Search - Dmitry Kabalevsky, Vasil Jelvakov, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra :: Kabalevsky: Colas Breugnon; The Comedians; Romeo and Juliet

Fun music; good recording

cwb | Carmel, IN | 12/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was introduced to Kabalevsky in my youth orchestra when we performed the Overture to Colas Breugnon. The overture is incredibly fast-paced, exciting, and fun to play, so I went on a search for more Kabalevsky music. I was disappointed to find that he is, in my opinion, an under-rated composer. It isn't easy to find very many recordings of his works.



I stumbled across this CD featuring the Moscow Symphony, which features some great pieces. "The Comedians" has the energetic quality and the occasional bizarre chord progression that makes the Colas Breugnon suite (also on this recording) so much fun. And it is always interesting to hear yet another musical interpretation of "Romeo and Juliet."



I had never heard a recording by the Moscow Symphony, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of that group. The orchestra does a good job with some incredibly difficult music. I highly recommend this recording to both long-time Kabalevsky fans and new admirers.

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