Tag: Valery Gergiev

SACD

Denis Matsuev, Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev – Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 3 & Symphony No 5 (2014) [SACD / Mariinsky – MAR0549]

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Denis Matsuev, Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev - Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 3 & Symphony No 5 (2014)

Title: Denis Matsuev, Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev – Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 3 & Symphony No 5 (2014)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

The Mariinsky label presents the recording of two of Sergei Prokofiev’s most popular works, Piano Concerto No 3 and Symphony No 5. Denis Matsuev features as soloist, in this his fourth recording on the Mariinsky label. Since winning the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1998 Matsuev has established a reputation as one of Russia’s leading pianists and is renowned for his interpretations of Russian music.

Since 2010, Denis Matsuev has put out an exciting run of recordings with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra, playing the Russian concerto repertoire with extraordinary power and fire. The Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major is the most popular of Sergey Prokofiev’s five piano concertos, and Matsuev gives the performance his special combination of brilliant technique and muscular energy. The solo part in the outer movements is virtuosic and highly percussive, and Matsuev’s attacks are quite metallic and spiky, though this tone is contrasted with smoother phrasing and a rounder quality in the second movement’s set of variations. Yet even here are displays of prestidigitation that call for a penetrating edge, and Matsuev’s playing cuts through the rather heavy orchestral accompaniment every time. The concerto is paired with Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, and this is an odd choice, considering that Matsuev’s previous releases with Mariinsky have included two concertos each. Yet because this is one of Sergei Prokofiev’s most popular symphonies, second only to the “Classical” Symphony in its audience appeal, the choice seems sound, especially if Matsuev and Gergiev were counting on this album to win new fans. The sound of this hybrid SACD is generally clear and deep, though the orchestra occasionally seems bass heavy and a little murky.

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SACD

Olga Borodina, Wiener Philharmoniker, Valery Gergiev – Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique & La Mort de Cleopatre (2003) [SACD / Philips – 470 632-2]

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Olga Borodina, Wiener Philharmoniker, Valery Gergiev - Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique & La Mort de Cleopatre (2003)

Title: Olga Borodina, Wiener Philharmoniker, Valery Gergiev – Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique & La Mort de Cleopatre (2003)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Valery Gergiev turns in a generally fine Symphonie fantastique, one that really heats up in the last two movements, as any good performance must. The March to the Scaffold has an aptly menacing character, with very clearly voiced timpani and plenty of panache to the brass playing. The finale begins quite quickly and never lets up; it has the special Berliozian frenzy that so many versions never manage to capture. Elsewhere the results are a bit more variable. The first movement goes quite well on the whole, barring a pointless slow-down at one point toward the end, but the second-movement waltz is strange, with oddly Stravinskian accents disrupting its flow and a general lack of rhythmic tension. However Gergiev does find pretty much the ideal tempo for the slow movement, and the oboe and English horn solos have an appealingly plaintive, pastoral character. La Mort de Cléopatre makes a generous bonus, but not in this performance. Without getting hung up on the details, Gergiev certainly conducts it well enough, but Olga Borodina simply has the wrong voice for the part: thick, heavy, and often unsteady. She sounds dead before the music even begins–okay, maybe it’s not that bad, but compared to singers like Jessye Norman, Véronique Gens, or Janet Baker, she captures neither the nobility of the Egyptian queen nor the pathos of her predicament. Happily, given that many discs offer just the symphony, we can ignore this particular “bonus”, and the rating reflects this. Philips offers vivid live sonics that project the unique timbres of the Vienna Philharmonic horns and strings particularly well, though the harps in the second movement should sound more seductive. Fantastique collectors will find plenty to enjoy here.

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