Vladimir Ashkenazy & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra - Shostakovich The Execution of Stepan Razin, Zoya Suite & Suite on Finnish Themes (2013) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist
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01. The Execution of Stepan Razin, Op. 119
02. Zoya Suite, Op. 64a: I. Song about Zoya (arr. L. Atovmyan for orchestra)
03. Zoya Suite, Op. 64a: II. Military Problem (arr. L. Atovmyan for orchestra)
04. Zoya Suite, Op. 64a: III. Tragedy of a Loss (arr. L. Atovmyan for orchestra)
05. Zoya Suite, Op. 64a: IV. Hero's Victory (arr. L. Atovmyan for orchestra)
06. Zoya Suite, Op. 64a: V. The Heroine's Immortality (arr. L. Atovmyan for orchestra)
07. Suite on Finnish Themes: I. Energico
08. Suite on Finnish Themes: II. The Sky is Blue and White
09. Suite on Finnish Themes: III. Lento non troppo
10. Suite on Finnish Themes: IV. The Girls of this Village
11. Suite on Finnish Themes: V. The Strawberry is a Red Berry
12. Suite on Finnish Themes: VI. If I could be at Leisure
13. Suite on Finnish Themes: VII. My Beloved is Beautiful

The rollicking grotesqueries of Execution have become almost standard recorded repertoire by now but there is only one other recording available of each of the other works. The music for the 1944 film Zoya, a hagiograhic exercise exalting an 18-year-old partisan caught and hung by the Germans, comes in a 28-minute suite of five movements with chorus in the first while the 11-minute suite of seven simple and unadorned settings of Finnish folk-songs comes from 1939, mysteriously commissioned by the Leningrad Military District with a deadline of Dec. 1 which, hardly coincidentally, was the day after the Soviet Union attacked Finland to begin the Winter War. Never performed, it was only rediscovered in 2001 and recorded by BIS the next year - the only other recording of the work.

Ondine presents two dramatic works by Shostakovich. The Execution of Stepan Razin is spine-chilling with Razin’s bloody head rolling to the ground, laughing at the Tsar, and the Zoya Suite which is an orchestral abridgement of the film score from 1944 depicting the 18-year old partisan Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya fighting against the Germans.

These works are coupled with the relatively unknown Suite on Finish Themes. Discovered nearly 40 years after Shostakovich’s death the suite includes several arrangements of Finnish folk songs arranged for Soprano and Tenor soloists.

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra regularly record with Ondine and have many awards and prizes to their name. Ashkenazy has worked regularly with the orchestra on past releases and continues to be an inspiration to music lovers across the world.

Mari Palo, soprano
Tuomas Katajala, tenor
Shenyang, bass-baritone
State Choir „Latvija“
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor

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