wimpel69
11-30-2014, 12:11 PM
FLAC link below. This is my own rip.
Do not share. Buy the original! Please leave a "Like" or
"Thank you" if you enjoyed this!
On the Dnieper (aka Sur le Borysth�ne) is Sergei Prokofiev's least popular ballet, discounting
(the non-existent) Ala and Lolli, whose music went into the eventually successful Scythian Suite (1914 - 1915).
On the Dnieper was the fourth of Prokofiev's ballets, the first three all having received prestigious productions
on the Paris stage via Sergey Diaghilev's famous Ballets Russes. But with the death of Diaghilev in 1929, the Ballets
Russes disbanded.
In 1930, the Th��tre de l'Op�ra, however, commissioned Prokofiev to write this ballet, originally entitled
On the Dnieper, but renamed Sur le Borysth�ne because the French had difficulty pronouncing "Dnieper."
Serge Lifar provided the choreography. The story centers on a demobilized Russian soldier, Sergei, who, returning
home from service in World War I, discovers that his love for his betrothed, Natasha, has vanished. He falls in
love with another woman, Olga, but because of her family's violent opposition to their wedding plans, finds he
must elope. In the end, the couple is helped to escape by Sergei's faithful former love, Natasha.
The ballet, lasting nearly three-quarters of an hour, has two scenes and 12 numbers. The Introduction presents
the main theme, an attractive but slightly arid melody, its character showing more and more of the French
influences then creeping into Prokofiev's music. Little of the score, in fact, actually sounds Russian here -- this
is one of Prokofiev's most cosmopolitan-sounding works. The next three numbers -- "Meeting," "Mimic Scene,"
and Pas de deux -- contain interesting but less memorable music, the moods generally subdued and the
scoring subtle.
The ensuing "Masculine Variations and Finale" contains lively, colorful music and deft scoring. But it is the
first number in scene 2, "Betrothal," that comes across with the greater impact. It contains a theme that
seems the perfect mixture of love and pain, of passion and struggle, and it dominates much of the second
half of the ballet. It reappears in the ensuing "Bridegroom's Dance" and in the last number, "Epilogue,"
which also recalls the ballet's opening theme. "The Bride's Dance," No. 8, and "Men's Dance," No. 9,
seem to augur Prokofiev's style in Romeo and Juliet (1935-36), the latter number actually containing
a variant of that later ballet's motto. In sum, On the Dnieper is an interesting and intriguing but not
entirely successful work.
It was Prokofiev's practice to waste little time in extracting a suite or other concert piece from his
dramatic works. He fashioned an eight-movement suite the same year it was premiered from the opera
Semyon Kotko. Neither work was a success in its time, but the opera was given new life at the
turn of the twenty-first century and will likely retain at least limited currency for some time.
The suite has its strengths but, ultimately, is flawed. Its strongest points are its presentation of
Prokofiev's attractive melodies and mellifluous orchestration, but its weakness lies in its failure to
convey the sense of drama necessary to define its characters and their actions. The introduction
to the suite contains about two-thirds of the music heard in the opera's introduction. It presents
two memorable melodies, both of a lush post-Romantic bent and having an emotional warmth that
belies the violent nature of the opera's story. The second movement, "Semyon and his Mother,"
uses music from the last part of the opera's introduction and from the opening scene. It is darkly
beautiful and emotionally overwrought, but like the next movement, "The Betrothal," not quite
effective in developing a sense of drama from its promising themes.
"The Southern Night" may well offer the most beautiful music in the suite: it uses the
gorgeous and unforgettable theme from Semyon's Act III romancing of Sof'ya. "Execution"
(No. 5) and especially, "The Village is Burning" (No. 6), are intense and colorful, but cannot
compare with their counterparts in the opera. "Funeral" (No. 7) and "Ours have come" (No. 8)
are both atmospheric, but the grief of the former and the triumphant joy of the latter are,
once again, better rendered in the opera. Still, for all its inadequacies, this suite is generally
effective and will have considerable appeal to listeners because of its attractive melodies
and colorful orchestration.
Music Composed by
Sergei Prokofiev
Played by the
WDR Sinfonieorchester K�ln
Conducted by
Michail Jurowski
"This two-disc CPO set offers two rarely encountered works by Prokofiev and one of his
repertory staples. But even the popular Lieutenant Kije Suite here is unusual in one respect:
the listener is given both the orchestral version and the rarely heard vocal alternative (which
features a baritone soloist) of Romance and "Troika."
Kije is given a solid reading by Prokofiev specialist Jurowski here with sparkling accounts of
the famous Kije's "Wedding" and "Troika." Baritone Boris Statsenko sings with passion in
Romance and such energy in "Troika" as to leave the listener breathless over his ability to
get in all the syllables at the breakneck tempo. The WDR Sinfonieorchestra plays with
spirit and total commitment, from the saxophonist's bouncy solo in Romance to the
wind players' colorful work in "Kije's Wedding."
The 1932 Sur le Borysth�ne (or On the Dnieper) was Prokofiev's fifth ballet, the last
he wrote in France and the one that preceded Romeo and Juliet. It has a tuneful but
arid character throughout its 16 numbers; it is by turns spirited and playful, passionate
and dark, but not memorable alongside Romeo and Cinderella. Its one big tune, first
heard in No. 6, "Betrothal," struggles through thick orchestration (oppression?) to
express its dark lyricism. Elsewhere the ballet is quite lovely (No. 4, "Pas de deux")
and spirited ("Meeting, No. 2") and never dull, especially in this kind of performance,
where tempos by Jurowski are well chosen and the orchestra responds with
enthusiasm -- could one imagine a more deliciously mischievous "Bridegroom's
Dance" (No. 7) or a more impassioned "Bride's Dance" (No. 8)?
The "Semyon Kotko Suite," taken from Prokofiev's 1939 opera, is a tuneful, lovely
work in eight movements whose weakness is its lack of contrast: the first four
movements are all moderately paced and tuneful, but don't break the generally somber
mood. No. 5, "Execution," and No. 6, "The Village Is Burning," are thrilling (the
latter, though, not as thrilling as heard in the opera, where the vocal writing imparts
an even more harrowing character). But for all these seeming inadequacies, the
work is lovely and the melodies ravishing. No. 1, Introduction, presents an instantly
ingratiating melody, and there follow several others, the best of which is probably
the soaring, gorgeous theme in "The Southern Night." On purely melodic grounds,
this work might challenge the three suites to Romeo. Again, Jurowski draws a
fine performance from the orchestra, whose warm, silken strings (especially as
heard in "The Southern Night") and splendid winds stand out, making this
preferable to J�rvi's account on Chandos. The sound on all works is detailed
and fully state-of-the-art."
All Music
Download Link - https://mega.co.nz/#!aEAkmCbL!TsyWJC-oU6fVuZUiEGNoIzxJ7lPh2XuvDsI4rzJysm0
Source: CPO CDs, 2004 (my rip!)
Format: FLAC(RAR), DDD Stereo, Level: -5
File Size: 459 MB
Enjoy! Don't share! Buy the origina! Please leave a "Like" or "Thank you" if you enjoyed this! :)
Do not share. Buy the original! Please leave a "Like" or
"Thank you" if you enjoyed this!
On the Dnieper (aka Sur le Borysth�ne) is Sergei Prokofiev's least popular ballet, discounting
(the non-existent) Ala and Lolli, whose music went into the eventually successful Scythian Suite (1914 - 1915).
On the Dnieper was the fourth of Prokofiev's ballets, the first three all having received prestigious productions
on the Paris stage via Sergey Diaghilev's famous Ballets Russes. But with the death of Diaghilev in 1929, the Ballets
Russes disbanded.
In 1930, the Th��tre de l'Op�ra, however, commissioned Prokofiev to write this ballet, originally entitled
On the Dnieper, but renamed Sur le Borysth�ne because the French had difficulty pronouncing "Dnieper."
Serge Lifar provided the choreography. The story centers on a demobilized Russian soldier, Sergei, who, returning
home from service in World War I, discovers that his love for his betrothed, Natasha, has vanished. He falls in
love with another woman, Olga, but because of her family's violent opposition to their wedding plans, finds he
must elope. In the end, the couple is helped to escape by Sergei's faithful former love, Natasha.
The ballet, lasting nearly three-quarters of an hour, has two scenes and 12 numbers. The Introduction presents
the main theme, an attractive but slightly arid melody, its character showing more and more of the French
influences then creeping into Prokofiev's music. Little of the score, in fact, actually sounds Russian here -- this
is one of Prokofiev's most cosmopolitan-sounding works. The next three numbers -- "Meeting," "Mimic Scene,"
and Pas de deux -- contain interesting but less memorable music, the moods generally subdued and the
scoring subtle.
The ensuing "Masculine Variations and Finale" contains lively, colorful music and deft scoring. But it is the
first number in scene 2, "Betrothal," that comes across with the greater impact. It contains a theme that
seems the perfect mixture of love and pain, of passion and struggle, and it dominates much of the second
half of the ballet. It reappears in the ensuing "Bridegroom's Dance" and in the last number, "Epilogue,"
which also recalls the ballet's opening theme. "The Bride's Dance," No. 8, and "Men's Dance," No. 9,
seem to augur Prokofiev's style in Romeo and Juliet (1935-36), the latter number actually containing
a variant of that later ballet's motto. In sum, On the Dnieper is an interesting and intriguing but not
entirely successful work.
It was Prokofiev's practice to waste little time in extracting a suite or other concert piece from his
dramatic works. He fashioned an eight-movement suite the same year it was premiered from the opera
Semyon Kotko. Neither work was a success in its time, but the opera was given new life at the
turn of the twenty-first century and will likely retain at least limited currency for some time.
The suite has its strengths but, ultimately, is flawed. Its strongest points are its presentation of
Prokofiev's attractive melodies and mellifluous orchestration, but its weakness lies in its failure to
convey the sense of drama necessary to define its characters and their actions. The introduction
to the suite contains about two-thirds of the music heard in the opera's introduction. It presents
two memorable melodies, both of a lush post-Romantic bent and having an emotional warmth that
belies the violent nature of the opera's story. The second movement, "Semyon and his Mother,"
uses music from the last part of the opera's introduction and from the opening scene. It is darkly
beautiful and emotionally overwrought, but like the next movement, "The Betrothal," not quite
effective in developing a sense of drama from its promising themes.
"The Southern Night" may well offer the most beautiful music in the suite: it uses the
gorgeous and unforgettable theme from Semyon's Act III romancing of Sof'ya. "Execution"
(No. 5) and especially, "The Village is Burning" (No. 6), are intense and colorful, but cannot
compare with their counterparts in the opera. "Funeral" (No. 7) and "Ours have come" (No. 8)
are both atmospheric, but the grief of the former and the triumphant joy of the latter are,
once again, better rendered in the opera. Still, for all its inadequacies, this suite is generally
effective and will have considerable appeal to listeners because of its attractive melodies
and colorful orchestration.
Music Composed by
Sergei Prokofiev
Played by the
WDR Sinfonieorchester K�ln
Conducted by
Michail Jurowski
"This two-disc CPO set offers two rarely encountered works by Prokofiev and one of his
repertory staples. But even the popular Lieutenant Kije Suite here is unusual in one respect:
the listener is given both the orchestral version and the rarely heard vocal alternative (which
features a baritone soloist) of Romance and "Troika."
Kije is given a solid reading by Prokofiev specialist Jurowski here with sparkling accounts of
the famous Kije's "Wedding" and "Troika." Baritone Boris Statsenko sings with passion in
Romance and such energy in "Troika" as to leave the listener breathless over his ability to
get in all the syllables at the breakneck tempo. The WDR Sinfonieorchestra plays with
spirit and total commitment, from the saxophonist's bouncy solo in Romance to the
wind players' colorful work in "Kije's Wedding."
The 1932 Sur le Borysth�ne (or On the Dnieper) was Prokofiev's fifth ballet, the last
he wrote in France and the one that preceded Romeo and Juliet. It has a tuneful but
arid character throughout its 16 numbers; it is by turns spirited and playful, passionate
and dark, but not memorable alongside Romeo and Cinderella. Its one big tune, first
heard in No. 6, "Betrothal," struggles through thick orchestration (oppression?) to
express its dark lyricism. Elsewhere the ballet is quite lovely (No. 4, "Pas de deux")
and spirited ("Meeting, No. 2") and never dull, especially in this kind of performance,
where tempos by Jurowski are well chosen and the orchestra responds with
enthusiasm -- could one imagine a more deliciously mischievous "Bridegroom's
Dance" (No. 7) or a more impassioned "Bride's Dance" (No. 8)?
The "Semyon Kotko Suite," taken from Prokofiev's 1939 opera, is a tuneful, lovely
work in eight movements whose weakness is its lack of contrast: the first four
movements are all moderately paced and tuneful, but don't break the generally somber
mood. No. 5, "Execution," and No. 6, "The Village Is Burning," are thrilling (the
latter, though, not as thrilling as heard in the opera, where the vocal writing imparts
an even more harrowing character). But for all these seeming inadequacies, the
work is lovely and the melodies ravishing. No. 1, Introduction, presents an instantly
ingratiating melody, and there follow several others, the best of which is probably
the soaring, gorgeous theme in "The Southern Night." On purely melodic grounds,
this work might challenge the three suites to Romeo. Again, Jurowski draws a
fine performance from the orchestra, whose warm, silken strings (especially as
heard in "The Southern Night") and splendid winds stand out, making this
preferable to J�rvi's account on Chandos. The sound on all works is detailed
and fully state-of-the-art."
All Music
Download Link - https://mega.co.nz/#!aEAkmCbL!TsyWJC-oU6fVuZUiEGNoIzxJ7lPh2XuvDsI4rzJysm0
Source: CPO CDs, 2004 (my rip!)
Format: FLAC(RAR), DDD Stereo, Level: -5
File Size: 459 MB
Enjoy! Don't share! Buy the origina! Please leave a "Like" or "Thank you" if you enjoyed this! :)