Russian Christmas Special Offer

This collection includes one classic Russian folk-song recital and a very unique and rewarding CD of Russian Christmas music. In both, classically trained artists interpret the folk songs and Christmas carols. This type of release occasionally goes off the rails as the operatically trained singers confuse volume for passion, but with both of these recordings, you have extraordinary interpreters, singing in their native language, and offering up musical and cultural experiences.

Fans who remember music before the end of the Cold War will remember this recording - a grand old style recording with a balalaika orchestra backing one of the greatest and most powerful operatic voices of his generation. But Boris Christoff does know and love this material, and his obvious love of the material brings a universal appeal to this recital.

The St. Petersberg Chamber Choir winds through these beautiful works for Christmas, which the liner notes deem The Winter Pascha or The Three Day Feast like Easter. These choral works are not a Russian version of Handel's Messiah - they dwell on the mysteries of the birth, and the coming of the Magi. The most remarkable of these hymns or konatkion harken back to the Creation itself, and the evocation of a sacred Big Band, with angelic choirs will be the most thrilling moment you might find on a Christmas-themed CD this winter.

-Ronald Gregory