Igor Stravinsky, Robert Craft - Symphony Of Psalms: Three Russian Sacred Choruses

Published Wednesday 21st March 2007
Igor Stravinsky, Robert Craft - Symphony Of Psalms: Three Russian Sacred Choruses
Igor Stravinsky, Robert Craft - Symphony Of Psalms: Three Russian Sacred Choruses

STYLE: Classical
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 23254-
LABEL: Naxos 8557504
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

The opening "Three Russian Sacred Choruses" could only have come from Russia. The singing by the Gregg Smith Singers is unaccompanied, as is always the case in Russian Orthodox worship, and one can almost smell the incense and feel the cold. Next the Singers are joined by the Orchestra of St Luke's for a Mass written soon after Stravinsky had settled in America, which goes to show that even if you take the man out of Russia you cannot take Russia out of the man. We then move into the 1950s for "Cantata". This is a more challenging work that consists of nine canons, the centrepiece being the "Ricerace" for tenor (Thomas Bogdan in this recording), in which Christ foretells his Crucifixion. Then we have a setting of the story of the Tower of Babel from the book of Genesis. The Narration by David Wilson-Johnson is delightfully over the top in a Cecil B de Mille sort of way with some outstanding music almost getting lost behind it. We conclude with "The Symphony of Psalms" in its 1948 revision, which the composer dedicated "to the glory of God". The performances are uniformly excellent, as we would expect under the baton of Robert Craft, arguably the composer's pre-eminent interpreter.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.