Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

“[Scheherazade] is a work that well demonstrates the orchestra's virtues, which include not only a fine set of principals who have their individual voices in the brighly hued scoring but an overall warmth of tone and precision of ensemble and intonation that are hard won by newly formed orchestras. This is an attractive performance, vigorous of impulse and...pleasingly sensuous.” --Gramophone Magazine, September 2014

“a terrific recording … Goetzel paces the work extremely convincingly … For daring, exotic colour, this is the most beguiling Sheherazade to have entertained me for some time.” --International Record Review, October 2014

“the interludes work beautifully as palate-cleansers and serve to throw the music which surrounds them into sharper relief...The Borusan forces offer some of the most vital, vivid orchestral playing I’ve heard in a long time, whether throwing new light on an established warhorse or introducing us to relative rarities – I urge you to give them a whirl.” --Presto Classical, 4th August 2014

“It might not be the ultimate performance ofScheherazade, but the exotic interpolations refresh this overplayed work and the many solo passages are played with panache.” --The Observer, 27th July 2014 ***

“As always, Goetzel’s orchestra buckles down with a boisterous energy that disarms criticism.” --The Times, 25th July 2014 ****

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Rimsky Korsakov: Scheherazade

“Recorded under live conditions but without an audience in St Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, this Scheherazade is the most red-blooded, exciting account of Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral warhorse currently available, helped by full, immediate sound of a richness rare in Russian recordings. The magnetism is established from the start, with Gergiev completely dispelling the feeling that this is a work which keeps stopping and starting too often for its own good.

Consistently you register that these are players who have the music in their blood, with rubato naturally inflected. In expressive freedom Gergiev is often less extreme than Reiner or Karajan, as in the quasi recitando bassoon solo near the start of the second movement or the espressivo oboe solo which follows, in which Gergiev notes also the atempo marking, keeping it steady. The virtuosity of the St Petersburg soloists conveys an edge-ofseat tension, particularly when Gergiev opts for challengingly fast speeds in the climactic passages of the second and fourth movements.

This is a work written over only a few weeks, and far more than usual this is a performance that, defying the many changes of tempo, conveys that urgency of inspiration. Yet Gergiev brings out points of detail in the brilliant instrumentation normally bypassed, as in the upward glissando for the cellos in the opening section of the third movement, either ignored or merely hinted at by others.

Two points might be counted controversial. The tempo for that opening section of the third movement, 'The Young Prince and Princess', is markedly slower than with the others. Yet in context Gergiev conjures extra contrast with the other movements. The other point is that, though the recorded sound has spectacular weight and power over the widest range, it's clear that reverberation has been added to a recording made in a relatively dry theatre acoustic. Happily, it doesn't get in the way of orchestral detail. Both performance and recording, whatever the acoustic juggling, have a power that pins you back in your seat.” --Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

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Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Capriccio espagnol

Of the various orchestral works of Rimsky-Korsakov, Capriccio espagnol (‘Spanish Caprice’) and Sheherazade are by far the best known, followed by the Russian Easter Festival overture. The title of the Capriccio espagnol is self-explanatory; Sheherazade, with no detailed and specific programme, is based on the tales told in The Arabian Nights by the princess Sheherazade (represented by a solo violin) in her effort to postpone the sentence of death declared on her by her master, the Caliph.

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Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol, Overtures & Dubinushka

“the Seattle Symphony's performances for Gerard Schwarz don't just sparkle, as you would expect at this kind of super-charged Amercian technical level. Their brilliant response is also strongly characterised at every point: Capriccio espagnol here has a dark and spicy pungency that makes it something more than just a pretty Spanish postcard...It's genuinely difficult to imagine better performances. This is a delicious orchestral feast.” --Classic FM Magazine, December 2011 *****

Rimsky-Korsakov’s colourful Capriccio espagnol reflects a Russian fascination with distant lands, evoking sunny climes and exotic dancing in one of the composer’s most popular and uplifting scores. Steeped in the cultural nationalism of the ‘Mighty Handful’, the Overtures are linked to deeply Russian themes and tales, portraying dramatic life amongst the Tsars with brilliant orchestration and inspired use of folk or liturgical melodies. This release follows the multi-GRAMMY®-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Seattle Symphony ‘spectacular’ (MusicWeb International) recording of Scheherazade (8572693).

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