Composer: Aram Khachaturian
Performer: RIAS Chamber Chorus
Orchestra: Berlin Deutsches Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Michail Jurowski
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Capriccio
Catalogue: C5112
Release: 2012
Size: 647 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Spartacus (arr. Y. Grigorovich) 1968
CD 01
01. Introduction
Act I
02. March of the gladiators and the Egyptian dancing-girl
03. Phrygia’s dance and scene of separation
04. Dance of a Greek slaves
05. Scene and Dance with Crotales
06. Etruscan dance
07. Aegina’s variation and Bacchanalia
08. Flight of the blindfold gladiators
09. Gladiator’s death
10. Revolt of the slaves and Phrygia’s jubilation
Act II
11. The Via Appia and Dance of the shepherd and shepherdess
12. Slaves’ variation and Dance on the shields
13. Arrival of Spartacus and his narrative
14. Parting of Spartacus and Phrygia
15. Introduction and Dance of the nymphs
16. Aegina’s dance
17. Adagio of Aegina and Crassus
18. Adagio
CD 02
Act II
01. Crassus’s dance
02. Dance of the Gaditanian Maidens – Victory of Spartacus
03. Spartacus and Crassus fight
Act III
04. Crassus and Aegina
05. Bustle
06. Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia
07. Scene
08. Entry of Spartacus
09. Entry of the Merchants – General dance
10. Aegina’s dance
11. General dance
12. Entry of Spartacus, quarrel and Harmodius’ treachery
13. Final battle
14. Spartacus’s path
15. Death of Spartacus and Requiem
Aram Khachaturian’s famous ballet, Spartacus, was first produced for the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad in 1956 and choreographed several times until Yuri Grigorovich’s 1968 version for the Bolshoi Ballet. It in was this version that Spartacus achieved worldwide success and this version forms the basis for the present CD recording.
This complete recording is performed by the Rias Chamber Choir, Deutsches Symphony Orchestra Berlin and conducted by Michail Jurowski.
Spartacus was once hailed as the most successful ballet since Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Khachaturian’s music is conventional and catchy, so much so the BBC chose the Adagio from Act 3 of his ballet as the title music for the BBC drama The Onedin Line.
Reissue of previously released title.