Russian Masquerade: Prokofiev, Scriabin, Arensky, Tchaikovsky

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A mix of works for string orchestra and arrangements originally written for piano, delivered with a clean sound. The sound could be brighter and the attack more exciting, but it’s a pleasant... — BBC Music Magazine, October 2019, 3 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 31st May 2019
Catalogue No: BIS2365
Label: BIS
Length: 59 minutes

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Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, Op. 22 (extracts)

Work length17:03

$15.50

$19.50

$26.25

Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Sakari Oramo

I. Lentamente

Track length1:09

$1.50

$1.30

$1.75

II. Andante

Track length1:18

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$1.75

III. Allegretto

Track length0:58

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IV. Animato

Track length1:00

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V. Molto giocoso

Track length0:25

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VI. Con eleganza

Track length0:34

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VIII. Comodo

Track length1:18

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IX. Allegretto tranquillo

Track length1:12

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X. Ridicolosamente

Track length1:05

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XI. Con vivacità

Track length1:05

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XII. Assai moderato

Track length1:09

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XIII. Allegretto

Track length0:46

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XIV. Feroce

Track length1:09

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XV. Inquieto

Track length0:56

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XVI. Dolente

Track length2:59

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Excerpt, Scriabin: Preludes (24), Op. 11

Work length19:58

$13.00

$16.90

$22.75

Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Sakari Oramo

No. 13 in G-Flat Major

Track length1:59

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No. 14 in E-Flat Minor

Track length1:17

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No. 9 in E Major

Track length2:09

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No. 2 in A Minor

Track length2:17

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No. 7 in A Major

Track length1:01

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No. 8 in F-Sharp Minor

Track length1:32

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No. 15 in D-Flat Major

Track length2:15

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No. 16 in B-Flat Minor

Track length1:31

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No. 17 in A-Flat Major

Track length0:44

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No. 18 in F Minor

Track length0:47

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No. 23 in F Major

Track length0:58

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No. 6 in B Minor

Track length0:58

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No. 5 in D Major

Track length2:30

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Arensky: Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a

Work length13:43

$9.00

$11.70

$15.75

Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Sakari Oramo

Theme. Moderato

Track length1:08

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Var. 1, Un poco più mosso

Track length1:27

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Var. 2, Allegro non troppo

Track length1:08

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Var. 3, Andantino tranquillo

Track length1:29

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Var. 4, Vivace

Track length1:29

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Var. 5, Andante

Track length2:24

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Var. 6, Allegro con spirito

Track length1:20

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Var. 7, Andante con moto

Track length1:23

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Coda. Moderato

Track length1:55

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Tchaikovsky: Elegy for strings

Work length8:23

$1.00

$2.60

$3.50

Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra
Sakari Oramo

About
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About

Composed in Russia between 1884 and 1917, the four works appearing on this disc all do so in some kind of disguise. Prokofiev and Scriabin both conceived their respective collections for the piano, and it is later arrangers that have adapted them for string orchestra. Rudolf Barshai took on Prokofiev’s Visions Fugitives in 1962, selecting 15 of the 20 brief pieces and arranging them for his own ensemble, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. Scriabin’s Preludes received a similar treatment in 1999 when the Finnish composer Jouni Kaipainen chose 13 from the original 24, rearranging the order they appear in and transposing them in some cases. As for Anton Arensky (1861—1909), he composed his set of variations as the third movement of a string quartet, taking the theme from a song by Tchaikovsky and letting it undergo a series of transformations. Cheered by the success of the piece, he made his own arrangement for larger forces, a version which remains one of his best-known works. Tchaikovsky’s Elegy, finally, is actually heard here as it was composed, in 1884, but the piece saw the light of day as ‘A Thankful Greeting’ and was renamed ‘Elegy’ only at the time of publication, before making a final reappearance, as part of the composer’s music to Hamlet. The four works are performed by the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, one of Finland’s finest ensembles, conducted by its artistic director Sakari Oramo.

Reviews

October 2019

A mix of works for string orchestra and arrangements originally written for piano, delivered with a clean sound. The sound could be brighter and the attack more exciting, but it’s a pleasant enough listen.

August 2019

Oramo brings his architectural nous to Arensky’s Variations, originally a movement from his String Quartet No. 2…Tchaikovsky’s Elegy is a pleasing finisher but a slightly underwhelming one. For all its qualities, you might well have the same reaction to the disc as a whole.

28th September 2019

played here by Sakario Oramo’s Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, they’re quite brilliant... As with the Prokofiev, Oramo secures razor-sharp playing; this arrangement [No. 8] is a real find.

Russian Masquerade

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