Bizet & Tchaikovsky: Tales on Strings Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra & Péter Kováts

• Bizet Georges (1838 - 1875): Jeux d'enfants, op. 22:
• 1 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 1. L'escarpolette – Rêverie (The Swing) 02:46
• 2 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 2. La toupie – Impromptu (The Spinning Top) 01:08
• 3 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 3. La poupée – Berceuse (The Doll) 02:28
• 4 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 4. Les chevaux de bois – Scherzo (Wooden Horses) 01:19
• 5 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 5. Le volant – Fantaisie (Battledore and Shuttlecock) 01:31
• 6 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 6. Trompette et tambour – Marche (Trumpet and Drum) 02:30
• 7 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 7. Les bulles de savon – Rondino (Soap Bubbles) 01:25
• 8 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 8. Les quatre coins – Esquisse (Puss in the Corner) 02:24
• 9 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 9. Colin-maillard – Nocturne (Blind Man's Buff) 02:03
• 10 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 10. Saute-mouton – Caprice (Leap-Frog) 01:35
• 11 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 11. Petit mari, petite femme! – Duo (Little Husband, Little Wife) 03:18
• 12 Georges: Jeux d'enfants, op. 22: 12. Le bal – Galop (The Ball) 01:57
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893): Children's Album, op. 39:
• 13 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 1. Morning Prayer. Andante 01:17
• 14 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 2. Winter Morning. Allegro 00:59
• 15 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 3. Playing Hobby-Horses. Presto 00:34
• 16 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 4. Mama. Moderato 01:22
• 17 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 5. March of the Wooden Soldiers. Moderato 01:00
• 18 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 6. The Sick Doll. Moderato 02:41
• 19 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 7. The Doll's Funeral. Adagio 01:55
• 20 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 8. Waltz. Allegro assai 01:27
• 21 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 9. The New Doll. Allegro 00:37
• 22 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 10. Mazurka. Allegro non troppo, Tempo di mazurka 01:34
• 23 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 11. Russian Song. Allegro 00:29
• 24 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 12. The Accordion Player. Adagio 00:57
• 25 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 13. Kamarinskaya. Vivace 00:40
• 26 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 14. Polka. Moderato. Tempo di Polka 00:57
• 27 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 15. Italian Song. Moderato assai 00:57
• 28 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 16. Old French Song. Molto moderato 01:08
• 29 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 17. German Song. Molto moderato 01:08
• 30 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 18. Neapolitan Song. Andante 01:13
• 31 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 19. Nanny's Story. Moderato 01:18
• 32 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 20. The Sorcerer. Presto 00:47
• 33 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 21. Sweet Dreams. Moderato 02:17
• 34 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 22. Lark Song. Moderato 01:10
• 35 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 23. The Organ-Grinder Sings. Andante 00:57
• 36 Tchaikovsky: Children's Album, op. 39: 24. In Church. Moderato 02:24
• Total Runtime 54:12

Info for Bizet & Tchaikovsky: Tales on Strings

The new album by the Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra is imbued with the spirit of Schumann – even though not a single note by the German Romantic master is heard on the recording. “Both Bizet and Tchaikovsky followed the path that Schumann opened with his Kinderszenen,” says Péter Kováts, the ensemble’s founding artistic director. The two works, Bizet’s Jeux d’enfants (Children’s Games) and Tchaikovsky’s Children’s Album, share a common source: the musical evocation of childhood memories and moods. In the autumn of 1871, amid the troubled times following the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune, Georges Bizet composed his cycle of twelve short, intimate and cheerful pieces for piano four hands. He dedicated these miniature scenes to two young girls, Marguerite de Beaulieu and Fanny Goüin, who belonged to the family and social circle of his wife, Geneviève Halévy. The Jeux d’enfants originally consisted of ten movements; Bizet later added two (Soap Bubbles and Blind Man’s Buff), thus giving the work its final form. The musical material of one piece (Trumpet and Drum) derives from his earlier opera Ivan IV. Bizet sold the set to Durand for 600 francs, and the publisher soon issued it in print.

Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra
Péter Kováts, conductor

Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra
Having recorded their first CD (Label: HUNGAROTON) they decided to change the orchestra's name to 'Mendelssohn' as they were impressed by the young Mendelssohn's string music. Since then they have been playing his symphonies and concertos, and other works as often as possible. The chamber orchestra is led by their artistic leader and violin soloist – Péter Kováts. The Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra has been working with the finest soloists from Hungary and abroad. They have played with world-famous Hungarian pianists and conductors: Tamás Vásáry, Zoltán Kocsis, Balázs Fülei. Among their soloists have been Mischa Maisky, Glenn Dicterow, Miklós Perényi, the outstanding Hungarian violinists: Kristóf Baráti, Barnabás Kelemen, István Ruha and Vilmos Szabadi, the soprano Andrea Rost, Ilona Tokody, Ingrid Kertesi, Dénes Gulyás, the violinistconductor Péter Csaba, etc. The MCO members often invite excellent jazz musicians and also they are often invited to play their compositions arranged for chamber orchestra together.

They have played with Bobby McFerrrin, Jacques Loussier and the Play Bach trio, Roby Lakatos, Mark O’Connor, Fred Hersch, Joe Muranyi, Aladár Pege, etc.The MCO ensemble is often invited to various music and arts festivals in Hungary and abroad, e.g.: Haydn Festival in Esterháza (Hungary), Budapest Spring Festival (Hungary), Zelt Musik Festival (Freiburg, Germany), Valley of Arts (Hungary), Groblje Festival (Ljubljana, Slovenia), and the MCO is the resident orchestra of the prestigious Auer Violin Festival (Veszprém – the hometown of Leopold Auer). They have had many tours in Europe (Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Slovenia, England) and in America (USA, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay). They have played in major concert halls of the world including Verdi Hall (Milan), Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires), St. John’s (London), St. Martin-inthe-Fields (London), Franz Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest), Hungarian State Opera (Budapest), etc. The Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra gave the first Hungarian performances of several contemporary pieces, e.g.: The Seven Last Words by Sofia Gubaidulina, Requiem by John Rutter, The Four Seasons by Piazzolla, etc.

Their recordings are made by Hungarian Radio, Hungarian Television, French Television (France 3) and Slovenian Radio and Television. Their first CD was released on the Hungarian label Hungaroton, and after that they made several CD-s and DVD-s in Hungary, England and Slovenia. They are honoured with one of the most prestigious prize of Hungary: the Bartók–Pásztory Prize in 2010.

This album contains no booklet.