated with the Mistress of Copper Mountain (No.1), to the livelier, colorful music in Ural Rhapsody (No. 29), and much else--he captures the heart of the score better than anyone on CD, including the once-available Rozhdestvensky. And Noseda's orchestra responds with enthusiasm and commitment: the brass, percussion and xylophone pour on an extra measure of color in Ural Rhapsody and in that wild trio of numbers in the ballet's Third Act--Russian Dance, Gypsy Dance and Severyan's Dance (Nos. 31-33). The strings soar meltingly in the opening pair of melodies mentioned above and in the closing numbers dealing with the reunion of Danilo and Katerina (Nos. 44-46), where the brass join in elegantly to add to the sense of triumph and romance. Chandos' sound is vivid and powerful.
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
The Tale of the Stone Flower, Op. 118 148:19
A ballet in four acts and nine scenes; scenario by Mira Mendelson and Leonid Lavrovsky from the book The Malachite Box by Pavel Bazhov
COMPACT DISC ONE
Prologue
1 1 The Mistress of the Copper Mountain 4:14
2 2 Danilo and his work 2:38
Act I
Scene 1
3 3 Danilo in search of the stone flower 2:17
4 4 Danilo meets his fellow villagers 2:06
5 5 Scene and duet of Katerina and Danilo 5:14
6 6 Interlude I. Severyan and the workers 3:13
Scene 2
7 7 Round dance 2:43
8 8 Katerina bids farewell to her friends 2:14
9 9 Maiden's dance 4:21
10 10 Danilo's dance 1:25
11 11 Unmarried men's dance 1:34
12 12 Severyan's arrival 3:30
13 13 Altercation over the malachite vase 4:45
14 14 Scene of Katerina and Danilo 2:21
15 15 Danilo's thoughts 3:03
Scene 3
16 16 Danilo enticed away by the Mistress of the Copper Mountain 5:22
Act II
Scene 4
17 17 The Mistress shows Danilo the treasures of the earth 2:04
18 18 Duet of the Mistress and Danilo (first temptation) 5:00
19 19 Scene and Waltz of the Diamonds (second temptation) 5:24
20 20 Dance of the Russian precious stones (third temptation) 4:01
21 21 Waltz 4:13
72:39
COMPACT DISC TWO
1 22 Danilo's monologue and the Mistress's reply 1:56
2 23 The Mistress shows Danilo the stone flower 2:15
3 24 Severyan and the workers; the Mistress's warning 3:02
Scene 5
4 25 Scene and Katerina's dance (thinking of Danilo) 3:46
5 26 Severyan's arrival 1:59
6 27 'Where are you, sweet Danilo?' 1:26
7 28 The appearance of the Mistress and Katerina's joy 2:20
Act III
Scene 6
8 29 Ural Rhapsody 8:40
9 30 Interlude II 7:03
10 31 Russian dance 4:13
Scene 7
11 32 Gypsy dance 3:14
12 33 Severyan's dance 1:45
13 34 Solo of the gypsy girl and Coda 3:54
14 35 Katerina's appearance and Severyan's rage 2:06
15 36 The appearance of the Mistress and Scene of Severyan transfixed 1:04
16 37 Severyan follows the Mistress 2:05
17 38 Severyan's death 2:01
Act IV
Scene 8
18 39 Katerina sits by the fire and yearns for Danilo 1:42
19 40 Scene and Katerina's dance with the skipping fire-spirit 3:06
20 41 Katerina follows the fire-spirit 1:33
Scene 9
21 42 Katerina's dialogue with the Mistress 3:28
22 43 Danilo turned to stone 3:26
23 44 The joy of Katerina and Danilo's reunion (Adagio) 4:12
24 45 The Mistress presents gifts to Katerina and Danilo 3:07
25 46 Epilogue 1:29
75:40
Disc 1. https://mega.co.nz/#F!dl4RRSQb!3smXi3iRYhYFPGyy4t9v6w
Disc 2. https://mega.co.nz/#F!Z0BFHLoT!2PBJs-x5E-p8BTO9EtjNAQ
BBC Philharmonic
Gianandrea Noseda
Recorded in:
New Broadcasting House, Manchester
21, 22, 24 & 28 January 2003
Producer(s)
Brian Pidgeon (Executive)
Mike George (Recording)
Sound Engineer(s)
Stephen Rinker
Denise Else (Assistant)
Nick Bell (Assistant)
Format: Digital CD 16Bit 44.1Khz
Originally recorded in: 24Bit 96Khz
