Borodin: recordings of the Polovtsian dances, with and without chorus
Fri, Oct 5 2012, 10:36AM
I really appreciate some advice. I'm after the best recording of Polovtsian dances with chorus - on vinyl. Without a chorus, I’m very taken by the Barenboim/Chicago Symphon, but with chorus, I’m not over keen on the Beecham. I want something more authentically Russian. Any suggestions please
Sat, Oct 6 2012, 7:38PM
#2
RE: Borodin: recordings of the Polovtsian dances
I don't know about authentically Russian, but the Neeme Jarvi account (with Gothenburg Symphony Orch.) is really outstanding. It comes with the usual crowd of Russian concert favourites - 1812 and so on. I think it is widely regarded to be a great modern recording. (Try the preview on Amazon....)
Without chorus, the Simon Rattle/BPO account is played with tremendous panache and a real sense of (disciplined) abandon. Thunderous drumming. Comes with Mussorgsky's Pictures and Borodin's symphony no.2.
I've also got a non-chorus version on period instruments with Immerseel. Sounds lovely (woodwind sweetly vivid and appropriately exotic) and definitely worth hearing, but possibly lacks a little fire.
Mon, Dec 31 2012, 8:50AM
#3
Orchestral-only Polovtsians
I myself am asking the same question too. I am trying to search some orchestral-only Polovtsians but find that they are not as readily avialable as the choral-orchestral versions. I like the Jarvi/Gothenberg take on their 1990 Russian album, and so it might be very hard to find a strong, pulsating yet seductive orchestral-only version. I wasn't too taken with Rattle's BPO rendition. It sounded a little flat and not so sparkling to me. I was also not keen on the Naxos version with David Nazareth and the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. The only good choice for orchestral-only Polovtsians is the Rozhdestvensky/Stockholm version. It is very well paced and Rozhdestvensky varies the moods perfectly and expertly.
I'm surprised none so far have contributed to such a fascinating popular work.
Anyhow, for a version with chorus, I would suggest the very solid recording of Robert Shaw (a real expert of the choral works) with Atlanta Symphony Orch and Chorus, on Telarc (it exists also as SACD). It contains the Firebird Suite as well.
An alternative, more recent one is the Decca recording called "White Nights", with Kirov Orchestra and Chorus under Gergiev. The recording contains a showcase of spectacular Russian works, like the Overture of Ruslan and Ludmila, Kahachaturian's Spartacus pieces, Tchaikovsky's 1812 and some Liadov.
For the orchestral version, there is the classical recording of Ansermet, now on Australian Eloquence; a standard reference.
More recent recordings: The one with the late Kreizberg, on OPMC and the spectacular SACD of Telarc with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Erich Kunzel, in a very impressive program of Russian works. The SACD is called "Russian Nights".
If you are interested for transcriptions, there is a very intriguing one for Violin and Piano, on Classical Records and a more interesting for Piano Quartet (!), with the American great Ames Piano Quartet, on Dorian. That's really impressive!
Parla