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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
There are at least six pieces here that should be recognisable outside of their balletic context by the classical music listener, which shows how well Khachaturian's music has proved to be amenable to different milieus. The adagio from `Spartacus' became the theme tune to `The Onedin Line', whilst the adagio from `Gayane' featured in Kubrick's `2001, A Space Odyssey', both adagios a long way from their original context set in the famous slave revolt of ancient Rome and the collective farms of Soviet Armenia respectively.
On this disc we have extracts taken from his three ballets `Masquerade' (1941), `Gayane' (1942), and `Spartacus' (1954). Combining the exoticism of Rimsky Korsakov and an eastern (Armenian) ear for colour, Aram Khachaturian was a master of orchestration. Throughout these pieces, one can compare and rank Khachaturian as an equal of his contemporaries Prokofiev and Shostakovich in this genre, and also with Borodin, Tchaikovsky, and even Ravel.
Some Naxos CDs are brilliant, some are very poor; this one's quality is middling. One senses that this is not due just to the orchestra's performance, but that also the CD's production has contributed. The sound is not as clear as one would have liked, being a little to distant; rather than playing `here', the orchestra are playing `over there'. But the orchestra are not totally blameless, for there is occasionally an echoing fragility in the strings, especially in the all-important adagios. The playing in `Dance of the Gaditanae-Victory of Spartacus' is frankly quite embarrassing, and yet one can enthuse over the playing in the following `Dance of an Egyptian Girl'. Moreover, there is a lack of co-ordination between different parts of the ensemble in the `Lullaby' from `Gayane', and the horns could do better in the following opening fanfare of `Choosing the Bride'.
But with seventy-eight minutes of music, one could argue you are still obtaining one's money's worth nevertheless. Overall, this disc is OK = three stars.
On this disc we have extracts taken from his three ballets `Masquerade' (1941), `Gayane' (1942), and `Spartacus' (1954). Combining the exoticism of Rimsky Korsakov and an eastern (Armenian) ear for colour, Aram Khachaturian was a master of orchestration. Throughout these pieces, one can compare and rank Khachaturian as an equal of his contemporaries Prokofiev and Shostakovich in this genre, and also with Borodin, Tchaikovsky, and even Ravel.
Some Naxos CDs are brilliant, some are very poor; this one's quality is middling. One senses that this is not due just to the orchestra's performance, but that also the CD's production has contributed. The sound is not as clear as one would have liked, being a little to distant; rather than playing `here', the orchestra are playing `over there'. But the orchestra are not totally blameless, for there is occasionally an echoing fragility in the strings, especially in the all-important adagios. The playing in `Dance of the Gaditanae-Victory of Spartacus' is frankly quite embarrassing, and yet one can enthuse over the playing in the following `Dance of an Egyptian Girl'. Moreover, there is a lack of co-ordination between different parts of the ensemble in the `Lullaby' from `Gayane', and the horns could do better in the following opening fanfare of `Choosing the Bride'.
But with seventy-eight minutes of music, one could argue you are still obtaining one's money's worth nevertheless. Overall, this disc is OK = three stars.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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1 review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful introduction to Khachaturian
13 Sep 2010
Format:Audio CD
This disc opens with Khachaturian's famous "Sabre Dance" from his ballet "Gayane" but there is so much more to this generous disc which features 79 minutes of highlights from Khachaturian's two famous ballets, "Gayane" and "Spartacus", plus the suite of incidental music composed for a production of "Masquerade". The "Sabre Dance" is the item that is probably most familiar to the casual classical music listener but most will also recognize the georgeous "Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia", frantic "Gallop" and sumptuous "Waltz" from "Masquerade", and the haunting "Gayane's Adgio" which, scored solely for strings, heavily influenced the opening title of James Horner's score for "Aliens".
The rest of the excerpts, most between 2 and 6 minutes, are varied in terms of style and mood and are all delightful and atmospheric. Although Aram Khachaturian was Armenian he was trained at the Moscow Conservatory and the influence is clearly heard in his music, which at times reminds me of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov at their best while always maintaining his own unique musical language.
These selections, recorded between 1993 and 1994 and culled from three previous Naxos CDs [Khachaturian: Spartacus (Suites Nos. 1-3), Khachaturian: Gayanne Suites Nos. 1-3, Khachaturian: Spartacus Suite No. 4; Maquerade; Circus; Dance Suite], sound excellent and Andre Anichanov has a wonderful feel for this music which is reflected in his sympathetic conducting of the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra. For me this set trumps the Yuri Temirkanov (with the RPO on EMI) [Khachaturian: Gayaneh & Spartacus Suites] recording which is enjoyable but short on material (only 51 minutes): it contains nothing from "Masquerade" and omits the must-hear "Gayane's Adagio". The "Masquerade" suite conducted by Kiril Kondrashin on RCA Living Stereo [Khachaturian: Masquerade Suite; Kabalevsky: The Comedians; Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien; Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol / Kondrashin] is an excellent alternative for those selections but that is the only Khachaturian you will get on that disc: the balance consists of Tchaikovsky's "Capriccio Italien", Rimsky-Korsakov's "Capriccio Espagnol" (both recorded better elsewhere) and Kabalevky's suite from "The Comediens".
This is a great sampler recording for those new to the composer and those more familiar looking for a generously-filled disc of highlights.
The rest of the excerpts, most between 2 and 6 minutes, are varied in terms of style and mood and are all delightful and atmospheric. Although Aram Khachaturian was Armenian he was trained at the Moscow Conservatory and the influence is clearly heard in his music, which at times reminds me of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov at their best while always maintaining his own unique musical language.
These selections, recorded between 1993 and 1994 and culled from three previous Naxos CDs [Khachaturian: Spartacus (Suites Nos. 1-3), Khachaturian: Gayanne Suites Nos. 1-3, Khachaturian: Spartacus Suite No. 4; Maquerade; Circus; Dance Suite], sound excellent and Andre Anichanov has a wonderful feel for this music which is reflected in his sympathetic conducting of the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra. For me this set trumps the Yuri Temirkanov (with the RPO on EMI) [Khachaturian: Gayaneh & Spartacus Suites] recording which is enjoyable but short on material (only 51 minutes): it contains nothing from "Masquerade" and omits the must-hear "Gayane's Adagio". The "Masquerade" suite conducted by Kiril Kondrashin on RCA Living Stereo [Khachaturian: Masquerade Suite; Kabalevsky: The Comedians; Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien; Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol / Kondrashin] is an excellent alternative for those selections but that is the only Khachaturian you will get on that disc: the balance consists of Tchaikovsky's "Capriccio Italien", Rimsky-Korsakov's "Capriccio Espagnol" (both recorded better elsewhere) and Kabalevky's suite from "The Comediens".
This is a great sampler recording for those new to the composer and those more familiar looking for a generously-filled disc of highlights.
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