Search - Khachaturian, Zhuraitis, Bolshoi Theatre Orch :: Spartacus Highlights

A DEFINITIVE RECORDING OF SPARTACUS

09/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It was Vladimir Vasiliev and the Bolshoi Ballet that made Spartacus famous. Since the complete recording of this performance for sale here is no longer in print, this excerpted-version is the only one available, in which you get to hear the Bolshoi's own orchestra performing Spartacus with supreme mastery. Listening to this recording, one could see ancient Rome with its Colosseum and Circus Maximus vividly. My favorite number is the Phrygia/Spartacus adagio, in which Phrygia senses that Spartacus might die; it is most moving. There is a complete companion-video to this performance, which can also be purchased on Amazon.Com. The leading dancers are Mukhamedov and Semenyaka. It, too, is beautifully performed. And by the way, it is the only complete video of the ballet (the one starring Vasiliev is not complete). All in all, this recording of Spartacus featuring the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra is the definitive one. And don't forget to get the video!"