This is a collection of operatic and choral favorites of old school, with pieces attributed to composers who decades ago were shown to be incorrectly attributed. Everything is of a religious or quasi-religious cast, and neither the mood nor the tempo changes much over the course of the program. Further, soprano Marina Rebeka subordinates many musical details to the beauty of her tone. A singer who does this takes a big chance, for there is little variety, and the music relies on the energy of the singer to keep things ...
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This is a collection of operatic and choral favorites of old school, with pieces attributed to composers who decades ago were shown to be incorrectly attributed. Everything is of a religious or quasi-religious cast, and neither the mood nor the tempo changes much over the course of the program. Further, soprano Marina Rebeka subordinates many musical details to the beauty of her tone. A singer who does this takes a big chance, for there is little variety, and the music relies on the energy of the singer to keep things moving along. The good news is that the beauty of tone in Rebeka's case is considerable, and the listener is, for the most part, able to simply luxuriate. She has a rich vibrato in chestnuts (Schubert's Ave Maria, D. 839, Handel's "Ombra mai fu," from Serse, HWV 40) and now lesser-known numbers (the Ave Maria of Saint-Saëns). The backing from the Riga Sinfonietta under Modestas Pitrenas is suitably neutral. As is typical of self-produced albums, the sound is unspectacular. The music is...
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