Prokofiev, Sergei

Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Bach, Brahms: Alexis Weissenberg - Classic Archive

Weissenberg was at the beginning of his substantial international career in these films, mostly made by French television in the 1960s. The one exception is a 1965 version of Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrouchka renowned in its time for attempting to mirror the music's rhythms and moods. Directed by Åke Falck and filmed in a Stockholm studio, the camera is a creative partner with composer and pianist. So all kinds of odd angles are employed. If you want to see what Weissenberg's chin looks like from the vantage point of the keyboard, here's your chance. Lighting and backgrounds change often, but there's an element of art-house kitsch to the film that today seems dated. In a bonus track, Weissenberg speaks about how the film was made and the difficulties of matching finger movements to the prerecorded sound track while he "played" the work on a specially built silent piano, whose inner plumbing is an important visual element here. As for Weissenberg's playing, this difficult piece is red meat for a virtuoso of his caliber and he's predictably impressive, although the piano tone can get glassy in the treble and the considerable pounding the piano gets can leave you feeling pummeled. A wild ride perhaps, but a worthwhile one. The remainder of the solo part of the program consists of Weissenberg favorites: an example of Age of Iron Prokofiev via his Sonata No.3, a Scriabin Nocturne that shows the pianist's lyric side, a Chopin set offering well-played, interpretively squeaky-clean pianism that needs more tonal bloom than the various engineers could supply at the time. Weissenberg programmed a lot of Bach and some of his best playing comes in the Chromatic Fantasy (here shorn of the Fugue). Bach that looks filmed in a dark celler at midnight, Myra Hess' famed transcription of Jesu, joy of man's desiring gets a steel-fingered rendition. The biggest piece on the disc, Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2, with the French Radio Orchestra led by a heavily perspiring George Prêtre, features grainy video and compromised sound that should have been better for its 1969 date. But pianophiles will be interested in this record of a famed virtuoso at his peak. --Dan Davis

Prokofiev: Cinderella

Available on DVD for the first time - Filmed in HD wide-screen. A colorful, imaginative and modern version of Prokofiev's popular classic ballet, performed by one of the world's most prestigious dance companies, in the choreography of their Artistic Director, Jean-Christophe Maillot. Like Prokofiev, Maillot sees Cinderella not only as a fairy tale character but also a human being, who lives and feels and whose fate moves us. Through this essentially human vision, Maillot toys with natural and supernatural elements to reveal a giant picture book, both strange and familiar. The brilliant ensemble is led by exquisite prima ballerina Bernice Coppieters as the Fairy Godmother, and the amazing Aurélia Schaefer as Cinderella. Two bonus features will reward ballet enthusiasts: a portrait of Bernice Coppieters and "The Making of the Ballet."

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 - 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.

A Piano Evening with Martha Argerich [DVD Video]

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

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

Heifetz in Performance [DVD + CD]

Prokofiev - Betrothal in a Monastery

Move It! Expressive Movements with Classical Music