PROKOFIEV: Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 (excerpts) • RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36
5/12/2023, 20 Tracks, 1:01:08
Featuring
Álvaro Cassuto
Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa
Sergei Prokofiev
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Did you know?
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Compositional Technique
Almost all themes in Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Festival Overture are derived from the Obikhod, a collection of liturgical chants familiar to Russians.
Recording & Production
This album marks the first commercial release of these mid-1990s live recordings by the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Álvaro Cassuto.
Compositional Technique
Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Festival Overture is cast in a loose sonata-form design and is divided into three main sections.
Recording & Production
This album features two live recordings of works by Prokofiev and Rimsky-Korsakov, originally broadcast by Antena 2, Portuguese Radio and Television in the mid-1990s.
Interpretation
For the Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet excerpts, conductor Álvaro Cassuto devised his own selection of pieces to establish dramatic and musical continuity.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rimsky-Korsakov prefaced his Russian Easter Festival Overture with quotations from Psalms, the Gospel of Mark, and his own description of the Easter celebration.
Composer Biography
Despite using liturgical chants in his Russian Easter Festival Overture, Rimsky-Korsakov had long since become a non-believer and viewed this music strictly as a source for his compositions.
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