{"id":109113,"date":"2023-10-20T11:30:30","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/?post_type=records&p=109113"},"modified":"2023-10-20T11:34:49","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:34:49","slug":"elvira-misbakhova-and-i-musici-de-montreal-destins-tragiques","status":"publish","type":"records","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/records\/elvira-misbakhova-and-i-musici-de-montreal-destins-tragiques\/","title":{"rendered":"Elvira Misbakhova and I Musici de Montr\u00e9al – Destins Tragiques"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The new orchestration of Prokofiev\u2019s Romeo and Juliet on Destins tragiques<\/em>, the latest release from ATMA Classique, doesn\u2019t feel like it recaptures the magic of the original music, though not for lack of trying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s a complex work to capture for sure. Originally composed as a ballet in 1935, it sat unperformed for three years given how hard it was to dance to. Moscow composer Vadim Borisovsky, when arranging the pieces for viola and piano in the 1960s and 1970s, went to great lengths to preserve as much of Prokofiev\u2019s original lyricism as possible – he shifted the key, for example, so the viola had a better opportunity to show its strengths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Valli\u00e8res takes Borisovsky\u2019s impressively condensed composition and scales it back up using an orchestration for Viola and String Orchestra by Fran\u00e7ois Valli\u00e8res. This is where the album falters: I Musici\u2019s overwhelming presence doesn\u2019t give violist Elvira Misbakhova enough space to breathe. Take, for example, the famous Dance of the Knights<\/em>, where the viola is meant to be intense and rhythmic through the first minute. Misbakhova\u2019s viola follows these conventions well, and although she tends to linger on some notes too long, this detail doesn\u2019t undercut the tension of her performance. That\u2019s instead done by the slow and lumbering, yet surprisingly high-pitched melodies of the orchestra. In trying to emulate the brass from Prokofiev\u2019s original compositions, Valli\u00e8res has forgotten that its rich resonance is the element that makes it so powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The album\u2019s penultimate\u00a0Juliet\u2019s Death\u00a0<\/em>is especially disappointing given that the constant sweeping melodies of the orchestra remove the tension meant to be created by the viola. This goes against Borisovsky\u2019s intent to bring the viola to the forefront. The rest of the tracks otherwise hit the right notes and are pleasant to listen to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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