More Deep Russian Soul

The Bells was reportedly Rachmaniov's favourite of all his compositions. He described it as a poem for soprano, tenor, baritone, chorus and orchestra. It is played on this disk by the Russian National Orchestra, Moscow State Chamber Choir, Marina Mescheriakova ( soprano ), Sergei Larin ( tenor ) and Vladimir Chernov ( baritone ) conducted by Mikhail Pletnev. Although the text set is by Edgar Allen Poe, the sound world is unmistakably Russian. The four parts portray four kinds of bells; sleigh bells, wedding bells, alarm bells and funeral bells, with the musical settings getting progressively more lugubrious but effecting. The second piece on the disk is much less well known but is a gem. It is a cantata for chorus and orchestra by Taneyev titled John Of Damascus. Again the feeling of the Russian soul is paramount in this setting of text by Alexei Tolstoi, although Taneyev's aim was to incorporate a fusion of Russian folk and liturgical music with Bachian counterpoint. This is especially evident in the closing fugue but the Russian sopund of that choir wins out in the end. Unlike the Bells, the ending here is more upbeat than the beginning as the soul heads for heaven.