Prokofiev: Semyon Kotko

The Kirov Opera has done a great service by making Sergei Prokofiev's operas accessible to Western audiences whose familiarity with that aspect of the composer's career is sadly limited. Semyon Kotko won't crowd La Bohème off the boards, but it should please Prokofiev buffs. It's not without problems. The story wavers between village comedy and wartime brutality, and the plot line's political correctness is pitched to succeed in Stalin's Soviet Union. But the melodies come easy, even when sung by cardboard characters, and the orchestration is compelling. In Act III, Prokofiev transcended his material, writing a moving love duet and tense, forward-moving dramatic scenes. A topnotch cast, dynamic conducting and orchestral playing, and Philips's best sound in its Kirov Opera series should tempt those even vaguely interested in mid-century Russian music. --Dan Davis