Mercury Records Collection: SR-90310: Balalaika Favorites

SR-90310: Balalaika Favorites / Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra, Gnutov

Label Type :	Maroon Mercury Stereo Living Presence High Fidelity
Matrix Number :	SIDE-A	SR-90310A-RFR-1 P17 FF
	SIDE-B	SR-90310B-RFR-1 SR-90310B-RFR-1 P17 FF

Comments

Equivalent release: Mercury MG-50310 (mono).

RFR pressing: This earliest RFR-1 pressings sounds so crisp and beautiful (although there are some ticks and pops). One of the great stereo recordings IMHO.

Personal Impression (and brief notes)

Russian Folk songs by a huge balalaika orchestra - I didn't even think of such impressive experience until I heard this LP. Most songs have been so familiar for us Japanese, probably because Russia and Japan is geographically (and culturally) close. In a musical sense, Russian melodies and chords progressions doesn't seem to be so close to those of Japanese, but there may be something that moves us Japanese much (such as bidirectional chord changes between minor notes and major notes, which are also common in Japanese folk songs). I believe that's because I have moved by this supreme orchestra sounds so much.

Happily, this performance was recorded in a true sense of “High Fidelity” - stereophonic presence and transiency are superb. I don't care if this is not a classical music or not. The great music will move us.

One of my best favourite performances.

Strictly Personal Rating (to what extent I could enjoy this album)

10 out of 10

Track Listing

A-2 A-3 A-4 A-5

SIDE-A
A-1	BUDASHKIN: Fantasy On Two Folk Songs	7:04
GORODOVSKAYA: At Sunrise	4:23
KULIKOV: The Linden Tree	4:15
OSIPOV: Kamarinskaya	2:40
MIKHAILOV-SHALAYEV: Fantasy On Volga Melodies	4:46
SIDE-B
B-1	ANDREYEV: In The Moonlight	3:03
B-2	SOLOVIEV-SEDOY: Midnight In Moscow	2:27
B-3	ANDREYEV: Under The Apple Tree	2:11
B-4	TCHAIKOVSKY: Dance Of The Comedians	4:29
B-5	SHISHAKOV: The Living Room	1:23
B-6	MOSSOLOV: Evening Bells	4:10
B-7	POPONOV: My Dear Old Friend, Please Visit Me	2:23
B-8	ANDREYEV: Waltz Of The Faun	4:18
B-9	RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Flight Of The Bumble-Bee	1:09

Personnel

Personnel/recorded date/master numbers confirmed with the Ruppli's discography.
(“The Mercury Labels - A Discography” by Ruppli and Novitsky, Greenwood Press, 1993)

Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra, Vitaly Gnutov (cond),
Rudolf Beldov, domra soloist,
Other instruments include: balalaikas, Vladimir Shepherd's horns, gooslis.
Recorded at Bolshoi Hall, Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow, USSR on June 13 and 16, 1962.

Jackets

Front	Back

Labels

Side A	Side B