TITLE : Prokofiev: Semyon Kotko
	CATALOGUE NUMBER : 464 605-2
	INTERNATIONAL RELEASE DATE : July 2000
WORKS
Semyon Kotko, op.81 (1939)
ARTISTS
Kirov Opera and Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg Valery Gergiev, conductor
COMPOSER
Prokofiev
RECORDING INFORMATION
The latest in Russian conductor Valery Gergiev’s much-acclaimed series of Prokofiev operas. Gergiev is a tireless champion of Russian music and opera in particular, and his Philips recordings with the Kirov orchestra are testament to this. Semyon Kotko has only been recorded once (in 1960 on Melodiya) and has hardly ever been performed outside Russia. Following last year’s Vienna performances, Gergiev and the Kirov Opera Orchestra gave its UK premiere at Covent Garden on 28 June. The work, written in 1939 as a “patriotic” opera, tells the tale of German atrocities in Russia during World War I. Prokofiev rejected classical opera structures, choosing instead a cinematically inspired series of 50 very short scenes.
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