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F u F F E N S p r o u d l y p r e s e n t s a r e l e a s e w h i c h
i n t e n t i o n i s t o p l e a s e a n d t o e n l i g h t e n t h
o s e l e s s a w a r e o f t h e t r u e m e a n i n g a n d q u a l
i t y o f m u s i c d u e t o d a m a g e s r e l a t e d t o m t v b
u t w i t h o u t f u r t h e r a d o f u f f e n s o f f e r y o u t
o i n c r e a s e y o u r k n o w l e d e g e a b o u t m u s i c a n
d i n t h a t w a y c r e a t e a b e t t e r w o r l d f o r o u r c
h i l d r e n t h e f o l l o w i n g m a s t e r p i e c e o f a r t
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a r t i s t dmitry shostakovich
a l b u m hamlet (1964)
l a b e l naxos
g e n r e soundtrack
r i p d a t e 28-04-2005
s t r e e t d a t e 03-05-2004
o r i g i n a l r e l 2004
s u p p l i e r doo
s o u r c e cd
b i t r a t e VBR
e n c o d e r lame 3.90.3
r e l e a s e n o t e s
Naxos announces the new Film Music Classics series, whose inaugural
release is the first ever complete recording of ShostakovichÆs film
music to Hamlet. Written in the early 1960s for KozintsevÆs film,
ShostakovichÆs music for Hamlet is generally considered to be his
best film score, with an absolute clarity of vision and containing
some of his most intense music. The film won several film festival
prizes, while the score was used for a number of ballets based on
Hamlet. The eight-part suite compiled by ShostakovichÆs friend Lev
Atovmian in 1964 is the usual guise of ShostakovichÆs music. However,
for this unique recording the suite has been integrated with the
original complete published score, which includes music not used in
the final cut of the film.
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By my title I don't necessarily mean the FILM is great (I've not seen
it) but the music certainly is. As far as I know we've not had the
complete film score on CD before; there have been several recordings
(conducted by Chailly and Previn, among others) of a suite from the
score. This one does not have to take a back seat to any recording
I've ever heard of the suite. And it contains music that we'd not
otherwise hear, some of it extraordinarily evocative. More and more,
with some recent widely distributed recordings, we are coming to know
Shostakovich as a masterful film composer. Look for CDs of his music
for 'The Great Citizen,' 'Pirogov,' 'The Gadfly, 'The New Babylon,'
among others. Just as we remember Prokofiev for his ballet scores, we
may come to remember Shostakovich just as much for his film music.
And these are not the typical Hollywood-style scores; they don't
sound so much like movie music as descriptive tone poems.
Dmitry Yablonsky conducts the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, a group
that has been coming on strong in recent times; Yablonsky is their
Principal Conductor and he certainly gets all one could ask for from
them. The playing is alert and flexible, musical and suave, spooky
and exciting. In the spooky passages (and there are some moments of
real frisson in the scene with Hamlet's Father's ghost) I was
actually made to feel eerily unsettled.
Some highlights of the score: The Ghost, The Ball, Arrival of the
Players, Monologue ('What a rogue and peasant slave'), Monologue ('To
be or not to be'), In the Garden, Death of Ophelia, and 'The Duel -
Death of Hamlet - Hamlet's Funeral.' The latter is an emotionally
evocative 7-minute tone poem that could stand on its own.
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Shakspeare's "Hamlet" has been a particular favorite with Russian
audiences and composers. Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich
(Akimov's 1932 and Kozintsev's 1954 stage productions) all wrote
incidental music for performances of the play. By the time
Shostakovich would score Kozintsev's 1964 film version of "Hamlet" it
would be the third time that he would write a score for it. For years
most listeners only knew the music from the film from the suite
arranged by Lev Atovmian. Yablonsky here gives us the complete
published score of some 23 pieces lasting over an hour.
There is some fascinating and original music here parts of which
would find their way into the 9th Sting Quartet. While most of it is
eeriely subtle there are many moments of sharp dramatic attacks. The
composer plays a cat and mouse game with the listener with uneasy
calm only to be jolted back in the work. You will also hear something
quite, quite rare in any Shostakovich score, a harpsichord. In a
detached manner it underlines Ophelia's descent into madness,
insanity and ultimate death. It is quite effective and makes one wish
the composer had written more for the instrument. Dmitry Yablonsky
appears to be Naxos new in house Shostakovich conductor having
previously given listeners very fine performance of the 7th Symphony,
the Jazz Suites and Suite from "The Bolt". The performances here are
equally fine with some of the more dramatic moments appropriatey
unsettling.
The track listings also indicate which of the 8 of the 23 pieces were
used in the suite should you which to hear it that way. However when
Atovmian made the suite he slightly trimmed most of the pieces so you
get a slighty longer version of the suite should you program it that
way. Very detailed notes from Naxos but the print could have been a
bit bigger and darker. This is the first in a new series by Naxos
called Film Music Classics. It is a great start. At the price, just
about a give away.
...and remember: s t a y f u f f e n s f o r l i f e
t r a c k l i s t
overture 02:05
military music 00:48
fanfares 00:14
the palace ball 03:18
story of horatio and the ghost 02:22
the ball 01:14
the ghost 06:43
hamlet' s parting from ophelia 05:38
palace music 00:59
arrival of the players 02:05
monologue (what a roque and peasant slave) 01:33
hamlet's monologue (to be or not to be) 03:36
royal fanfare 00:14
in the garden 02:29
booth fanfare 00:21
poisoning scene 06:22
the flutes play 00:45
ophelia' s descent into madness (song of ophelia) 03:40
ophelia' s insanity 02:34
death of ophelia 03:39
hamlet at ophelia s grave 03:13
the cemetery 02:04
the duel-the death of hamlet-hamlet' s funeral 06:31
62:27
MB 79,1
g r o u p n e w s
From now on, we rip everything in VBR, using the alt-preset standard.
h e l p f u f f e n s
We are looking for quality sites in Europe and US, to be afilliated
on. Remember, we are not in it for the creds, but for the spreading
of quality music - we just want to get our releases out to the ppl
that wants/needs it. More pre sites fills this purpose.
Contact us on fuffed_up@hotmail.com
g r e e t s
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a l w a y s d o r e m e m b e r : s t a y f u f f e n s f o r l i f e
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