COMPOSERS: Glazunov,imsky-Korsakov,Khachaturian,Prokofiev,Shostakovich,Tchaikovsky
LABELS: Chandos
WORKS: By Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Khachaturian & Tchaikovsky
PERFORMER: Scottish National Orchestra/Neeme Järvi
CATALOGUE NO: CHAN 6598 DDD (1984-91)
This is an unashamed Russian ballet jamboree of a kind the SNO (now RSNO) revels in. The splurge of sound is well captured overall. That’s all you get though – a bit like non-stop Onedin Line. The selection includes a few rarities. But subtle national idioms get submerged and there’s little light and shade. Some of the Prokofiev fares better, and Khachaturian’s Slave Dance from Spartacus has a nice Bernstein-like swing. But even Shostakovich’s witty arrangement of Tea for Two feels done to death. Roderic Dunnett