I came to this release
much more interested in the musical
aspect of its contents, and indeed there
is a reasonable amount of interest in
that respect. However, let’s get one
thing straight from the start: this
is not a score solely from Prokofiev’s
hand, as the cover might lead you to
believe. Some have termed Mikhail Chulaki’s
involvement as that of a musical arranger,
but it is actually far more extensive.
True, he arranged and adapted Prokofiev’s
work, but he also added much material
of his own composition in the process;
hence I have chosen to list him equally
with Prokofiev in the heading above.
Prokofiev’s involvement
with the Ivan project relates
to the film by Sergei Eisenstein. The
director had been commissioned by Stalin
to immortalise his view of Ivan IV,
whom he held as a personal role model,
by inference legitimising Stalin and
his actions.
Chulaki’s role was
to gather from Prokofiev enough material
from which a ballet might be made. This
explains to a large extent the posthumous
work created here. There was in fact
an oratorio version arranged by Abram
Stasevich in 1962. Prokofiev himself
expressed interest in the idea of a
ballet but never acted on it.
All in all Chulaki
uses some 377 fragments of the score
from Eisenstein’s film together with
other Prokofiev works as his building
blocks. "Thinking of Ivan"
corresponds to the sixth movement of
the Ivan cantata, "Ivan’s fortune"
(start of Act II) with the Andante of
the Third Symphony and "Kurbsky’s
Escape" to the Russian Overture,
op. 72. Add to this the obvious changes
that Chulaki makes and you begin to
hear what a sound soup this is, particularly
if you know your Prokofiev. However,
those that don’t are not likely to be
so worried by such a tangled web of
sources. The orchestra, though sounding
a little thin in the top strings, acquit
themselves well. The decent though hardly
demonstration quality recording favours
the lower registers and Zhuraitis conducts
straightforwardly. The audience is,
for the most part, unobtrusive.
The dance aspect provides
a unifying factor and it is a mark of
its success that the stage action pulls
ones attention away from the purely
musical. Choreographer Yuri Grigorovich
conceived the outline for the work with
Chulaki, so was well placed to direct
things with a sense of pacing and contrast
that relates well in dancing terms.
This, I assume, is what Simon Virsaladze
has based his choreography on for the
present production.
Of the three principals
Turanda’s Prince Kurbsky is to my mind
the most expressive ("Kurbsky’s
despair"), though Bessmertnova’s
Anastasia (a role she created) is also
affecting because of its inward and
reflective portrayal. In many ways that
gives the key to the work as a whole,
concerned as it is with the emotions
and psychology of the characters and
Ivan’s development into the person he
became. This Mukhamedov’s portrayal
captures, with signs of the later Ivan
noticeable from the start. By the end
of Act I Ivan’s character is fully formed.
The presentation has
depth and intelligence, with booklet
notes covering the Eisenstein film,
Stalin, the making of the ballet score,
dramatic structure and symbolism in
the work, together with brief notes
on the dancers. This much is bound to
enhance the viewing experience and place
it in a variety of contexts. The video
direction favours whole stage shots
rather than close-ups, which might have
been used more often. On the whole though
the atmosphere in which the action takes
place is well conveyed.
For lovers of ballet
this will no doubt be of interest. However
for those whose passion is Prokofiev’s
music in its pure form this is a work
to approach with caution.
Evan Dickerson
The
Bolshoi Ballet 
ARTHAUS
MUSIK 101 107 [114’00"]
