The cantata that Prokofiev made of his score for Eisenstein's film Alexander Nevsky has long been recognized as an effective piece of programmatic music. In recent years there has been new

Alexander Nevsky

The cantata that Prokofiev made of his score for Eisenstein's film Alexander Nevsky has long been recognized as an effective piece of programmatic music. In recent years there has been new interest in old films, and Nevsky--actually a very heavy-handed anti-German propaganda piece--is no exception. Unfortunately, the soundtrack was utterly dreadful, recorded with the worst of Soviet technology (which is saying something), and badly performed by a small ensemble. John Goberman, the executive producer of this disc, and orchestrator William D. Brohn reconstructed the score from the cantata and from the original soundtrack itself. The result is both impressive and instructive, although unlikely to replace the cantata in the hearts of most listeners. This disc is an enhanced CD, with CD-ROM aspects that are among the best produced in the classical music field to date. Chief among the enhancements is a clip of scenes from the movie that makes it look much better than it actually is. This disc is a winner in every respect. --Sarah Bryan Miller
Country USA
Manufacturer Sony Classical
Binding Audio CD
ItemPartNumber 090266864225
ReleaseDate 1996-11-12
UnitCount 1
Format Enhanced
UPCs 090266864225
EANs 0090266864225

Alexander Nevsky