Martha Argerich & Mikhail Pletnev - Cinderella Suite - Ma Mere L

As her fans know, Martha Argerich often prefers the duo-piano format to performing solo, and the musical chemistry she shares with Mikhail Pletnev on this recording provides plenty of justification for this choice. Especially in the suite from Serge Prokofiev's ballet Cinderella -- nine numbers from the orchestral score transcribed by Pletnev himself -- the two come together in such unity that only the sheer number of notes gives away the fact that more than one pianist is at work. They communicate the humor and poignancy of Prokofiev's music vividly, and there's no shortage of fireworks in the virtuoso dances. A worthy addition to the duo-piano repertoire, Pletnev's transcription is a delight from start to finish. Maurice Ravel's Ma Mère l'Oye (Mother Goose) is also better known in its orchestral form. In this case, however, Ravel composed the version for four-hand piano first, only later arranging the score for orchestra (and expanding it into a ballet). Ravel's fairy tales have an air of impressionistic mystery that Prokofiev's harder-edged fable lacks, with Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb, and the other characters making their appearances through a veil of nostalgia for childhood's lost innocence. Still, Mother Goose makes a perfect disc-mate for Cinderella, not least because it gives us the opportunity to hear another sublime performance from Pletnev and Argerich, whose artistry captures the essence of both of these exquisite voyages into the land of make-believe. (Scott Paulin)


Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953)
Cinderella, Op.87
Suite from the Ballet: Transcribed for 2 Pianos by Mikhail Pletnev
1) Introduction. Andante dolce [2:33]
2) Quarrel. Allegretto [3:28]
3) Winter. Adagio [4:14]
4) Spring. Vivace con brio [2:04]
5) Cinderella's Valse. Andante - Allegretto [6:05]
6) Gavotte. Allegretto [2:23]
7) Gallop. Presto [4:13]
8) Valse lente. Adagio [4:27]
9) Finale. Allegro moderato [6:07]
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
Ma mère l'oye
for Piano Duet
10) 1. Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant [1:27]
11) 2. Petit Poucet [2:29] $ 1.29
12) 3. Laideronnette, Impératrice des Pagodes [2:56]
13) 4. Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête [4:10]
14) 5. Le jardin féerique [3:05]

Martha Argerich
Mikhail Pletnev

2004 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
474 8172 0 GH