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Russian and World music CD DVD shop and Classic distribution
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ID: KAI0012912
CDs: 1
Type: CD
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Collection:
Opera Collection
It's stretching the conventional, technical definition of the term to call Swiss composer Michael Jarrell's spoken monodrama "Cassandre" an opera, but that's the composer's description of it, and as such, it ought to be respected. It does consist of a musical narrative accompanying a verbal narrative, so even though it doesn't involve singing, it comes closer to standard opera than some pieces that are so designated. Also, the fact that it is so compelling as a unified musical and dramatic entity makes its definition seem less consequential; it's fully successful in using music and story to draw the listener into the protagonist's world. "Cassandre" has received numerous international performances since its 1994 premiere and has been translated into a variety of languages. In its form, popularity, subject matter (the protagonist's reflection on the trauma of war), emotional impact, and to some extent its musical style, it strongly resembles Marc Neikrug's haunting 1980 "music-drama" "Through Roses."
"Cassandre" is based on a text by Christa Wolf that actress Astrid Bas delivers with urgency and poignant dramatic restraint. Jarrell's score for chamber ensemble is notable for the evocative subtlety of its depiction of the Trojan prophet's state of mind as she recounts the horrors of the war. Jarrell avoids the obvious -- the big rhetorical gestures -- that would seem to be appropriate for such a dramatic and grim story, and instead creates a soundworld of gossamer, dream-like ethereality to underscore "Cassandre"'s intimate musings. His orchestration is incandescent, and the music is simply beautiful in its prismatically evolving textures. For a piece that rarely rises above a whisper, it makes a surprisingly visceral impact. IRCAM's Ensemble InterContemporain, led by Susanna Mälkki, plays the challenging score with exceptional grace and delicacy. Kairos' sound is immaculate, as is typical for its releases. Highly recommended for fans of new music.
Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide |
| 9.00 eur Buy |
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ID: KAI0012222
CDs: 1
Type: CD
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Collection:
Opera Collection
Subcollection: OpéraBoth peculiar archaism and highest sensitivity characterize this quiet while extremely tense sound landscapes of the Sicilian composer Salvatore Sciarrino.
(Hans-Peter Jahn)
Includes booklet with text by Hans-Peter Jahn |
| 9.00 eur Buy |
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ID: KAI0013052
CDs: 1
Type: CD
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Collection:
Opera Collection
Subcollection: Voices and Chamber EnsembleThis is a piece about reality and fiction, about the strength of the imagination and the power of the past, and about love...
Mexican author Carlos Fuentes wrote his short story Aura in Paris in 1961. It belongs to the traditions of magic realism and Latin American ghost stories, even if it actually goes far beyond these. In an essay which is almost as long as the actual story, Fuentes not only explained the autobiographical impetus for the tale, but also described the culture-historical and motivic framework within which this story lives. It ranges from ancient Chinese literature to a Japanese story from the 17th century and on to Luis Buñuel’s Exterminating Angel, Alexandre Dumas’ Lady of the Camellias and Verdi’s La Traviata. For Fuentes, Aura is above all a story of eroticism and necrophilia, taking up the time-honoured tradition of stories about eternal fidelity and couples who are reunited in death. (Rainer Pöllmann)
Includes booklet with text by Rainer Pöllmann, libretto by José M. Sánchez-Verdú |
| 9.00 eur Buy |
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ID: CDMAN138
CDs: 1
Type: CD
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Collection:
Baroque
Subcollection: CelloRecorded by Petersburg Recording Studio, 1977
Dido, Queen of Cathage - Eugenia Gorokhovskaya
Aeneas, a Trojan prince - Nikolay Kaloshin
Belinda - Valentina Kozyreva
Sorceress - Nadezhda Vainer
1st witch - Valentina Gagen
2nd witch - Galina Pavlova
Alexander Demurjan, cello
Chamber choir, Leningrad Chamber Orchestra, conductor Valentin Nesterov |
| 9.00 eur Buy |
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ID: CDMAN170
CDs: 1
Type: CD
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Subcollection: OpéraKonstatin Pluzhnikov, tenor (7)
Gennady Bezzubenkov, bass (8) |
| 9.00 eur Buy |
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