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This release is one of those rare ones organized by its piano accompanist, and it is a densely constructed and absorbing piece of work. At the center is the poet Alexander Pushkin, whose texts are set in three of the four works on the album; the fourth, the Shostakovich Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40, is here because pianist Jocelyn Freeman perceived connections between that work and the nearly contemporary Four Pushkin Romances, Op. 46, of the same composer. These works originated in the mid-'30s when it would have been clear to Shostakovich that the grand Soviet experiment was headed south, and indeed, his settings of Pushkin's introspective texts are a perfect complement to the deep unease of the Cello Sonata. The theme of alienation and exile runs through the whole album, and it had certainly taken on new relevance by 2023, when the album was released (and made classical best-seller charts in the spring). The album's finale, which provides the title, was composed by Benjamin Britten for individuals who knew a lot about alienation and exile, the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya and her husband, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich; there was no cello part in the original song cycle, but the one provided by Freeman here seems natural enough and has the effect of plunging the listener into the creative community exemplified by the works on the program, which begins with the tense but more extroverted Three Pushkin Romances, Op. 73, of Prokofiev. Gemma Summerfield, who sings the Britten, and baritone Gareth Brynmor John, heard in the Shostakovich songs, are not quite on the exalted level of Vishnevskaya, but the program holds together beautifully in Freeman's conception, and it is reminiscent of the small gatherings where this chamber music was first heard. With Rubicon Classics providing excellent sound from the Wyastone Estate Concert Hall, this is a compelling recital of Russian song, even where some of it is by a non-Russian.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Three Pushkin Romances, Op. 73 (Sergei Prokofiev)
Sergei Prokofiev, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Gemma Summerfield, MainArtist, SopranoSolo
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Sergei Prokofiev, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Gemma Summerfield, MainArtist, SopranoSolo
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Sergei Prokofiev, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Gemma Summerfield, MainArtist, SopranoSolo
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Cello Sonata in D Minor Op. 40 (Dimitri Chostakovitch)
Dmitri Shostakovich, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Abi Hyde-Smith, Cello, MainArtist
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Dmitri Shostakovich, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Abi Hyde-Smith, Cello, MainArtist
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Dmitri Shostakovich, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Abi Hyde-Smith, Cello, MainArtist
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Dmitri Shostakovich, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Abi Hyde-Smith, Cello, MainArtist
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Four Pushkin Romances, Op. 46 (Dimitri Chostakovitch)
Dmitri Shostakovich, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Gareth Brynmor John, MainArtist, BaritoneVocals
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Dmitri Shostakovich, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Gareth Brynmor John, MainArtist, BaritoneVocals
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Dmitri Shostakovich, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Gareth Brynmor John, MainArtist, BaritoneVocals
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Dmitri Shostakovich, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Piano, MainArtist - Gareth Brynmor John, MainArtist, BaritoneVocals
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Benjamin Britten, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Arranger, Piano, MainArtist - Gemma Summerfield, MainArtist, SopranoSolo - Abi Hyde-Smith, Arranger, Cello, MainArtist
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Benjamin Britten, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Arranger, Piano, MainArtist - Gemma Summerfield, MainArtist, SopranoSolo - Abi Hyde-Smith, Arranger, Cello, MainArtist
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Benjamin Britten, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Arranger, Piano, MainArtist - Gemma Summerfield, MainArtist, SopranoSolo - Abi Hyde-Smith, Arranger, Cello, MainArtist
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Benjamin Britten, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Arranger, Piano, MainArtist - Gemma Summerfield, MainArtist, SopranoSolo - Abi Hyde-Smith, Arranger, Cello, MainArtist
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Benjamin Britten, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Arranger, Piano, MainArtist - Gemma Summerfield, MainArtist, SopranoSolo - Abi Hyde-Smith, Arranger, Cello, MainArtist
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Benjamin Britten, Composer - Jocelyn Freeman, Arranger, Piano, MainArtist - Gemma Summerfield, MainArtist, SopranoSolo - Abi Hyde-Smith, Arranger, Cello, MainArtist
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
Album review
This release is one of those rare ones organized by its piano accompanist, and it is a densely constructed and absorbing piece of work. At the center is the poet Alexander Pushkin, whose texts are set in three of the four works on the album; the fourth, the Shostakovich Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40, is here because pianist Jocelyn Freeman perceived connections between that work and the nearly contemporary Four Pushkin Romances, Op. 46, of the same composer. These works originated in the mid-'30s when it would have been clear to Shostakovich that the grand Soviet experiment was headed south, and indeed, his settings of Pushkin's introspective texts are a perfect complement to the deep unease of the Cello Sonata. The theme of alienation and exile runs through the whole album, and it had certainly taken on new relevance by 2023, when the album was released (and made classical best-seller charts in the spring). The album's finale, which provides the title, was composed by Benjamin Britten for individuals who knew a lot about alienation and exile, the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya and her husband, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich; there was no cello part in the original song cycle, but the one provided by Freeman here seems natural enough and has the effect of plunging the listener into the creative community exemplified by the works on the program, which begins with the tense but more extroverted Three Pushkin Romances, Op. 73, of Prokofiev. Gemma Summerfield, who sings the Britten, and baritone Gareth Brynmor John, heard in the Shostakovich songs, are not quite on the exalted level of Vishnevskaya, but the program holds together beautifully in Freeman's conception, and it is reminiscent of the small gatherings where this chamber music was first heard. With Rubicon Classics providing excellent sound from the Wyastone Estate Concert Hall, this is a compelling recital of Russian song, even where some of it is by a non-Russian.
© James Manheim /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 17 track(s)
- Total length: 01:05:27
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Jocelyn Freeman Gemma Summerfield Abi Hyde-Smith Gareth Brynmor John
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: RUBICON
- Genre: Classical Art Songs, Mélodies & Lieder Mélodies
2023 Rubicon Classics Ltd 2023 Jocelyn Freeman
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