RIMSKY-KORSAKOV ROMANCES ALBUM IS NOW RELEASED

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The Rimsky-Korsakov Album is now released and is available on Stone Records website, as well as Itunes, Google Play and Amazon.

Sunday Times Review:

"With the exception of The Nightingale and the Rose, Rimsky’s art songs are less well known than they deserve, so it is astute of Stone to present two rising young artists in a disc entirely devoted to these beautiful Romances. The Armenian Hovhannisyan wraps her bright, sensuous soprano around this famous number, but it is the Ukrainian baritone Yurchuk’s wonderful legato and superb Russian delivery that make this collection irresistible."

BBC Music Magazine Review:

"A gorgeous fest of Rimsky-Korsakov neglected Romances, rich in melody and colour. The two terrific, impassioned young singers are ones to watch."

Russian Art and Culture

"Both singers bring a strong feel for the text and the Russian language. These are not romances where the text is subsumed in the requirements of melody, the two go hand in hand. Both Hovhannisyan and Yurchuk have richly characterful voices. Hovhannisyan’s Slavic style soprano brings great character and richness to the music, though some may find her approach occasionally effortful. Yurchuk is similarly character with a resonant and lyrical baritone with an edge to it which reminds me of the young Sergei Leiferkus

Both share the honours, roughly alternating songs. Rimsky-Korsakov’s piano parts are perhaps not as demonstrative as some, erring on the side of flowing accompaniment, but Rybin brings out plenty of character.

Sergey Rybin provides an excellent article in the CD booklet introduction the composer and his music, and there are full transliterated texts (no Cyrillic) and translations. This is one of those discs that you feel ought to have been produced years ago. By my reckoning, there is material for a further three CDs!