Antonio Pappano - R-Korsakov:Scheherazade / Mussorgsky:Night On Bald Mountain - Import CD

Credits:

Antonio Pappano

Description:

Conductor Antonio Pappano creates a large scale full of color, and "Scheherazade" is filled with picturesque imagery. Two versions of "One Night on Bald Mountain" explode with rawness. Rimsky-Korsakov's sumptuous storytelling "Scheherazade" and Mussorgsky's graphic and chilling "One Night on the Bald Mountain" are two of the most popular works in the Russian repertoire. Antonio Pappano, as music director of the Orchestra and Chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, reminds us of the connection between the two composers by programming them together. At the same time, he offers a rare opportunity to hear two versions of Mussorgsky's "A Night on the Bald Mountain" (the 1867 original version and the 1880 version with orchestra and voices). Both Mussorgsky (1839-1881) and R. Korsakov (1844-1908) were members of the "Russian Five," a group of composers led by Balakirev who were oriented toward the creation of nationalistic art music in late 19th century Russia (the others were Borodin and Cui). A highly sophisticated musician, R=Korsakov recognized the remarkable talent and originality of his unsociable and unorthodox colleague, whose works seemed to challenge the musical world. After Mussorgsky's untimely death, R=Korsakov wanted to secure its future by reworking two of his most impressive works, "Boris Godunov" and "One Night on Bald Mountain," to make them more traditionally attractive and more acceptable R=Korsakov wrote, "My conscience will be at ease . I have done all I could and had to do for his music and his memory," wrote R. Korsakov. R=Korsakov's arrangement of "One Night on Bald Mountain" remains popular, but it is not included on this album. Instead, the program offers two different versions by Mussorgsky himself. The first is a purely orchestral version, written in the 1860s as the sound poem "The Eve of St. John on the Bald Mountain. This work was inspired by Georgy Mengden's lost play The Witch, which depicts the Sabbath of the Witches. A few years later, around 1880, Mussorgsky revised it and wrote a work for orchestra, chorus, children's chorus, and solo singers (in this recording, Bulgarian bass singer Diyan Vachkov). This formed an episode of his opera "The City of Sorochintsy" based on a play by Nikolai Gogol.Satan appears with his demonic hordes on the night of St. John's Day, around the time of the summer solstice. Mussorgsky, however, never completed "The City of Sorochintzi," and this second version of "One Night on the Bald Mountain," "The Dream of a Young Man," was completed in the form of a vocal score, but orchestrated by Visarion Shevarin, who created the opera's version in 1930 The version was orchestrated by Visarion Shevarin, who created the opera version in 1930. Antonio Pappano states: "R=Korsakov's 'Young Dream' was completed in the form of a vocal score. Antonio Pappano stated: "It is shocking to hear this almost skeletal orchestration of the music, as we are used to the cloth-covered version of R=Korsakov's 'One Night on Bald Mountain'.... The sounds do not merge; the rhythms leap off the page in other ways. The seeming lack of sophistication in Mussorgsky's style creates an atmosphere that is very unusual for the period in which this music was composed.... His handling of rhythmic gestures almost foreshadows Stravinsky. Mussorgsky's harmonies are surprisingly unconventional for the time. They are closely related to the music of the Russian Orthodox Church, especially when he writes block chords (a technique in which a group of notes, each lower in register, is played as a mass)... It is bare, unadorned, and raw... It's as if the unapologetic frankness of his music reflects the roughness, the difficult character in life." By contrast, R=Korsakov's symphonic suite "Scheherazade," which spins four tales from One Thousand and One Nights, is, in the words of Antonio Pappano, "a great showpiece for the orchestra." He adds. "Musically, it is very challenging technically for the conductor who must convey the sense of the story in a convincing way ... It is full of picturesque imagery... Scheherazade often has chamber music textures... They deceive the listener's ear. What a contrast to Mussorgsky! But to achieve these effects, of course, you need a first-rate orchestra. The quality of the orchestra is really important, especially in the more transparent and singing moments of the score. The Italian orchestral players are known for their singing voice and style, which makes this piece a perfect fit for the Orchestre de Santa Cecilia." (Warner Music) Contents (Scheduled songs) R. Korsakoff: 1-4) Symphonic Suite "Scheherazade" Op.35 1-4) Symphonic Suite "Scheherazade" Op.35 Mussorgsky: 5) Symphonic Poem 5) Symphonic Poem "A Night on the Bald Mountain" (1867 original version) [Sound Poem "The Eve of St. John's Day on the Bald Mountain] 6) Symphonic Poem "One Night on the Bald Mountain" (1880 version) [Opera "The City of Sorochintsi" - A Young Man's Dream] (1930 orchestration by Vissarion Chevaline) Performed by. Carlo Maria Parazolli (Violin:1-4) Djan Vachkov (bass-baritone:6) Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Chorus & Children's Choir(6) Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia Antonio Pappano(Conductor) Recording August 24, 2022 (1-4), May 9-11, 2019 (5), October 25-26 & 28, 2014 (6) Rome, Auditorium Parco della Musica (1-4: session/5-6: live)