Customer Reviews

Songs Of Old Russia

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Every now and then you get a CD come along where some really outstanding artist allows themself to just let their hair down for a moment. Of course it has to be done with aplomb and thorough good taste adding their unique touch of brilliance while sucessfully avoiding any hint of kitch. Russian Early Music pioneer Anatoly Grindenko here records songs from the time of Tsarist Russia. These are songs that transient political regimens would have tried to replace in the popular affection with political songs. Yet somehow these songs have survived in the hearts and affections of the Russian people and this peasant tradition of folk song that refused to die is presented with Grindenko's usual expertise and sung expertly with the utmost affection. In fact the songs were always sung by this choir for their own private fun but excluded from 'serious' concert performances. The quality of singing, as can be expected under Grindenko's expert choral direction, is superb througout. The end result is a lovely CD that can be highly recommended to anybody who just loves to listen to beautiful singing. After all the works of Tchaikovsky, Borodin and Stravinsky draw heavily on Russian folk song as a rich source of thematic material but any serious music lover would enjoy this CD just as much with its range of songs ranging from boisterous to charming to melancholy. Opus 111, as usual, provide expertly engineered sound to match. The end result is a drop dead gorgeous CD that will delight anyone lucky enough to discover this secret gem.

This recording is a fantastic example of the russian choral tradition. Wonderful selections sung with obvious passion .The rousing patriotic tunes will make you want to march to the front, the romantic ballads will make you wish you never left and the songs of hearth and homeland will make you inch closer to your loved ones. If you have a passion for things "russian" this one just might keep you occupied for a while.