TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto, STRAVINSKY Les Noces / Teodor Currentzis

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto

STRAVINSKY Les Noces

Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin)

Choir & Orchestra MusicAeterna

Teodor Currentzis – conductor

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 33:47

I. Allegro moderato 17:30 This track is only available as an album download.
II. Canzonetta. Andante 6:16
III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo 10:01

STRAVINSKY Les Noces 23:20

Nadine Koutcher (soprano), Natalya Buklaga (mezzo-soprano), Stanislav Leontieff (tenor), Vasiliy Korostelev (bass), Mikhail Mordvinov, Artem Abashev, Alexander Osminin, Oxana Pislegina, Nikolai Dulskiy, Roman Romashkin, Igor Grishkin, Andrey Nikitin, Vladislav Osipov, Vadim Yashin, Alibek Kabdurakhmanov

Scene 1: The Tresses (At the Brides’s House) 4:59
Scene 2: At the Bridegroom’s House 5:43
Scene 3: The Departure of the Bride 2:47
Scene 4: The Wedding Feast 9:51

Length: 57 minutes
Release date: 8th Jan 2016
Label: Sony Classical
Catalogue number: 88875190402

Testament to the versatility and musical command that Teodor Currentzis and his unique orchestra and choir possess, this new album brings together two diverse masterworks from two titans of Russian music. Although they have been acquainted for a long time prior, this recording represents the first musical collaboration between Teodor Currentzis and the exceptional violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja. The instant artistic rapport (an “artistic wedding” of sorts) between these two maverick musicians can be heard in this dynamic new recording of Tchaikovsky’s Violin concerto – one of the most popular works in the violin repertory. Currentzis’ authentic approach to the folk influences in Stravinsky’s music (as revealed in Le Sacre du Printemps) is again very present in his interpretation of Les Noces. This work for percussion, pianists, chorus, and vocal soloists – originally composed as ballet music – is probably one of Stravinsky’s most rarely recorded works. The work is based on a Russian peasant wedding, which the cover artwork references. Exceptional to this new recording is that the MusicAeterna choir members are all native-Russian speakers who bring another level of understanding and authenticity to the work. After her prominent participation in the “Rameau – The Sound of Light” recording, Nadine Koutcher – freshly crowned “2015 Cardiff Singer of the Year” – returns to sing the leading soprano solo part in Les Noces.