CCMusic.com

This is the first solely Prokofiev release on the LPO label. Until now only excerpts from the Chout Suite have been available. This is also the first chance to hear renowned virtuoso violinist Vadim Repin on the LPO label. Repin won his first competition at the age of five, and at 17, he was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition. This is Repin's first commercial release of the First Violin Concerto. This performance of Chout is narrated in English by stage and screen legend Simon Callow. Callow brings to life the story of a buffoon who, through many tricks and deceptions, outwits seven other buffoons. This release includes the full score of the 1921 ballet Chout. The full ballet is rarely performed and has only been recorded a handful of times in it's history, the first being in 1985. Alexander Lazarev has been praised for his interpretations of Prokofiev. David Nice notes his "refreshing emotional directness," and The Scotsman reported that his performance "swaggered with confidence and fizzed with electricity."