Search - Mikhail Glinka, Mikhail Mikhaylovich Ippolitov-Ivanov, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov :: Russian Sketches

Russian Roulette

D. Seymour | Atlanta, GA USA | 05/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of Russian pieces by various composers has a tendency to feel like a bit of a mixed bag. There are some heavy-hitters on board like the Russian Easter Overture and Francesca da Rimini. And, then there are some light-weight pieces like the Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla and the Caucasian Sketches. Other than that, this is an extremely enjoyable disc. Zinman's Russian Easter Overture is OUTSTANDING! It is probably the highlight of the disc. But, Francesca da Rimini rivals it for its display of dark, brooding passions. My only complaint with this disc are the two bookend selections. The opening Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla is torrid but slightly vapid and devoid of depth. The closing Polonaise from Eugene Onegin is bold and stately but missing an element of sweeping elegance. Sound is terrific. A good Russian Grab-bag."

Perfect companions! (CD details)

Patrick W. Crabtree | Lucasville, OH USA | 08/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, I want to comment that this is about the shrewdest assemblage of colorful Russian works (chiefly tone poems) that I've seen available anywhere. I was very pleased with these selections and I got a lot of music for my money at just under 69 minutes total time.



This is a DDD recording from 1989 performances (not for audience.) Tel-arc's excellent recording processes were spot-on for this one.



The "Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture" (Glinka) performance (4:51) is a peppery and tight delivery which sort of sets the pace for the entire omnibus of music on this CD.



Ippolitov-Ivanov's (series of four) "Caucasian Sketches" is a clean and straightforward version. This performance of the ever-popular "Procession of the Sardar" is not actually my favorite one, (I like this Naxos offering best: Ippolitov-Ivanov: Caucasian Sketches; Turkish March and Fragments), but while I thought it a little light on percussion it is still a very fine rendition:



"In the Mountain Pass" (8:24)

"In the Village" (4:14)

"In the Mosque" (3:35)

"Procession of the Sardar" (3:46)



The "Russian Easter Overture" (14:26) of Rimsky-Korsakov, a composition of which I have numerous performances, is particularly palatable here since it gets away from the all-too-common pulsing-pounding approach. This one is a gem.



I cannot account for how I had somehow previously overlooked Tchaikovsky's "Francesca da Rimini" (24:26) thus I cannot really compare this one to other performances -- but this rendition sounded nicely brought off to me. It's certainly a dark and melancholic work and I think that these elements were artfully captured in this instance.



I felt that the "Polonaise" (4:29) from "Eugene Onegin" was conveyed a tad too briskly for actual dancing but it's still well-played.



The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the adroit baton of David Zinman pulled off a coup with these terrific performances and I most highly recommend it.

"