For her solo disc debut, Estonian mezzo-soprano Iris Oja has assembled a sumptuous group of Russian songs. Fourteen of Rachmaninov's more sentimental settings are bookended by two sets of Shostakovich -- his witty Six Spanish Songs, Op. 100, and his ironically populist Five Romances, Op. 98. Best known heretofore for her recordings with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Paul Hillier, Oja shows herself to be a superb soloist with a rich tone, a smooth technique, and an expressive way with a phrase; one would be ...
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For her solo disc debut, Estonian mezzo-soprano Iris Oja has assembled a sumptuous group of Russian songs. Fourteen of Rachmaninov's more sentimental settings are bookended by two sets of Shostakovich -- his witty Six Spanish Songs, Op. 100, and his ironically populist Five Romances, Op. 98. Best known heretofore for her recordings with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Paul Hillier, Oja shows herself to be a superb soloist with a rich tone, a smooth technique, and an expressive way with a phrase; one would be hard pressed to say which composer is better served by her singing. Her Rachmaninov is tenderly passionate, possessed of the unappeasable yearning that is so characteristic of the composer. But while her Shostakovich selections initially sound lighter and more cheerful than is typical of the normally darkly morbid composer, her ever so slightly arch tone lets the listener hear the bitterness and wormwood just beneath the surface. Accompanied with deft control and exemplary sympathy by...
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Add this copy of Rachmaninov/Shostakovich: Russian Songs to cart. $6.19, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Harmonia Mundi.
Add this copy of Rachmaninov, Shostakovich: Songs to cart. $10.00, new condition, Sold by Ebenezer Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hyde Park, VT, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Harmonia Mundi.
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