Search - Prokofiev, Jarvi, Scottish National Orchestra :: Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé; The Stone Flower Suite

One of Prokofiev's Best-Loved Works, Plus Some That Are Less

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 09/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Chandos is doing us a favor by reissuing at mid-price the much-praised recordings of Prokofiev orchestral music with Neeme Järvi conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. These were recorded in the mid-1980s to early 1990s. The current series of CDs (of which I've already reviewed a couple of others: Prokofiev: The Prodigal Son and Prokofiev: Suite From 'The Buffoon'; Waltz Suite) tend to combine the contents differently than on the older CDs. This one contains a smashing performance of one of Prokofiev's most popular suites, 'Lieutentant Kijé', which was derived from the composer's first film score in 1933. The cornet represents the protagonist, the imaginary Kijé, and the RSNO's unnamed cornet player almost erases my memories of performances of the work by the Chicago Symphony with the redoubtable Bud Herseth playing cornet. Järvi is ably conveys the work's sense of humor, the polytonal sequences that represent Kijé's bibulous wedding, and the jolly sleigh ride. This performance is worth the price of the CD all by itself.



But the disc also contains Prokofiev's rarely played Suite from 'The Stone Flower', Op. 118, one of his last works. Indeed, Prokofiev died while the ballet was in rehearsal at the Bolshoi (and on the same day that Stalin died). This is not-quite-top-drawer Prokofiev but deserves to be heard. Probably the most appealing sections are those containing the peasant dances with their good-humored stomping and The Waltz of the Diamonds. Järvi's performance is possibly not quite as energized as that by Rozhdestvensky's recording, but that one is difficult to find, and if located would be at full price.



The disc is rounded out with a number of shorter works. 'Dreams', Op. 6, a symphonic poem, was written in 1910 when the composer was at the St. Petersburg Conservatory; he himself admitted that he was under the influence of Rachmaninov at the time and the work certainly shows that influence. It is a pensive, even melancholy, work lasting eleven minutes. 'Autumnal', Op. 8, was also written in 1911 at the Conservatory. This too has echoes of Rachmaninov but can hear some elements of what we have come to recognize as Prokofiev's own musical fingerprints as well. 'Andante', Op. 50bis, is a 1930 transcription for string orchestra of the last movement of Prokofiev's First String Quartet. It was done on commission from the US Library of Congress and first performed in Washington. I love the First Quartet, and I equally love this arrangement of that work's andante finale. The RSNO's strings give this emotional work's sweeping melodies full value.



Like the others in this series, I can recommend this disc without hesitation.



Scott Morrison"