Nikolai Tcherepnin - Narcisse et Echo; La princesse lointaine (Łukasz Borowicz)

Information

Composer: Nikolai Tcherepnin

• (01) Prelude to 'La princesse lointaine', Op. 4
• (02) Narcisse et Echo, Op. 40

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

Łukasz Borowicz, conductor

Date: 2020

Label: cpo

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/nicolai-tscherepnin-narcisse-et-echo-op-40/hnum/8977574

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9

Nikolai Tcherepnin (1873-1943) was the father of Alexander, who might be just a smidge better known. A pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov, he was a composer of some talent, and believe it or not this is the second complete recording of his ballet Narcisse et Echo. The work explores a world quite similar to that in Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé: a highly stylized, brightly colored and vividly beautiful vision of classical Greece, complete with wordless vocalise and similarly evocative sounds. This is good stuff, and if you love the Ravel, then Narcisse allows you revisit the scene of the crime, as it were, and spend a very pleasant fifty minutes or so luxuriating in the music’s exquisite orchestral textures and danceable rhythms.

Believe it or not, the ballet was recorded previously, by Gennady Rozhdestvensky for Chandos, a very fine version too. However, on this CD, conductor Luasz Borowicz knocks about five minutes off of the work’s total playing time, making the experience just that much livelier and removing any suspicion that Tcherepnin’s inspiration might be flagging here and there. I remember thinking, hearing that earlier recording, that a tambourine can seem like a dangerous weapon in his hands–but not this time.

You also get a coupling: eight minutes of lovely, dreamy nostalgia in the form of La Princesse Lointaine, an early symphonic poem (Tcherepnin’s Op. 4) that Ravel would have called “Pavane for a Distant Princess” instead of a dead one. In short, there’s nothing not to love, and much to enjoy. Excellent engineering, and completely confident playing from the Bamberg Symphony rounds out this very attractive release.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2020/Mar/Tcherepnin_Narcisse_5552502.htm

https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/nikolai-tcherepnin-narcisse-et-echo/

https://www.allmusic.com/album/nikolai-tcherepnin-narcisse-et-echo-op-40-mw0003344162

https://www.amazon.com/Narcisse-Echo-40-Bamberger-Symphoniker/dp/B081WRYK8V

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Nikolai Tcherepnin (May 15 [O.S. May 3] 1873 – 26 June 1945) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, father of the composer Alexander Tcherepnin. He was born in Saint Petersburg and studied at the Conservatory under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. During his time at the Conservatory, he wrote possibly his most famous work, the ballet Le Pavillon d'Armide. Two years later, Tcherepnin conducted the ballet at the premiere performance of Diaghilev's legendary Ballets Russes. As a teacher, he taught many notable students, including Sergei Prokofiev, Aleksandr Gauk, Yuri Shaporin and Lazare Saminsky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Tcherepnin

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Łukasz Borowicz (born 25 September, 1977 in Warsaw) is a Polish conductor. He graduated with honors in orchestral and opera conducting from the Warsaw Academy of Music in the class of Bogusław Madey. From 2007 to 2015 he was Chief Conductor of the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Warsaw. Considered one of the leading conductors of younger generation, Borowicz is distinguished from others by his interest in the less-known repertoire. A prolific recording artist with over 75 albums to his name, Borowicz's recordings have been awarded three Diapason d’Or, among other prizes.
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Łukasz_Borowicz
http://lukaszborowicz.com/

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