Kabalevsky: Romeo and Juliet; The Comedians; Overtures (2012)

The United States and the Soviet Union might have been mortal enemies in the mid-20th century, but you'd never know it from symphonic programs of the era. It was not only the expatriate Prokofiev and the dissident Shostakovich who were played, but also approved Soviet composers like Aram Khachaturian and Dmitry Kabalevsky, whose suite from The Comedians was a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Kabalevsky is less often heard these days, which probably explains why the Delos label reissued this recording from the early 1990s. Unless ... Read More

The United States and the Soviet Union might have been mortal enemies in the mid-20th century, but you'd never know it from symphonic programs of the era. It was not only the expatriate Prokofiev and the dissident Shostakovich who were played, but also approved Soviet composers like Aram Khachaturian and Dmitry Kabalevsky, whose suite from The Comedians was a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Kabalevsky is less often heard these days, which probably explains why the Delos label reissued this recording from the early 1990s. Unless you read the fine print, there's little indication beyond the old spelling of the Byelorussian Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra that this is a reissue. ("Belarus" is now the preferred spelling.) The sound is serviceable, but those expecting state-of-the-art sonics may wish to do some sampling. The good news is that these are clean, enthusiastic performances of some of Kabalevsky's most popular works. The Comedians, Op. 26, is crisp and downright fun, although the Galop (track 12),... Read Less