Search - Vladimir Grishko :: Russian Opera Arias 2

A Second Collection of Rarely Heard Russian Opera Music

Timothy Kearney | Hull, MA United States | 10/05/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Naxos has released a second collection of Russian tenor arias by Vladimir Grishko. Like the first volume, we have a beautiful tenor voice treating us to some rarely heard arias from operas not often performed outside of Russia. Grishko has good control of his voice which is a somewhat light and agile one that is free from strain. Probably the only familiar pieces to non-Russian listeners would be the brief orchestral excerpts from Glinka's A LIFE FOR THE TSAR and Polovtsian March from Borodin's PRINCE IGOR so listening is a treat in and of itself.



The two strengths of this recording are similar to those of the first volume: there is a variety to the music on the disc and Grisko's overall performance. While this is a good disc, it is not quite as strong as the first collection. The orchestral performances are somewhat inconsistent. Also the selections themselves do not have a great impact, at least in comparison with those of the first set. Still, this recording at a price that is more than reasonable will add variety to any operatic library.

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