Raskatov | Stravinsky

Price: EURO 15.00

Raskatov | Stravinsky

After hearing an amazing opera A Dog’s Heart by Aleksander Raskatov, directed by Simon McBurney some years ago, Tomoko asked Raskatov if he could compose a new piano concerto for her. He created 12 very vivid movements of colourful piano concerto, called _Night Butterflies_. The Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Residentie Orkest of The Hague gave the commission and performed the piece in 2013 and 2014. The Seattle Symphony Orchestra recorded the work and complemented the CD with Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.

Reviews

Thomas May of Bachtrack wrote regarding its U.S. premiere about this performance:

[Mukaiyama’s] spectacularly vivid performance emphasized the composer’s extremities of gesture — ostinatos that crystallize into earworms, outbursts crushing in their violent force, vertiginous glissandi … but also conveyed the surreal cumulative effect of this abundance of contrasts.” Conceived after visiting a greenhouse in France inhabited by different species of butterflies as well as plants, Raskatov was reminded of a childhood walk in the forest near Moscow. The musical butterflies and orchestral soundscapes are varied and carry influences of Messiaen, Mussorgsky, Webern and Stravinsky, yet display Raskatov’s original sonic imagination.

Blair Andersen of Allmusic wrote about this CD:

[...] The fascinating interweaving of the piano with the orchestra shows Raskatov to be a strong colorist, a master of textures, and a dynamic manipulator of rhythms, characteristics that make the pairing with The Rite of Spring especially appropriate. Mukaiyama's spectacular playing and the skillful accompaniment of Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony make this concerto a fitting opener for the program.

The Irish Times mentioned:

[...] Conductor Ludovic Morlot is happy to allow Raskatov and his tireless soloist, Tomoko Mukaiyama, off the leash [...]

Read the whole review here.

Track listing

• Aleksander Raskatov Night Butterflies
• Igor Stravinsky Rite of Spring

Product details

• Label: Seattle Symphony Media
• Release Date: 2014