Russian Overtures; Pletnev Ru

Excellent recording! Interesting musical selections played extremely well!

If you are new to these performances, this whole album of Russian Overtures from 1994 has since been compiled  on Newton Classics  (2011) conjoined with Mikhail Pletnev’s atmospheric Enchanted Kingdom disc from 1996, also  on DG  with Pletnev leading his newly created Russian National Orchestra. These two recordings represent his earliest releases with the RNO and the start of a fruitful, if not a rather uneven, collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon as an orchestral leader.All of the selections here are lush, colourful, tuneful works, and some are rather rare on record. I was most unfamiliar with Tchaikovsky’s Overture in F, Glazunov’s Solemn Overture, and I rarely see Prokofiev’s Semyon Kotko overture on collections like these, although I appreciate his hint of the modern among the unabashéd melodiousness and overt Romanticisms from the rest of the program. Otherwise, the rest are exotic showpieces to please the masses, from Shostakovich’s jubilant Festive Overture to Mussorgsky’s more evocative Dawn on the Moscow River. Overall, the program seems a bit more substantial than Valery Gergiev’s White Nights offerings  on Philips  if not as fulfilling as Fritz Reiner’s  on RCA , nor as idiomatic as Karl Ancerl’s  on Supraphon .Mikhail Pletnev was never my favourite of orchestral leaders; I always thought he had more to say about music as a concert pianist. Here though, we find Pletnev and his newly created Russian National Orchestra (RNO) embarking on a brand-new contract with DG. They really seem to have something to prove too, with breathless tempos in Ruslan and Ludmilla and the Festive Overture, showcasing a new generation of Russian brass and woodwind technique. Colas Breugnon gets a bit of grandiosity opposite its syncopated playfulness, Semyon and Khovanshchina air more atmosphere than the rest, and Borodin and Rimsky are appropriately colourful. Yet these aren’t the rough turnouts from Svetlanov  on Melodiya  or Mravinsky generations earlier; there is a bit of sophistication and polish from the RNO in comparison to those old USSR recordings. The RNO sounds great, and those tricksy wind and brass licks that Pletnev forces them through are impressive.In the end, this recording’s best features are for those rare overtures mentioned before, but some might find the more familiar music to be a bit too frantic, although it is all still fun. Ruslan is probably showcased better with Mravinsky on  on Scribendum  and Colas Breugnon with Reiner mentioned earlier, although those two are very different approaches. One of my preferred Festive Overture’s is oddly that by John Williams on his  Summon the Heroes  recording, although Pletnev goes for speedy gusto comparatively, but is let down by some slight tuning issues in the brass at its opening. If you like the Romantic Russian music on this disc, it is all well played, the music is both approachable and outgoing, and Pletnev’s debut recording with the RNO is well worth seeking out. I would go for the newer Newton Classics compilation of this exact same album though, at least if it is still priced well. Recommended.

Mihail Pletnev conducting the Orchestra Russian national gives us this collection of overtures from Russian composers which we admire an extraordinary and very virtuous interpretation of Glinka's "Ruslan and Ludmilla" and of the brilliant "Festive Overture" by Dmitri Shostakovich put in relief the great technique and virtuosity of the Russian school for strings,... simply extraordinary. Interesting also the Overture in F of Tchaikovsky. Anyway, a master cd.

I've taken notice in the last few months to the fact that Russian orchestras seem to play Russian music really, really well. This CD is a fine example to back up that observance. Pletnev is incredible in his speed on some of these pieces, and the orchestra is even moreso in its ability to keep up. I've never heard "Russlan & Ludmilla" played so quickly (the CSO/Solti take 8 seconds longer), and it's really pretty nifty hearing unison strings playing as quickly as possible. The clarinet solo towards the end of Borodin is outright gorgeous, and Shostakovich's Festival Overture is (for lack of more clever terming ability) quite festive indeed. The rest of the disc is an assortment of delights, including (among other things) an early Tchaikovsky piece. Overall it's a lot of fun and a treat to listen to.

Aus egozentrischer Sicht hätte ich es gerne gesehen, wenn M. Pletnjow weiterhin "nur" der beste lebende Pianist geblieben wäre und nicht Chef und Gründer des fantastischen "Russischen Nationalorchesters".Bei Barenboim geht's mir ähnlich: Wäre er doch am Klavier sitzen geblieben und hätte seine spezialisierten Finger vom Umbau der Berliner Staatsoper gelassen, denn das verfluchte, aber wahre, PETERPRINZIP hat wieder zugeschlagen!

This CD is truly spectacular. I cannot imagine these Russian overtures better played than this - the authenticity of these performances is clear, and it makes a change to hear every note correctly played with no technical fudging; listen to the Shostakovitch as a good example, a peerless version of this virtuoso piece. The recording also sounds superb on my system, very powerful and pungent. Highly recommended.

Well. Pletnev is Pletnev. He is the best in the world! My mum was over the moon with this present!

an excellent Cd