Customer Reviews

Shostakovich: The Tale of the Priest and his Worker, Balda; Suite from "Lady Macbeth"

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"Delightful" is not a word one often uses with Shostakovich's music, but it is an apt description of the score he composed for this animated film project in 1933.

Conceived as a "cinema opera" and based on Pushkin's poem "The Priest and his Servant Balda," the project was dealt a blow when Lenfilm cancelled its contract with the film's director and animator, Mikhail Tsekhanovsky. Shostakovich salvaged what he could of the work, creating a Concert Suite on "The Priest and his Servant Balda," which was performed in Leningrad in 1935. Shostakovich's widow, Irina Antonovna, arranged for one of the composer's students, Vadim Bibergan, to complete this score. The liner notes on the CD claim that this is the first time the music has been made available in its "full and authentic form."

The light-hearted arias are an interesting contrast to the darker, disturbing vocal music of Shostakovich's famous opera "Lady Macbeth," but it is the dances and other instrumental selections that allow the composer to create a colorful portrayal of life in provincial Russia. The "Bear's Dance," "Waltz," and "Bell Ringer's Dance" are among my favorites.

"The Tale of the Priest" must certainly rank as one of the more obscure of Shostakovich's works, but don't allow that to deter you from giving the tracks a good listen and/or purchasing this CD. As an added bonus, this CD also contains the symphonic suite from Shostakovich's opera "Lady Macbeth."

Shostakovich is funnier than you may think, and these two works are among his funniest. The music for the cartoon The Tale of the Priest is as wild as any accompaniment to Wiley Coyote or Donald Duck.

Besides the excellent musical production values discussed in other reviews, this CD has extensive packaging rare in these days of declinding financial support from classical CD producers. DG has provided a 28-page booklet, with a detailed track list and the complete text transliterated from Russian into English. Splendid all around. The contrast between the comedic and dramatic, cartoon vs. Lady Macbeth, is striking.