Prokofiev: Scythian Suite; Lt. Kijé; Khachaturian: Gayaneh
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Scherchen had few peers as a conductor of modern works and of Russian music. Here, the two are brought together in a freshly scrubbed reissue of some gems from the old Westminster LP catalogue. The Scythian Suite is a colorful ballet score full of barbaric rhythms and garish colors modeled on Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Scherchen gives it a tremendous performance. The piece opens with an orchestral splash that grabs you by the throat and then settles into an ominously sinuous passage that shows Scherchen's mastery of atmosphere. The Lt. Kije Suite is as good, full of sly wit and inventive orchestration. Khachaturian's Gayaneh ballet opens with the famous Sabre Dance, and each of the six movements performed here features central Asian folk-based melodies of enormous appeal, along with irresistible colorful orchestrations. Gayaneh's in vivid stereo, the Prokofiev works in monophonic sound, but they're no less immediate or enjoyable, vindicating Westminster's 1950s reputation as an audiophile label. --Dan Davis
Prokofiev: Scythian Suite; Lt. Kijé; Khachaturian: Gayaneh, Music, Aram Khachaturian, Sergey Prokofiev, Hermann Scherchen, Wiener Staatsopernorchester, Wiener Symphoniker, 20th/21st Century Ballet, Ballet, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Film, Film Music, Orchestral, Orchestral & Symphonic, Suite for Orchestra
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