PROKOFIEV: Ballet Suites [CD de audio] The Symphonic Orchestra of the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Society, Prokofiev and Arnold Kat

In his ballets, the great Soviet composer Sergei Prokofiev continues the long and famous tradition of Russian ballet music, which culminated in the immortal ballets of Tchaikovsky (Nutcracker, Swan Lake). Prokofiev's genius for characterization produced classic hits like The Montagues and Capulets (often used in movies, commercials, and even sporting events!), and the love scene from Romeo and Juliet. Also Cinderella's waltz from the Cinderella Suite became a classic. The Ballet Flower Stone is the last Soviet ballet that Prokofiev wrote, and although it is little known, it contains music of great beauty and power on a level equal to the famous ballets. Magnificent performances by the Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro Arnold Katz. Prokofiev's great ballet scores for Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella have become firm favorites both in the concert hall and in the repertoire of ballet companies around the world. The Montagues and Capulets from Romeo and Juliet, for example, regularly appear at major sporting events, something Prokofiev probably never imagined! The oldest of the ballets presented here is Romeo and Juliet, commissioned in the mid-1930s, shortly after Prokofiev returned to the Soviet Union from self-imposed exile. Taken from the main events of the ballet, the music of Suite no. Story #2 ranges from the grand, formal music of the party and the sounds of a popular festival to the tragedy and despair of the story's end, illuminating Prokofiev's commitment to communicating the depths and intricacies of Shakespeare's work. Cinderella followed Romeo and Juliet in the 1940s, with a rich, sophisticated music score that rewards adult and child viewers alike. The Suite no. No. 1 features some of the best music in ballet, including Cinderella's Waltz and the brilliant Mazurka. The Flower Stone was the last of Prokofiev's Soviet ballets, from 1948, and is based on a Ural folk tale. Although perhaps the least familiar of the works on this album, its score contains music of great beauty, with melodies that are as memorable as anything in the two ballet scores that preceded it.