Russian 'Live' Recordings From The Sixties

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Music reviews of Russian 'Live' Recordings From The Sixties

Music Review: Very important release
Rating: 5 Stars

The satires were written by Sasha Cherniy at the beginning of the century, but once set to music to Shostakovich they became a weapon against the Soviet regime and as a result subsequently banned, with a particular emphasis on "The Descendants".

Now, not only Vishnevskaya has the most expressive voice, it is also one of the most beautiful voices ever recorded. Hers is a true spinto without the usual "pushed up" meaning to it that characterizes most other spinto voices. As to Tebaldi, for instance, this sound came naturally to her and allowed for immense power and incredible vocal range. This recording with its customary Melodiya problems hardly does it justice. Turn to "Boris Godunov", "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk", or "Turandot" to hear it at its full glory. Philips used to carry a great CD called "The Early Years"; look for it. No, she did not sing "too many Leonoras" -- that's a gross mistake; while Leonora in Fidelio was her Bolshoi leading role debut, her favorite role was Aida and with it she subjugated the greatest opera houses, MET included. Had you heard it, you would not guess it's the same voice! The so-called "ugly" overtones in Songs and Dances of Death are clearly done on purpose: Vishnevskaya here acts with her voice to imitate Death the character, making it terrifyingly vivid and real. Same goes for "shrieking" on fast passages, here she uses a folk-song like approach, emphasizing the close connection that Russian composers have to their roots. Had this disc included other Mussorgsky songs, particularly "Where art thou, little star?" everyone would be astonished how enchantingly beautiful her voice could be. Another example is her Liu in Turandot, when she sang opposite Franco Corelli and Birgit Nilsson; it's available both on Myto and Opera d'Oro. Finally, one of the greatest musical achievements is Britten's War Requiem. Once again, it was written FOR her voice and she set an unsurpassed standard for it. Power, grace, and fully involved approach to music are her trademarks, this CD is really a small example but it's extremely important in terms of first performances of great works of great composers.

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