Track Listing

1. Spartacus, ballet: Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia
2. Spartacus, ballet: Variation of Aegina and Bacchanalia
3. Spartacus, ballet: Scene and dance with crotala
4. Spartacus, ballet: Dance of Gaditanae and victory of Spartacus
5. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Sabre dance
6. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Aysheh's awakening and dance
7. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Lezghinka
8. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Gayaneh's Adagio
9. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Gopak
10. The Seasons, ballet, Op. 67: Winter
11. The Seasons, ballet, Op. 67: Spring
12. The Seasons, ballet, Op. 67: Summer
13. The Seasons, ballet, Op. 67: Autumn

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35903 in Music
• Released on: 2000-04-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
Khachaturian's popular ballet scores benefit from his vigorous leadership and the surprisingly idiomatic playing of the Vienna Philharmonic. All the favorite crowd-pleasers are here, including the Sabre Dance. This pairing of ballet suites was a demonstration disc back in LP days and the engineering is still impressive. For those not on Khachaturian's wave length (he does skate perilously close to kitschy vulgarism), the generous filler is a delight--Ansermet's dynamic account of Glazunov's ballet. Its four movements depict the four seasons in an idiom flavored by Tchaikovsky and Glazunov's teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov, and the music's all the more fetching for it. Ansermet sometimes could be a bit too sedate, and his orchestra was never a world-class group, but his conducting is nothing short of vivacious here, and the orchestra, captured in vivid sound, is with him all the way. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Vivid performances!
The serene and exotic lyricism of this notable work has never been exhibited with so eloquence and majesty ever before. This adagio of Spartacus and Phygia's passionate performance is imbued of profane exoticism, radiant sensuality and suggested eroticism. As you know the string and winds section of the Vienna were in that decade one of the most remarkable around the world. The variation of Aegina and Bacchanalia is loaded with admirable acrobatic fierceness. Scene and dance with crotaria is simply outstanding. Kachaturian as director maintained the rigorous balance, and the muscle never shatters the expression musical. The last section Dance of Gaditane and Spartacus' victory is extremely interesting, the bass clarinet makes a rapture filigree work, anticipating the tragic ending. The whole orchestra will emerge creating a real homage to Dionysisus and surrounding the hall with that Balkan wildness.

The Gayaneh suite begins with the super known Sabre Dance, an admirable exercise of portentous sound and exhibition of high caliber pyrotechnic. The tragic and premonitory omen waltz is almost a perpetuum mobile that strikes the main melody in Aysheh's awakening and dance. In Lezghinka we have to admit the superior histamine doses given by Tekjnavorian . It' s worthy but it is not even closer to incandescence and febrile spirit demanded: I found it weak, lack of the required emotion. In the case of Gayaneh's adagio so well known for the great audiences since Kubrick 's 2001 Odyssey we have to recognize it' s simply great, serene, persuasive, intimate with admirable fond. Hopak is excellent too, reflecting the joy of living so characteristic o this slave country.

Ansermet' s Seasons is splendid though I rather choose the Albert Wolff's performance of the fifties.

And just as historical reference, it is a must for you to acquire this golden recording. Excellent sound edition.

Branch Out & Get This Recording
Not having been familiar with the name Khachaturian, I overlooked this release in the Decca Legends series for a while. However, I decided that the time had come to branch out and give it a try. Two main things immediately impressed me. One, the recorded sound. I am shocked that this was recorded back in the early 60's. The sound is so clear and crisp. The triangles used ring beautifully, the bass is full, the harps are glorious, and the bass drums boom. The second thing that immediately impressed me was the beauty of the music. I discovered that there is the famous piece (previously I didn't know who wrote it) from Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure (i.e. Sabre Dance from Gayneh), but more than that, the slow pieces are reflective, warm, and tender. I thought that this music might be a bit too modern, but unlike some 'modern' music, this is good!!! I think one of the coolest things about this particular recording is that the composer is the conductor as well, so you are hearing the music the way the conductor intended it. I must also make a pitch here for the Vienna Philharmonic who plays on the Khachaturian pieces. Everyone knows they are one of the great if not the greatest orchestras in the world, and they certainly don't turn in anything less than great on this CD. The Glazunov piece (The Seasons) is quite wonderful as well. Certainly not just filler music, but actually quite beautiful. Personally, since I am not a big fan of baroque, I find it much more appealling than Vivaldi's Seasons.

Yay Khachaturian!
One of the most important tools in learning a new piece of music is having access to a good recording. When the conductor of my orchestra announced that we would be perfoming Spartacus this season, I was a little dissapointed; having never heard of this piece of music, I wondered why my conductor found it so intriguing... then, picked up this recording... wow! Not only is this music among the most interesting and original I've ever heard or performed, but this particular recording is wonderfully musical. It is much easier to understand my conductors musical choices when I listen to this, as Khachaturian appears to be a very good orchestra leader, with well developped ideas of the style of performance. This recording makes it very easy to understand why my conductor chose to program this piece, and is a very exciting addition to my CD collection.