Musical treasures | Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

The Philharmonie team presents its musical treasures.

Sarah Bergdoll General Coordinator Fondation EME
Emmanuel Krivine / Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg: Mussorgsky & Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition / Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade. Zig-Zag Territoires / Outhere, 2013.

[English version below]

«Wéi ech déi éischte Kéier d’‹Musical Treasures› Chronik gelies hunn, wosst ech direkt. iwwert wat ech géing schreiwe wann et un mengem Tour wär. De Choix war zimmlech séier getraff – aus  verschiddene Grënn. Éischtens, well ech nëmme ganz wéineg ‹richteg› CD a menger Kollektioun zielen, an zweetens, well et eng CD gëtt, déi ech sou oft gelauschtert hunn, dass se iergenndwann de Geescht opginn huet.

Als Kand hunn ech zu deene gehéiert, déi ëmmer mat hirem CD Player, de selbstverständlech duerch eng bis uewe voll gefëllten Trousse geschützt gouf, ronderëm gelaf sinn, an dësen och iwwerall matgeholl hunn. An dëser Täsch huet een esou munches dra fonnt: Spice Girls, Atomic Kitten, Skunk Anansie, Notre Dame de Paris an Tarzan Soundtracks, esou wéi och ganz vill zesumme gesate CDen, déi ech riets a lénks gesammelt hunn. De CD Player gouf dunn iergendwann duerch en MP3 Player ersat, mee mam Führerschäin an der Täsch an engem Auto mat CD Fach hunn ech dës CDen nees erausgekroopt. Well ech mech schonn ëmmer vir klassesch Musek interesséiert hunn, krut ech dunn passenderweis an den 2010er Joer eng Collector Box mat verschiddenen Opname vun ënnerschiddlechen Orchesteren.

Duerch dës Box hunn ech meng Léift vir di russesch Komponisten an déi romantesch Period an der Museksgeschicht entdeckt, déi mech bis haut beaflosst. Ech hunn CD fir CD gelauschtert a séier festgestallt, datt d'Opnam vum Rimsky-Korsakov senger Scheherazade op. 35 mech besonnesch beréiert huet an doropshi souwuel eng Plaz a menger permanenter CD Kollektioun wéi och a mengem Häerz fonnt huet. Wéini genau ech di éischte Kéier dëser Musek verfall si weess ech net méi, mee ech ech ka mech gutt dorun erënneren, datt d'Opnam mir vun der éischter Nout un gutt gefall huet an datt ech se ëmmer an ëmmer erëm gelauschtert hunn an oft am Auto sëtze bliwwe sinn, fir de Mouvement nach bis zum Enn ze lauschteren.

Lauschtert den Ufank vum éischte Mouvement an dir verstitt wat ech mengen: D‘Brass an d’Sträicher Sektioun verschmëlzen  zesummen an enger imposanter Intro déi da lues a lues an en Decrescendo iwwergeet bis d’Holzblosinstrumenter iwwerhuelen, bis et da schlussendlech un der Solo Géi hirem Tour ass – wat eng Ouverture! Och wärend ech dëse Text schreiwen, hunn ech nees eng Opnam vun dëser fantastescher Symphonie opgeluecht an zwar vun 2013 vum Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg ënnert der Leedung vum Maestro Emmanuel Krivin mam Philippe Koch als Solist op der Géi.  Obwuel all eenzele vun deene véier Mouvementer seng eege Qualitéiten huet, denken ech, datt deen éischte mäin perséinleche Favoritte ass.

Dës Opnam hat en groussen Impakt op mäin musikalesche Goût a wéi meng CD ugefaangen huet ze sprangen, sinn ech eriwwer gaange bei dem Tchaikovsky säin Piano Concerto N° 1, hunn dunn dem Prokofiev säin Romeo and Juliet gelauschtert, an nach méi spéit dem Wagner seng Tannhäuser Ouverture, an domat ass dann eng ganz nei Liebesgeschicht ugaangen…»

«The first time I saw the ‹Musical treasures› column, I immediately knew which recording I would like to write about. The choice was very easy, firstly because there were only a few ‹real› CDs in my collection, and secondly, there is one CD I listened to so much that it gave up after a short period of time.

I obviously had CDs growing up: I was one of those kids with a little bag for my portable CD player and I wouldn’t go anywhere without it, it was my steady companion and always filled with recordings. My childhood was inspired by the Spice Girls, Atomic Kitten, Skunk Anansie, the Notre Dame de Paris and Tarzan soundtracks and lots of mixed recordings collected from friends and family.

As MP3 players slowly replaced my now very missed portable CD player, I have to fastfoward, to a time when CDs were important again: when I got my licence and drove around in my CD player-equipped car. As I was always inspired by and listening to classical music, someone made me the gift of a collector’s box with different recordings – these were very popular in the early 2000s and came in handy for me in the 2010s.

Thanks to this box, I first discovered my love for Russian composers and the Romantic era in general, which is still fully intact and influences many of my artistic and musical choices. As I went through the collection, the recording of Rimksy-Korsakov’s Scheherazade op. 35 stood out, and found its place in my permanent car-CD-collection (and of course my heart). I can’t really remember the first time I listened to it, but what I can remember is how much I loved it from the first note on and how many times I would listen to it – sometimes staying in my car after arriving so as not to interrupt the middle of a movement.

I mean, listen to the opening of the first movement: the brass and strings playing this grand introduction which then decrescendos into this light woodwind section, which will slowly be replaced by the solo violin – what a beginning. While writing these words, I’m listening to the 2013 recording by the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg conducted by Emmanuel Krivine and with Philippe Koch as soloist and I’m trying to figure out which of the movements I prefer. Even if every movement has its own feeling and qualities, I think I have to settle for the first one as it has all the characteristics of a big romantic composition.

Either way, this recording made a huge impact on my musical taste. When the CD started jumping I switched to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto N° 1, then Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, before Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto N° 3, to Wagner’s Tannhäuser Ouverture, and then a whole other love story started…»