If you didn't know, it would be hard to guess that the two concertos by the aging Reinhold Glière were written in the midst of a conflict that cost 20 million Russians their lives. Glière was from the beginning a composer firmly rooted in the 19th century, and his language did not change under wartime conditions. This said, there's a neglected oddball work here, beautifully performed, that makes this Russian release worth anybody's money. That is the Concerto for coloratura soprano and orchestra in F minor, Op. 82. There ...
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If you didn't know, it would be hard to guess that the two concertos by the aging Reinhold Glière were written in the midst of a conflict that cost 20 million Russians their lives. Glière was from the beginning a composer firmly rooted in the 19th century, and his language did not change under wartime conditions. This said, there's a neglected oddball work here, beautifully performed, that makes this Russian release worth anybody's money. That is the Concerto for coloratura soprano and orchestra in F minor, Op. 82. There are other vocalises in the musical literature, but this one may be unique in being a multi-movement work (there are an Andante and a sort of Rossinian waltz Allegro to close). If you're thinking that sounds almost unendurable, suspend disbelief for a moment and listen; it's charmingly done. True, the soprano part is murder, and it takes an excellent singer to pull it off. Olga Trifonova has the desired crystal clear effect, rising up to high D flat in each movement, both of which echo...
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