Composer: Sergei Prokofiev, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
Performer: Barry Douglas
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Chandos
Release: 2021
Size: 1.17 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Tchaikovsky: Dumka, Op. 59, TH 145 “Russian Rustic Scene”
02. Tchaikovsky: Romance in F minor, Op. 5
Tchaikovsky: 6 Pieces, Op. 51, TH 143 (Excerpts)
03. No. 5, Romance
Tchaikovsky: 18 Pieces, Op. 72, TH 151 (Excerpts)
04. No. 4, Danse caractéristique
Tchaikovsky: 6 Pieces, Op. 51, TH 143 (Excerpts)
05. No. 2, Polka peu dansante
Tchaikovsky: Morceaux (2), Op. 10
06. No. 1, Nocturne
Tchaikovsky: 6 Pieces, Op. 51, TH 143 (Excerpts)
07. No. 6, Valse sentimentale
Tchaikovsky: 18 Pieces, Op. 72, TH 151 (Excerpts)
08. No. 18, Scène dansante
Prokofiev: Ten Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75
09. No. 1, Folk Dance
10. No. 2, Scene
11. No. 3, Minuet
12. No. 4, The Young Juliet
13. No. 5, Masks
14. No. 6, Montagues and Capulets
15. No. 7, Friar Laurence
16. No. 8, Mercutio
17. No. 9, Dance of the Girls with Lilies
18. No. 10, Romeo and Juliet Before Parting
For the third volume of his musical tribute to Russia, Barry Douglas has selected a range of love songs and dances by Tchaikovsky that span much of his composing life. From the early Romance, Op. 5 through to the two pieces from Op. 72, his last works for the piano, there is a uniform singing quality, each piece redolent with Tchaikovsky’s gift for melody. Although many of these are relatively short pieces, they are certainly more than “miniatures”, conveying both breadth and depth of emotional substance. This volume’s “plus one” comes in the guise of Prokofiev and his virtuosic transcription of ten pieces from his best-known ballet, Romeo and Juliet. Vividly capturing the colour of scenes and characters with the relatively limited palette of the solo piano (compared to the full orchestra) is in itself an outstanding achievement, and Barry Douglas’s fearless interpretation dazzles from start to finish.