February 2007
This 1930 ballet had a propagandistic scenario, but what sustained revivals in the age of Glasnost was the 24-year-old Shostakovichs humorous and satirical take on virtually everything. He even included his sassy orchestration of Vincent Youmans "Tea for Two," which got him his first public censure a year or so before the ballets premiere. The brief, cartoony Polka is the one part of the work that has become a repertory piece. It figures in a four-part concert suite, but this is only the second recording of the entire ballet score -- and actually the first absolutely complete one, since Gennady Rozhdestvenskys recording with the Stockholm Philharmonic on Chandos has a few cuts here and there. Serebrier has caught the essence of every one of the score's individual numbers and, as usual, he has fired up his musicians with the sort of enthusiasm and confidence that allow the listener to focus on the musics content rather than its challenges, in this case revealing a substance that easily sustains interest throughout the nearly two-and-a-half hours. Naxos has come through with what must be its very finest recording of an orchestra to date, and the documentation, too, is exemplary. In sum, a happy and refreshing discovery as well as quite a showcase for everyone involved. GO BACK TO: |