Music Reviews
Classical Music Reviews - Part 1 - January, 1996
By C.D. Rusett
Ratings: | ||
Extraordinary | ||
Good | ||
Acceptable | ||
Mediocre | ||
Poor |
Ancient Echoes
Alexander Sedov directs Chorovaya Akademia
Distributed in USA by RCA Victor Red Seal
9026-68055-2, CD-Single
$16.95, 63:25
Performance: | |
Audio Quality: |
The glorious blending of perfectly harmonized male voices is balm
for any soul in this recording by Russia's internationally
acclaimed vocal ensemble, Chorovaya Akademia, directed by
Alexander Sedov. Recorded in Germany November 1-10, 1993, these a
cappella compositions transcend time and language, imparting
fresh beauty to classic works of great Russian spiritualist
composers: Bortnyansky, Tchaikovsky, Ruitov and others.
Chesnokov's "Veriu"(I Believe) and Nikolovksy's
"Vo iskhode israileve"(As Israel departed Egypt) are
guaranteed to exhilarate, quite independent of religious
inspiration. This CD will have an extraordinary "shelf
life," as repeated listening heightens the enjoyment.
C. D. Rusett
Tuba! A Six-Tuba Musical Romp
Gerhard Meinl's Tuba Sextet
Distributed in USA by Angel
CDC 54729, CD-Single
$16.95, 67:51
Performance: | |
Audio Quality: |
Six tuba virtuosi romp through four centuries of music. Their
skilled performances of works by Bach, Couperain, di Lasso, and
Mozart suggest these composers would have been inspired to write
expressly for the instrument, had it been invented. The most
intriguing and supremely pleasing music, however, is composed for
the tuba by the performers themselves. Enrique Crespo's
"Three Milongas" transform the tuba to a lyric
instrument, and Jonathon Sass's "Meltdown"(1991) is
modern, melodic and playful, especially the innovative nod to
Dies Irae. There are excellent renditions of three tuba
"classics" for the purists as well.
C. D. Rusett
© Copyright 1995, 1996, 1997
Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue.