The notes for this recording explain the unusual
programming of Italian renaissance music and Russian sacred
music by speaking of "a clever mixture of the national
schools in Europe; Franco-Flemish and Italian, Franco-Flemish
and Russian." The Franco-Flemish and Italian music represented
by Lassus and Palestrina respectively is well known repertoire
of the renaissance. The Russian music is certainly less well
known, albeit not deservedly so. It ranges in time of composition
from the 17th century up to 1951. Each of these works bears
that timeless character that is such a distinctive feature of
Russian sacred music.
The idea behind the disc is an interesting
one, but the historical connections between renaissance Europe
and Russia, and the influence of outside music on later Russian
choral development is so negligible, that the idea does not
come across particularly clearly in the performance. Furthermore
the singing of the "Italian" Lassus and Palestrina
is "different" to put it very politely. In short,
much of it is unrecognisable. Certainly Palestrina would have
difficulty hearing much of what he wrote in the opening of this
version of the jaunty madrigal "Alla riva del Tebro"
(Sample 1). The choral style of Russian choirs is so distinctive
and so different from the style of Western choirs that, unless
a wholesale change to the manner of vocal production were employed,
the lightness and clarity of vowel so necessary for Italian
music is always going to be absent. Throughout this recording
the balance of parts and clarity of polyphonic line is obscured
by the dark Russian timbre and this makes a work the length
of the Missa ‘L’Homme Armé’ heavy going for the listener.
The presence in the recording venue of an additional chorus
of rather enthusiastic birds also palls after not very long
at all.
As soon as the Russian half of the programme
starts it is a whole new story. This is the music that a choir
such as Russki Partes is meant to sing, and no western choir
can touch the level of passion and intensity that a Russian
group brings to their native repertoire. The whole style of
vocal production, so muddy and inappropriate for Lassus or Palestrina
is here perfectly natural (Sample 2). While the Pekalitski "Divine
Service" is somewhat repetitive as a composition it has
some fine moments. However, it is the shorter works that really
stop the listener breathing. The un-named soprano in works by
Tolstiakov and Tretiakov is simply magnificent - a rich sound
of searing intensity (Sample 3). Likewise, the baritone in the
Stepanov ‘Lord’s Prayer’ may not make a constantly beautiful
sound, but, by God, he means it! This is fascinating repertoire
that is not easy to hear live in the West. It is a great pity
that the whole disc was not taken up with this superb music
and a great pity that a producer did not have the guts to tell
the singers that they should leave the Italian stuff alone.
This recording gives you half a disc of excellent listening,
but that makes the time / value ratio pretty poor. If you like
Russian sacred music, there is much here that you can’t get
elsewhere, and which is worth having. If you hate Italian music
then you’ll also love these renditions.
Peter Wells
Unspecified recording
location and dates 