Prokofiev: Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution; The Stone Flower [Excerpts]

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Free Music Notes for Prokofiev: Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution; The Stone Flower [Excerpts]

Free Music Review: Lousy Propaganda, Super Choral Music from Prokofiev
Hit: 5 Stars

No, I think what Myaskovsky objected to was the stark modernism that Prokofiev managed to weave into the huge tapestry of his score. Because the austere Prelude is echt Prokofiev, with those grating, advanced harmonies that would have set Stalin's teeth on edge if he had ever heard the score. It reminds me of that icy music that precedes the great Battle on the Ice from Alexander Nevsky. Woven amidst the de rigueur bombast of this score, too, are the sweeping Prokofiev melodies that Myaskovksy, or any other composer Soviet or other, would be envious of. But then the bombast--how artfully Prokofiev handles it! In his hands the political sentiment here sounds like deep philosophical thinking deserving of the best musical garb. Only a great composer could make us believe this libretto--at least musically. Over the top this music clearly is: Just wait till you get to the Revolution section! But it is also argued with the soundness of the great musical mind that Prokofiev was. If you like Nevsky, the Sixth Symphony, and (I'm guessing) War and Peace (though I'm not all that familiar with the work), then you will definitely find the Cantata worth your time. Because this work looks forward to all of them.

The CD also includes probably all of the Stone Flower ballet you'll need in your collection. When you listen to the Ural Rhapsody that begins these excerpts, you may think that Prokofiev saw Khatchaturian as having concocted the right formula for Soviet musical expression; it has some of the same raw energy and oriental sinuousness of the Gayne ballet score. But then we move on to Katerina Sits by the Fire, and here are the languid, long-breathed Prokofiev melody and the girlish, scampering pre-ball music the composer penned for his Cinderella, replete with those signature percussion accents from xylophone and glockenspiel. Truth to tell, though, the Stone Flower is not top-drawer Prokofiev, and it has only echoes of the greatness of Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella, though there is something to be said for the rough-hewn folksiness of the Gypsy Dance and Severyan's Dance. Best of all is the Gypsy Girl's Solo Dance, which recalls the steel-spring scherzo of the Fifth Symphony. But much of the suavity and wit are gone in this 1948 ballet, and I imagine that like me, you'll miss them.

Still, given the excellent performance and beautifully detailed but airy recording--in Chandos' best fashion--the ballet music is very welcome. Especially in company with that knockout Cantata!

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