Russian

An appealing collection of short Russian orchestral works in recordings dating from 1965 to 1990. The performances are idiomatic, with plangent brass and bassoons, while Svetlanov unfolds the structure of each piece with a sure and certain hand. Many rewarding discoveries among the rarer pieces, including Glazunov’s surprisingly powerful Lyrical Poem, two miniatures by the Czech-born Eduard Nápravník, an influential figure in St Petersburg’s musical life for more than fifty years, and Balakirev’s suite of Chopin arrangements.

Simply Red entered a holding pattern after 1991's Stars, turning out two records in a row that essentially replicated its charms, only with diminishing returns. Mick Hucknall must have realized he was stagnating, since 1999's Love and the Russian Winter is the first time since Stars that he's shaken up his sound. It's still recognizably Simply Red, as it trades in '70s soul and jazz-pop influences, but there are a number of reasonably contemporary influences added into the mix. As it turns out, these influences are largely based in house music, which means that Simply Red took some weird middle ground between Everything But the Girl and Soul II Soul.

Sergey Rachmaninov was better known in his day for his pianistic virtuosity than for his compositions, but his creative output has long been acknowledged as the enthralling legacy of a major creative artist. A thrilling masterpiece based on Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, The Bells is a choral symphony in all but name, its theme giving Rachmaninov the opportunity to explore his fascination with bell sounds. Spring is a dramatic portrayal of rebirth in a land gripped by ice, while the Three Russian Songs are folk-song settings that became a hit at the premiere under the baton of Leopold Stokowski. The Elite Recordings for VOX by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.

The first half of the 19th century witnessed the blossoming of the Russian seven-string guitar (tuned D G B d g b d'). During that time, an exquisite repertoire for the instrument was created, which departs significantly from the Western European guitar tradition. This compact disc is the world's pioneer recording of selections from that repetoire on original instruments. The performance is historically informed and based on a careful study of Russian 19th century guitar techniques. The pieces included represent the individual styles of eleven composers - ranging from "giants" such as Sychra and Vysotsky to less prolific ones like Alferiev and Palevich, of whom we have only a handful of pieces. This recording displays the variety, elegance and wit of the Russian guitar tradition as well as its technical and musical specifity.

Sviridov - Five Choruses to Lyrics by Russian poets, poem in Memory of Sergei Esenin (1991)
EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | TT 67:11 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 294.53 MB (3% Recovery)
Melodiya | USSR | SUCD 10-00215 | 1991

"Five Choruses to Lyrics by Russian Poets" are five small poems. "Poem in Memory of Sergei Esenin" is one of the 20th-century's major musical compositions. The "Poem" is a highly original composition both in its concept and its artistic embodiment, with a lot of new discoveries. G. Sviridov interpreted anew one of the greatest Russian poetic works of the 20th century. He was able not only to see in Esenin a fine lyricist but a truly national poet, who shared his country's lot during the fateful years of its history. Addressing himself to Esenin. Sviridov was the first to speak seriously in music of the fate of Russian people during the revolution.

This album of Russian violin concertos does what many modern orchestras do when programming concert repertoire. That is, feature one quite famous work (in this case, the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto) to draw in more tentative patrons, then throw in a few less well-known but still deserving pieces (in this case, the Arensky and Rimsky-Korsakov). This approach is both effective and appropriate. The programming of these three composers is also historically intelligent; Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov were contemporaries, and Arensky was one of Rimsky-Korsakov's many successful students.