Dance of the Girls with Lilies (Danse de jeunes antillaises).
2:45
Andante con eleganza
18.
X
Romeo and Juliet before Parting (Roméo chez Juliette avant le départ)
8:23
('Romeo Bids Juliet Farewell'). Lento - Andante - Adagio -
Poco più animato - Adagio - Andante
Total time: 78:20
Notes
For the third volume of his musical tribute to Russia, Barry Douglas has selected a range of love songs and dances by Tchaikovsky that span much of his composing life. From the early Romance, Op. 5 through to the two pieces from Op. 72, his last works for the piano, there is a uniform singing quality, each piece redolent with Tchaikovsky’s gift for melody. Although many of these are relatively short pieces, they are certainly more than ‘miniatures’, conveying both breadth and depth of emotional substance. This volume’s ‘plus one’ comes in the guise of Prokofiev and his virtuosic transcription of ten pieces from his best-known ballet, Romeo and Juliet. Vividly capturing the colour of scenes and characters with the relatively limited palette of the solo piano (compared to the full orchestra) is in itself an outstanding achievement, and Barry Douglas’s fearless interpretation dazzles from start to finish.
Anja Renczikowski – Piano News (Germany) – November/December 2021
“… it is with the Prokofiev that he sounds most at home, catching the scattiness of the peasant dance, the delicacy and fancifulness of “The young Juliet”, the ebullience of Mercutio, the stateliness of the Minuet, and the ruminative sadness of the finale.”
Michael Church – International Piano – September 2021
“… One of the finest recordings Barry Douglas has made: don’t miss it”
Jed Distler – Gramophone magazine – September 2021
Performance *** Recording *****
Daniel Jaffé – BBC Music magazine – September 2021
Media Downloads
Whenever possible we provide a high resolution CD cover image and a PDF version of the CD booklet for you to download and keep. These are found in your history if purchased and once you have logged in.