Prokofiev, Sergei

Peter and the Wolf: A Prokofiev Fantasy

A delightful DVD of Prokofiev's universally beloved and popular "musical tale," brought to life by human actors in a fairytale world inhabited by Muppet-like characters. Pop star Sting (The Police) lends his voice to a Sting puppet for the witty, enlightening commentary that guides the viewer through this charming suite. Also included is the Italian version with commentary by Academy® Award-winner Roberto Benigni, (Life is Beautiful) acted out by a Benigni puppet.

Prokofiev - Cinderella / Sibley, Dowell, Royal Ballet

Cinderella may be Sergei Prokofiev's most accessible ballet, both musically and visually, and in the hands of a master choreographer, it can be a thrilling experience. And so it is with this 1969 Royal Ballet performance, with then-resident genius Frederick Ashton pulling out all the stops in a staging guaranteed to please fans and win new converts. Ashton's particular ability to couch his innovative moves within a conventional framework is in evidence here.

The back cover calls this "an acclaimed historic performance," and historic it certainly is. Several Royal Ballet dancers are shown in top form, including Ashton (as one of our heroine's ugly stepsisters!), Anthony Dowell as the prince, and the wonderful Antoinette Sibley as Cinderella. The production itself is filled with colorful sets and vivid costumes, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House plays Prokofiev's enchanting music under the steady baton of John Lanchberry. The video itself is simply rendered, and the unspectacular sound does the job. --Kevin Filipski

Prokofiev - War and Peace / Gergiev, Othotnikov, Kirov Opera

The ostensible subject of Prokofiev's surrealistic comedy The Love for Three Oranges is a fairy tale similar to Mozart's The Magic Flute: a prince on a quest for a beautiful princess with whom he has fallen in love from a distance; villains of horrifying (though comic) nastiness; magic charms and enchantments (for example, the princess is turned into a rat); and a titanic struggle between the forces of good and evil. But in its subtext, it is an opera about opera, beginning with a near-riot. The chorus is divided into two groups--opera patrons in tuxedos demanding a serious drama and stage hands in working clothes who insist on a comedy.

In one dimension, this work is a discussion of operatic styles and conventions, and this is the level on which the Opera de Lyon production triumphs most decisively. Its style is self-consciously brilliant, as it should be. The performers' acting style is as important as their voices, and they have refined every verbal nuance, every gesture, to perfection, including a lot of pure slapstick. This opera, in this production, will appeal particularly to two types of audience: sophisticates who will relish its subtexts, parodies, insider jokes, and chic staging, and children who will be attracted by the story of a prince (son of the King of Clubs) who angers a witch and suffers a terrible curse: he will fall hopelessly in love with three oranges. --Joe McLellan

Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet / Corella · Ferri - Kenneth MacMillan (Teatro alla Scala 2000)

The revival of the classically choreographed version of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet by senior choreographer Kenneth MacMillan enjoyed a phenomenal success at La Scala in January 2000; it was the first time that Alessandra Ferri and Angel Corella, the acclaimed stars of the American Ballet Theatre, had danced together on stage. Hailed by the Italian press as the "new star couple," they both brought to their roles the youthfulness and innocence reflected in Prokofiev's music: Juliet, the young, inexperienced adolescent girl who puts all her faith in her feelings of love and undergoes the heights of passion as well as the depths of despair, and Romeo, the carefree young man certain of his feelings as a lover, ready to turn the established order on its head as a result, and knowing no bounds in his love for Juliet. The intensive role-play of the two protagonists turns the lovers' tragic end into a disaster we experience with them, transcending the conventions of the story's familiar close.

Heifetz in Performance [DVD + CD]

Prokofiev - Cinderella / Struchkova, Lediakh, Chadarain, Kolpakchi, Maximova, Bolshoi Ballet

This is an outstanding ballet of the timeless fairytale that has captured the hearts of young and old for centuries! Set to Sergei Prokofiev's classic score, the Bolshoi Ballet performs in this color motion picture from 1961. Filmed with multiple cameras which created long, medium and close-up shots and special effects, this is not simply a "canned" performance, but one in which film, dance and music combine to produce an unforgettable experience. And with Raisa Struchkova in the title role, and a teenaged Yekaterina Maximova in a supporting part, this historic program is a must for ballet lovers everywhere!

Kissin in Tokyo - Yevgeny Kissin

Pianist Yevgeny Kissin recorded live at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo on May 12th, 1987. Kissin's musicality, the depth and poetic quality of his interpretations have put him in the forefront of today's pianists. He makes regular recital tours of Europe, America and Asia to sold-out houses. He has performed with all the leading orchestras of the world under such conductors as Abbado, Ashkenazy, Barenboim, Davis, Gergiev, Giulini, Jansons, Karajan, Levine, Maazel, Muti, Ozawa, Solti, Svetlanov and Temirkanov. Kissin has also performed chamber music with Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, James Levine, Alexander Knyazev, Mischa Maisky, Thomas Quasthoff, Isaac Stern and others.

LILACS
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943)

from ETUDES TABLEAUX, Op. 39
VARIOUS

No. 5 in E-flat minor

No. 1 in C minor

SONATA NO. 6 IN A MAJOR, Op. 82
SERGEI PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)

I - Allegro moderato
II - Allegretto
III - Tempo di valzer lentissimo
IV - Vivace

from TROIS ETUDES DE CONCERT
FRANZ LISZT

"La leggierezza", No. 2 in F minor

from ZWEI KONZERTETUDEN
FRANZ LISZT

"Waldesrauschen," No. 1 in D-Flat Major

NOCTURNE IN A-FLAT MAJOR, Op. 32, No. 2
FRYDERYK CHOPIN

POLONAISE IN F-SHARP MINOR, Op. 44

MAZURKA IN E MINOR, Op. 25
ALEXANDER SCRIABIN

ETUDE IN C-SHARP MINOR, Op. 42, No. 5

NATU-WA KINU (Coming Summer)
SAKUNOSUKE KOYAMA

TODAI-MORI (Lighthouse Keeper)
English folksong

USAGI (Rabbit)
Japanese folksong

Herbert Von Karajan - New Year's Concert 1988 - Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 & Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 / Kissin

Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet [DVD Video]

Valery Gergiev - In Rehearsal & Performance (Stravinksy, Prokofiev, Debussy)

One of our most dynamic conductors, Valery Gergiev has single-handedly lifted the Kirov Opera and Orchestra into an elite status among the world's musical institutions. As shown by this compelling DVD of the conductor at work with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Gergiev is a firebrand but also an intelligent musician whose interpretations burn with intensity. The performances of all four works on the disc--Stravinsky's Fireworks and Piano Concerto (the latter has as soloist Alexander Toradze), Prokofiev's Scythian Suite and the suite from Debussy's Le Martyre de Saint Sebastian--are stamped with originality, although Gergiev saves his best for his countrymen, particularly Prokofiev, whose Scythian Suite is thrillingly rendered. The noteworthy rehearsal footage documents Gergiev and the Rotterdam musicians as they dive into the nuts and bolts of the Prokofiev work; as an added bonus, the composer's son, Oleg Prokofiev, gives some insight into his father's and the conductor's fearless artistry. --Kevin Filipski

Valery Gergiev is the Principal Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and has almost single-handedly made St. Petersburg's Kirov Opera a household name. In this thrilling performance, The Rotterdam Philharmonic showcases four stirring works: Stravinsky's "Fireworks" and "Piano Concerto," Debussy's "Le Martyre De Saint Sebastien" and Prokofiev's "Scythian Suite." This special release also features the intimately filmed documentary "Valery Gergiev: In Rehearsal," which captures the fascinating dynamics between the galvanic conductor and his orchestra as they rehearse "The Scythian Suite." 116 minutes.