Russian composer Edison Denisov (1929-96) was just old enough when he began his career to be immediately censored by the Stalinist-run Culture Ministry–like every other worthy Russian composer of his day. However his music nevertheless gained in popularity, particularly when he turned to composing music for the international film community. This disc contains three suites (orchestrated and arranged by Yuri Kasparov) from movies that best represent Denisov’s work in this genre. While perhaps not as distinct as Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky suite, they stand well on their own, and in any case have little or nothing to do with Socialist Realism. As for the music itself, Une Etoile Sans Nom/A Nameless Star (1978) has flourishes of turn-of-the-century European Romanticism, while Un Mari Idéal/An Ideal Husband (1980) is a bit more modern (using collage techniques) and briefly taps into elements of American jazz and ragtime. La Tortue Tortilla/Turtle Tortilla (1960), based on a Russian version of Pinocchio, has even more elements of jazz (and swing as well).
Considering the serious interest modern Russian musicians have shown for indigenous American music, it’s perhaps not at all surprising that the Orchestre de la Cinématographie Russe takes to the jazz sequences quite well, particularly its very confident trumpeter who’s got his Harry James down solid. Sonics and overall orchestral performances here are quite good, and although A Nameless Star might seem a bit dated, An Ideal Husband and Turtle Tortilla are very much worth a listen.
