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Track Listings
| 1. 1. Allegro ma non tanto (Silver Bells) - Kaludi Kaludov, Choral Arts Society Of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit |
| 2. 2. Lento (Golden Bells) - Alexandrina Pendachanska, Choral Arts Society Of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit |
| 3. 3. Presto (Alarm Bells) |
| 4. 4. Lento lugubre (Iron Bell) - Sergei Leiferkus, Choral Arts Society Of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit |
| 5. Spring Cantata, Op.20 for baritone & chorus - Sergei Leiferkus, Choral Arts Society Of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit |
| 6. 1. Moderato |
| 7. 2. Largo |
| 8. 3. Allegro moderato |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
If it makes sense to talk about doing gloom brilliantly then Russian composers do gloom brilliantly. This disc offers us a good hour's worth of fine frowning stuff from Rachmaninov, splendidly performed and in general, I'd say, well recorded. The sound at the start is in the middle distance rather than in the foreground, but turning the volume up a little helps, and even here the effect is perfectly satisfactory if one thinks in terms of how it might sound in the concert hall from a seat towards the back. As the disc progressed I fancied that matters improved in this respect, whether or not my impression was largely a matter of becoming accustomed to the acoustics. Where this recorded sound really scores with me is in conveying atmosphere. The impact is beautifully lugubrious, enhancing my sense of a fine, accomplished and thoroughly idiomatic set of renderings.
The words are not provided let alone translated, but the brief and anonymous liner note is actually rather a good one, telling us probably all that most of us want to know about the precise meaning of what is being sung in The Bells and Spring. These compositions seem to me not so much `settings' of texts as a kind of vocal tone-poem, with the music's programme incorporated verbally into the score rather than provided as background information in the manner of Strauss. The Bells is to an adaptation of Poe, depicting the four ages of man in a generalised and sombre idiom that slightly recalled to me the essay by the Russian tragedy-queen in one of the Hyman Kaplan books `Life, Death, what is they?' Spring is another vocal tone-poem, this time with no soloists, recounting the tale of a Russian peasant brooding through the depths of the Russian winter on his wife's infidelity, from which dark thoughts he is aroused by the coming of spring, but only relieved to a certain extent from the sound of it. It's rather a pity that the liner-note writer doesn't sketch in the meaning of at least the first two of the Three Russian Songs, but the general harmonics of these seem to be along the same lines as those of the foregoing pieces. The last of the three songs is a folk-song adaptation, and I have to admit that within the parameters of each national culture's folk-song idiom one tends to sound to me very much like the next.
The performances strike me as outstandingly good. The orchestra is of course the great Philadelphia, and the conductor is the admirable Dutoit. The chorus are just right for me, and I could almost see them all in fur hats. Absolutely superlative are the three vocal soloists, their tone grand and ringing and their technical accomplishment total.
`Come, divinest melancholy' says Milton in Il Penseroso. To use a commoner expression, it all works for me.
The words are not provided let alone translated, but the brief and anonymous liner note is actually rather a good one, telling us probably all that most of us want to know about the precise meaning of what is being sung in The Bells and Spring. These compositions seem to me not so much `settings' of texts as a kind of vocal tone-poem, with the music's programme incorporated verbally into the score rather than provided as background information in the manner of Strauss. The Bells is to an adaptation of Poe, depicting the four ages of man in a generalised and sombre idiom that slightly recalled to me the essay by the Russian tragedy-queen in one of the Hyman Kaplan books `Life, Death, what is they?' Spring is another vocal tone-poem, this time with no soloists, recounting the tale of a Russian peasant brooding through the depths of the Russian winter on his wife's infidelity, from which dark thoughts he is aroused by the coming of spring, but only relieved to a certain extent from the sound of it. It's rather a pity that the liner-note writer doesn't sketch in the meaning of at least the first two of the Three Russian Songs, but the general harmonics of these seem to be along the same lines as those of the foregoing pieces. The last of the three songs is a folk-song adaptation, and I have to admit that within the parameters of each national culture's folk-song idiom one tends to sound to me very much like the next.
The performances strike me as outstandingly good. The orchestra is of course the great Philadelphia, and the conductor is the admirable Dutoit. The chorus are just right for me, and I could almost see them all in fur hats. Absolutely superlative are the three vocal soloists, their tone grand and ringing and their technical accomplishment total.
`Come, divinest melancholy' says Milton in Il Penseroso. To use a commoner expression, it all works for me.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
While the classic recording of this wonderfully kaleidoscopic piece might be the old Kondrashin on Melodiya, if you want modern digital sound you are likely to go for either of these two - although the couplings might heavily influence your decision.
In brief, Pletnev has the more sumptuous sound and takes a more intense, measured approach to Rachmaninov's similarly rich, layered score, while Dutoit has slightly leaner sound and is sharper and more propulsive in his interpretation - yet their timings are identical for the second Lento movement. My feeling is that Dutoit has the better overview, presenting the four movements as a true symphony whereas Pletnev brings greater impact to key moments such as the great choral outburst at "Skov" in that second "golden bells" section.
Regarding the choirs, the Philadelphians almost convince us of their ability to suggest Russian authenticity; they are a bigger outfit than the Moscow State Chamber Choir who, while obviously Russian in their attack and depth of tone, are very slightly underpowered by comparison but compensate for lack of sheer weight with more pointed underlining of the words. There is less clarity and definition in the singing of Dutoit's choir - which might also be an effect of a more blurred sound in the engineering and in the third, purely choral movement, of Dutoit's option for the denser vocal arrangement.
Dutoit has more conventional, neater-voiced soloists: Kaludov is decidedly more ingratiating of tone than the grainy, rough-voiced Larin but the latter is more characterful. Both sopranos are the real deal, making a voluminous Russian sound, but Mescheriakova, although just a little clumsy, is more exciting than the more delicate, nuanced Pendachanska. Both are very good indeed, just as are both celebrated the Russian baritones; Leiferkus has the more dangerous edge in his tone and Chernov the more beautiful voice.
Pletnev's unusual choice of coupling in Taneyev's John of Damascus might be a deciding factor for some. It is a very grand, noble choral composition, fusing Russian folk and liturgical music with strict counterpoint in the style of Bach; the concluding fugue is exciting in its own right and much more than a mere academic exercise. The chance to own and hear this might prove more attractive than Dutoit's more predictable coupling with what is arguably some of Rachmaninov's less striking choral writing. This, in combination with richer sound and Pletnev's greater depth of feeling, inclines me to the DG disc.
In brief, Pletnev has the more sumptuous sound and takes a more intense, measured approach to Rachmaninov's similarly rich, layered score, while Dutoit has slightly leaner sound and is sharper and more propulsive in his interpretation - yet their timings are identical for the second Lento movement. My feeling is that Dutoit has the better overview, presenting the four movements as a true symphony whereas Pletnev brings greater impact to key moments such as the great choral outburst at "Skov" in that second "golden bells" section.
Regarding the choirs, the Philadelphians almost convince us of their ability to suggest Russian authenticity; they are a bigger outfit than the Moscow State Chamber Choir who, while obviously Russian in their attack and depth of tone, are very slightly underpowered by comparison but compensate for lack of sheer weight with more pointed underlining of the words. There is less clarity and definition in the singing of Dutoit's choir - which might also be an effect of a more blurred sound in the engineering and in the third, purely choral movement, of Dutoit's option for the denser vocal arrangement.
Dutoit has more conventional, neater-voiced soloists: Kaludov is decidedly more ingratiating of tone than the grainy, rough-voiced Larin but the latter is more characterful. Both sopranos are the real deal, making a voluminous Russian sound, but Mescheriakova, although just a little clumsy, is more exciting than the more delicate, nuanced Pendachanska. Both are very good indeed, just as are both celebrated the Russian baritones; Leiferkus has the more dangerous edge in his tone and Chernov the more beautiful voice.
Pletnev's unusual choice of coupling in Taneyev's John of Damascus might be a deciding factor for some. It is a very grand, noble choral composition, fusing Russian folk and liturgical music with strict counterpoint in the style of Bach; the concluding fugue is exciting in its own right and much more than a mere academic exercise. The chance to own and hear this might prove more attractive than Dutoit's more predictable coupling with what is arguably some of Rachmaninov's less striking choral writing. This, in combination with richer sound and Pletnev's greater depth of feeling, inclines me to the DG disc.
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The soloists are great but the choir is hesitant on entries and their Russian pronunciation is poor. Overall the recording is useful if you need to learn the work in a hurry.
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