Pletnev: Shchedrin – Carmen Suite, Concertos for Orchestra no.1 & 2 (AAC)

Composer: Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin
Orchestra: Russian National Orchestra
Conductor: Mikhail Pletnev
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: AAC (tracks)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 305 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no

# Carmen, ballet after Bizet for strings & percussion
Composed by Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin
Performed by Russian National Orchestra
Conducted by Mikhail Pletnev

# Naughty Limericks, concerto for orchestra (Concerto No. 1)
Composed by Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin
Performed by Russian National Orchestra
Conducted by Mikhail Pletnev

# Chimes for orchestra
Composed by Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin
Performed by Russian National Orchestra
Conducted by Mikhail Pletnev

01. Introduction (Andante assai)
02. Dance (Allegro)
03. First Intermezzo (Allegro moderato)
04. Changing of the Guard (Moderato)
05. Carmen’s Entrance and Habanera (Allegro moderato)
06. Scene (Allegro moderato)
07. Second Intermezzo (Larghetto)
08. Bolero (Allego vivo)
09. Torero (Moderato con stoltezza)
10. Torero and Carmen (Lento)
11. Adagio (Andante moderato)
12. Fortune-Telling (Andantino)
13. Finale (Allegro)

New Twist on an Old Favorite, with Delightful Extras

Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite, after Bizet, is very familiar music indeed, but somehow slightly askew. This sometimes odd rhythmic reinterpretation and reorchestration (with much more percussion than Bizet used) was premiered as a ballet in 1967 in Moscow. Like so much music of that time and place, it was immediately banned; the grounds were that it was an insult to Bizet’s masterpiece and for its sexual treatment of the character of Carmen. Only through the intervention of Dmitri Shostakovich, no stranger to vagaries of Soviet critics himself, was the ban eventually lifted. Although Shchedrin, like Shostakovich (who was some 26 years his senior) struggled with the issues of artistic and personal freedom within the Soviet system, he eventually had great success. He succeeded Shostakovich as chairman of the Composers Union of the Russian Federation in 1973, and received both the USSR State Prize for Music and later the State Prize of the New Democratic Russia.
Perhaps the listener can read into the dichotomies of the finale Shchedrin’s conflicts between his personal desires and his public demands. But much of the piece is simply an exuberant and thrilling reinterpretation of Bizet–not only Carmen, but other bits of Bizet creep in, notably a length selection from L’Arlesienne. All of it is recast in the light of a twentieth century sensibility regarding orchestration and style, somewhat more conservatively than his contemporary Alfred Schnittke. At times Shchedrin turns Bizet jazzy, and he always colors the music with brilliant writing for a vastly expanded percussion section. I find the result extremely enjoyable, and certainly the performance by the Russian National Orchestra, conducted by Mikhail Pletnev, is very good. The tone quality of the strings is rich and full, intonation impeccable, and the ensemble (with a very few minor exceptions) demonstrates a rhythmic precision that should be the envy of any group.
In addition to the Carmen Suite, the listener is also given the first two of Shchedrin’s four (to date) Concerti for Orchestra. The first of these, subtitled Naughty Limericks, has an immediately apparent jazz influence, with the pizzicato walking bass, the use of glissandi, and the jazzy drums. I’m also greatly reminded of Stravinsky, especially his “Circus” music. The CD notes tell us that the translation of the title, Naughty Limericks, is insufficient to give the full meaning of the original Russian, which carries a connotation of political satire and ridicule.
These two Concerti are a rather different conception of the form than the original Concerto for Orchestra by Bela Bartok. Whereas Bartok’s idea is a grand lengthy multi-movement vision, Shchedrin’s is almost insubstantial by comparison, at least in terms of length. Both are single movement pieces, and the longest of the two (his Second Concerto for Orchestra, subtitled “The Chimes”) is only 10 minutes long. This work, the last on the CD, is by far the most adventurous and difficult. Many listeners may want to skip that track, but I find it fascinating. Although dissonant, it is full of color and drama, with rhythmic energy reminiscent of the primitivist works of Prokofiev and Stravinsky. Listeners familiar with the works of Alfred Schnittke will also notice similarities to those pieces. But no one should be put off by the inclusion of this work on the disc–if contemporary music ordinarily makes you want to cover your ears, simply consider listening to it an option that you might not want to exercise. Certainly most regular concertgoers will be delighted with the other two works.