Sergei Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky (2004) {Hybrid-SACD // ISO & HiRes FLAC}

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Sergei Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky (2004) {Hybrid-SACD // ISO & HiRes FLAC}

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Sergei Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky
Marina Domaschenko / Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Frank Strobel
SACD ISO: 3,15 GB (Stereo + MCH DSD) | FLAC @ 24bit/88.2kHz: 944 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Rec. Info
Label/Cat#: Capriccio # 71 014 | Country/Year: Europe 2004
Genre: Classical, Stage & Screen | Style: Soundtrack, Contemporary Classical

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Sergei Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky (2004) {Hybrid-SACD // ISO & HiRes FLAC}

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Sergei Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky (2004) {Hybrid-SACD // ISO & HiRes FLAC}

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This recording and performance is so good, that I have been sufficiently moved to get off my lazy butt and write this review! It's THAT GOOD!

For me, this is a priceless recording and reconstruction. This piece is one of my favorite pieces of all time, and the movie had quite an impact on me, as I saw it in Film 101 in college, and I was expecting to be bored out of my mind, but rather was stupefied by the beauty and craftmanship of the film-making. Musically, I have had to live with the very old 60's sound on RBCD of my favorite recording from Evgeny Svetlanov (which features an unforgivable fade-out on the final note – however, the LP does not). This Svetlanov is the holy grail of interpretations, in my book. Nothing else has ever come close to the vitality and commitment of the orchestra and chorus to the interpretation – not even the Schippers version (on SACD) or the Reiner, or the Abbado, or the Slatkin, etc, etc, I've listened to a lot of them critically. I think of this piece as one of the greatest movie soundtracks ever written, which is often imitated by modern film score composers like James Horner (as in the first battle scene from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) and John Williams.

What I love about this Strobel version is how raw and exciting the playing is. The orchestra is recorded with a close mike and a clarity not often achieved in Prokofiev pieces. You can hear the overtones when the winds play big chords and the strings soar with their exciting and difficult passages. The recording allows much of the detail on the orchestration to shine. I love how the sound of the bass clarinets are captured. I could even hear a saxophone at one point. The chorus was fantastically prepared for this by an uncredited chorus master. (Could it be that Strobel also performed that function?) Generally, the pacing is really great, and it's clear that the musical preparation was in conjunction with screenings of the film because the action music is played really fast like it was in the old version recorded by Prokofiev.

The Song for Alexander is sung with such beauty and perfect phrasing, it's hard to resist getting carried away. The Battle on the Ice is very exciting. It's a pleasure to hear the percussion played very subtly unlike on most other recordings. In the pivotal battle scene the rear channels are used to a dramatic effect to highlight the bell tower signals, and the primitive brass calls of the approaching forces that would help win the battle (the cavalry, so to speak). This was such a very smart idea, and it even helps you visualize that the enemy is surprised to be attacked from behind.

Marina Domaschenko, who performs the mezzo aria(s), is no stranger to SACD, she sounds really great here, aided by a very lyrical orchestra. I would have loved a voice with a deeper timber, but she provides a very emotional performance.

Overall, I find this a must-have and a stunning interpretation regardless of whether it's an SACD or not. Lovers of this piece should not hesitate to get this. The SACD has 27 tracks and is about 55 min long. The interpretation is exciting, flexible, and lithe, and that's all anyone could ask for in a Prokofiev piece as great as this. That I'm inspired to watch the movie again is a testament to the performance and the movie because, to me, it's so hard to separate the two.

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Sergei Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky (2004) {Hybrid-SACD // ISO & HiRes FLAC}

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Sergei Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky (2004) {Hybrid-SACD // ISO & HiRes FLAC}

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