A showpiece for audiophiles
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/28/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"On musical grounds, this is an agreeable potpourri of russian pops favorites, and Kunzel's readings pass muster. I'd rate him several notches above old standbys like Arthur fiedler and Andre Kostelanetz. the five-star rating goes primarily for Telarc's spectacular SACD sound. I had occasion to listen to a dozen demonstration records recently, and this one stood head and shoulders above rCA's remastered SACDs from their Living Stereo line.
Here we have it all: amazing detail, a sense of space and hall ambience, pinpoint positioning of soloists, not just left to right but front to back, exceptional dynamic range, and a faithful reproduction of instrumental color. These are important matters to audiophiles, so I thought I'd drop in a hint. If this CD doesn't sound incredible, your equipment is probably the reason."
A Musical Excursion to Russia
Vera Kolb | Kenosha, WI | 02/17/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You would like to travel, but due to the high cost of travel and inconveniences you want to stay home and be cozy. Well, you can have your cake and eat it all! Turn down your thermostat, put on the ushanka (if your have one; it is the Russian fur hat with ear flaps that you can tie under your chin), leave the ear flaps untied (or tie them on the top of your head) so that you can hear the sound, and turn on Maestro Kunzel's CD!
Before you know it, if you were not already a musical Slavophile, you will become one. You will hear all these delightful pieces by Glinka, Prokofiev, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Khachaturian, Tchaikovsky, Moussorgsky, and others, which you remember so well from the pops concerts that you may have attended in the summer or around the holiday season in the winter. These beautiful, charming, timeless pieces won your heart then, and now you have them together on a single recording!
Maestro Kunzel is one of the best. He conducts the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra such that there is a natural flow of music. His conducting is true to the Slavic spirit of these pieces. In addition, he never rushes his orchestra, but follows the speed that is natural for these pieces. I have heard many rushed performances by other conductors, who somehow want their orchestra to play faster (maybe to show that they can; but faster is not always better), or because the conductor has too much nervous energy and cannot settle down to a normal speed. Such hyperactive performances I found disappointing or downright irritating. In contrast, Maestro Kunzel's conducting is relaxed, masterly, and true to the tempo that I believe is consistent with these pieces.
This CD comes with notes that are informative and charming. For each piece the description of the Russian folk stories, fairy tales, and also poetry and history of the times, around which these compositions evolved, is given. The fantasy elements of many of these pieces are reflected beautifully in this music.
You simply must have this recording in your music library!
"
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1