Brilliant Classics

Iconic Ballet Music for Piano

Iconic Ballet Music for Piano
Composer Igor Stravinsky, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Prokofiev
Artist Ekaterina Litvintseva piano
Format 1 CD
Cat. number PCL10338
EAN code 5029365103381
Release October 2025

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About this release

The piano dances: new recordings of ballet classics in sparkling keyboard arrangements.
Born in Russia, living and working in Germany, Ekaterina Litvintseva has made a string of critically acclaimed recordings for Piano Classics, featuring the music of Chopin, Rachmaninoff and more. On her latest album, she turns to a trio of ballet scores which have always captivated audiences for the particular genius of their marriage between story and music.
She opens with Prokofiev’s own arrangement of 10 pieces from Romeo and Juliet, followed by Guido Agosti’s arrangement of the Suite from Stravinsky’s Firebird, and Mikhail Pletnev’s virtuoso transcription of dances from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. As in any popular recital, there are three encores: a waltz from Delibes’ Coppélia (arranged by Erno Dohnanyi), Les Sauvages by Rameau, and finally another foot-tapping dance from the French Baroque, extracted from an opera by Lully.
In these transcriptions, the pianist becomes more than just a substitute for the orchestra; she takes the role of a storyteller and a conduit for the expression of the ballet. The reduction of forces brings a more intense focus on the melodic lines, the harmonic progressions and the rhythmic subtleties of the music. Prokofiev chose to recompose and distil the essence of pivotal moments in Romeo and Juliet rather than making straightforward arrangements.
In their own ways, Agosti and Pletnev also demonstrate that the essence of ballet can be captured and reimagined in the hands of a skilled pianist. While their versions of Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky have become crowd-pleasing pianistic tours de force in their own right, they also retain the elegance and the fundamental pulse of the original dances.
‘The 30-something Ekaterina Litvintseva has been amassing a distinguished discography, and this… is a fine addition, exhibiting the combination of sensitivity and self-assurance that have marked her playing up until now… you owe it to yourself to make the acquaintance of Dora Pejačević.’ (Fanfare, reviewing PCL10226)

Track list

Disk 1

  1. Sergei Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: I. Folk Dance
  2. Sergei Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: II. Scene (The Street Awakens)
  3. Sergei Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: III. Minuet (Arrival of the Guests)
  4. Sergei Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: IV. Juliet as a Young Girl
  5. Sergei Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: V. Masquers
  6. Sergei Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: VI. Montagues and Capulets
  7. Sergei Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: VII. Friar Laurence
  8. Sergei Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: VIII. Mercutio
  9. Sergei Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: IX. Dance of the Girls with Lilies
  10. Sergei Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: X. Romeo and Juliet before Parting
  11. Léo Delibes: Valse Lente from the opera Coppélia (arr. for Piano by E. Dohnanyi)
  12. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Arr. for Piano by Mikhail Pletnev): I. March. Tempo di marcia viva
  13. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Arr. for Piano by Mikhail Pletnev): II. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Andante ma non troppo
  14. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Arr. for Piano by Mikhail Pletnev): III. Tarantella
  15. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Arr. for Piano by Mikhail Pletnev): IV. Intermezzo. Andante
  16. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Arr. for Piano by Mikhail Pletnev): V. Trepak (Russian dance). Molto vivace
  17. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Arr. for Piano by Mikhail Pletnev): VI. Tea (Chinese dance). Allegro moderato
  18. Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Arr. for Piano by Mikhail Pletnev): VII. Andante maestoso
  19. Jean Philippe Rameau: Les sauvages
  20. Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite, K010 (Arr. for Piano by Guido Agosti): I. Danse infernale
  21. Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite, K010 (Arr. for Piano by Guido Agosti): II. Berceuse
  22. Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite, K010 (Arr. for Piano by Guido Agosti): III. Finale
  23. Jean Baptiste Lully: Gavotte and Rondeau from the Oper "The Flames of Paris"