Here is yet another brilliant, glittering collection of Rimsky-Korsakov orchestral music, made all the more appealing by the intelligently planned program. The two biggest, most popular works, Capriccio espagnol and the Russian Easter Overture, bracket the rest of the program–a delightful selection of opera overtures, Dubinushka, and the rarely heard but lovely Overture on Russian Themes. Two of these, the overtures to May Night and The Tsar’s Bride, are quite substantial on their own, and they deserve to be played more frequently.
The performances, as we have come to expect from these forces, are very good. There was a moment, at the launch of the coda to the “Fandango asturiano” in the Capriccio espagnol, where it sounded as though Gerard Schwarz wouldn’t turn up the heat sufficiently, but after a few seconds that worry vanished. Certainly there’s no lack of excitement in this Russian Easter Overture, or in any of the other pieces. Throughout the program the orchestra plays with admirable discipline and vitality, and the sonics are crisp and bright, like the performances themselves. A useful and very attractive release.
