Our Summer BAL 5: Prokofiev's Cinderella

[verismissimo]

Full of wonderful music. Not so frequently performed as Romeo and Juliet.

Which is the finest performance?

[amateur51]

Full of wonderful music. Not so frequently performed as Romeo and Juliet.

Which is the finest performance?

I got to know it when Matthew Bourne's Adventures in Motion Pictures dance company did a version infused with the film Brief Encounter - possibly a bit too clever for its own good? I was in funds in those days & so I bunged £500 into the show, of which I saw £25 by way of return. Not even Lynn Seymour could save me

In spite of that I still love the music and have the LSO/Previn version which suits me fine

[verismissimo]

I've had the Melodiya Moscow Radio/Rozhdestvensky recording from 1966 for years. Acquired in Wellington NZ in the 1980s for $5NZ I see. It was issued there on World Record Club, licenced to HMV.

Have always loved it, but it's quite clicky now, so time for something new, please!

[LeMartinPecheur]

I too have the EMI LSO/Previn twofer and know no other versions. It sounds fine to me.

[BBMmk2]

Didn't Ashkenazy do one?

[verismissimo]

BBM - there's a DVD from Ashkenazy - Monte Carlo dancers, Cleveland Orchestra. Wonder if they ever met?

[verismissimo]

There are less alternatives than I'd imagined. Leaving aside the recordings of suites from the ballet, these appear to be the main runners:

LSO/Previn
Cleveland/Ashkenazy
Russian National/Pletnev
Cologne Radio/M Jurowski
USSR Ministry of Culture SO/Rozhdestvensky
Bolshoi Theatre Orch/???
St Louis/Slatkin

And there a 2-piano recording by Argerich and Pletnev.

[Bryn]

To my considerable surprise, the Rozhdestvensky set of Prokofiev Ballets seems already to be hard to find. It's only a year or two since the Melodiya CD set was re-released.

[makropulos]

To my considerable surprise, the Rozhdestvensky set of Prokofiev Ballets seems already to be hard to find. It's only a year or two since the Melodiya CD set was re-released.

Hm. That's a shame. In that case, I think I'd probably go for the version by Vlad's father - the Mikhail Jurowski set on CPO.

[HighlandDougie]

I can't vouch for it being better (or worse) than other recordings, interpretation-wise, but Pletnev is very well recorded - and well-played, too. If I'm going to listen to Cinderella, it's the version I choose, rather than Previn or Ashkenazy which are also lurking on my shelves. I've never heard it but I can imagine that Rozhdestvensky should be good. I will also now investigate Jurowski père.

[Bryn]

The Rhozdestvensky set is still available, but it now costs around twice or more what I paid for it when it reappeared. For instance:

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/pages/product/product.asp?prod=MELCD1000909&affiliatecode=Froogle&utm_source=MELCD1000909&utm_medium=Froogle&utm_campaign=Froogle

[verismissimo]

I see that the Rozhdestvensky version that I have on LP with the Moscow Radio SO is available on MP3:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prokofiev-Cinderella-Ballet-Three-Acts/dp/B003K4TTGY

Otherwise it's off the market.

[BBMmk2]

BBM - there's a DVD from Ashkenazy - Monte Carlo dancers, Cleveland Orchestra. Wonder if they ever met?

Ah right. Thank you verissimo. I am sure he did a cd recording for Decca?