Khachaturian: Spartacus Suite No. 4; Maquerade; Circus; Dance Suite

Aram Khachaturian (Composer), Andrey Anikhanov (Conductor), Dmitry Yablonsky (Conductor), André Anichanov (Conductor), St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Moscow State Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Moscow Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Andrey Anikhanov, Dmitry Yablonsky, André Anichanov
• Composer: Aram Khachaturian
• Audio CD (December 17, 1996)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0000013YP
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,945 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very fine Khachaturin disc, February 20, 2003

By 

Joshua Kaufman (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Khachaturian: Spartacus Suite No. 4; Maquerade; Circus; Dance Suite (Audio CD)

This CD contains some familiar, and some not-so-familiar Khachaturian music. To start off is Spartacus Suite #4. Obviously not the most well known peices from the ballet, especially as most discs have at most suites 1-3. The pieces here are ok, but nothing major. And they are done better in the full length recording on Capriccio.

Next is the Masquerade suite, by far the most well known music here. The recording here is not bad, maybe a bit sluggish, but the music itself is so great, especially the waltz, that it outweights the recording faults. The next piece, Music From The Ballet: Circus, is the reason a Khachaturian lover should get this disc. It's the only recording -- and it's a great little bit of music. It lives up to its name -- happy, fast, virtuostic, etc. Well worth listening to.

The final piece, the Dance Suite, is given a good run here. This piece is great, as it contains the "other" lezghinka that Khachaturian wrote (he actually prefered this one). The recording on this one is pretty good. And overall, the sound quality is fine, basically what one would expect from Mid-90s Naxos. So I can recommend this to anyone who likes Khachaturian music, but if you're looking only for the Masqerade Suite, there are better choices -- however this is not a bad one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing but not the best, April 5, 2008

By 

Peter Chordas "music lover" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Khachaturian: Spartacus Suite No. 4; Maquerade; Circus; Dance Suite (Audio CD)

I grew up listening to the "masquerade suite" and was glad to own this recording for years as a substitute to the one I heard in my youth. But guess what? It's now reissued and out on CD! The one I'm talking about is conducted by Kiril Kondrashin and it is superior to this one. The tempi are more appropriately matched. The "nocturne" and "romance" will enthrall you and you'll keep playing it over and over again.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars KHACHATURIAN WALTZ MESMERIZES, January 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Khachaturian: Spartacus Suite No. 4; Maquerade; Circus; Dance Suite (Audio CD)

The whole CD is fabulous. My favorite part is Masquerade. It lifts you up into a world of opulence and frivolity. You can feel yourself whirling around the dance floor with great abandon. What a way to leave the daily routine behind.