Vasiliev

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Christmas Eve, based on a short story by Gogol, centres on the love of the blacksmith Vakula for the rich farmer’s daughter Oksana, who mockingly requires him to obtain for her the Tsarina’s shoes in order to win her hand in marriage. However, evil spirits are on the rampage imperilling their love – a witch on her broomstick gathers the stars and the devil steals the moon. Rimsky-Korsakov blends Christian and pagan elements, Ukrainian folk songs and carols, and atmospheric orchestral interludes in this vivacious and fantastical village romance. This is the disc version of the audiovisual release on 2.110738 and NBD0154V: ‘Sebastian Weigle leads the excellent Frankfurt orchestra and chorus in a spellbinding account of Rimsky-Korsakov’s score’, wrote MusicWeb International. It also won the German Record Critics Award for Quarterly Critics Choice and was a Musicweb International ‘Recommended’ release.

Under the aegis of its now acting artistic director, Alexei Ratmansky, the Bolshoi Theatre Ballet Company, continues its foray into the history of Russian ballet with a revival of The Flames of Paris. Les Flammes de Paris is a two act classical ballet by Boris Asafiev based on songs of the French Revolution, originally choreographed by Vasily Vainonen for the Kirov in 1932 and reconstructed in 2008 by Alexei Ratmansky for the Bolshoi Ballet.