CHRISTMAS ALBUM
CD MSM003
Our collaborator Leslie Mickelson (see her profile on nostalgic x-mas recordings) will be happily surprised when seeing a new x-mas CD has just been released by Michael Storr’s company. And it is quite an enjoyable release too made up of various songs and various interpreters. The compilation starts with the fine, polished Slovanian tenor voice of Pavol Breslik who proves that besides the good looks he also has the good voice in ‘O holy night’ for making an international career, at least on record. Tenor Dmitry Korchak hails from Russia and was the winner of the 2004 Vinas competition; he sings ‘The snow maiden’ as to the manner born but one wonders why Sylvie Valeyre had to opt for ‘What child is this?’ while there are so many beautiful French x-mas songs which would have become her better. Mezzo Mihoko Fujimara performs a rarity: a x-mas song by Kosaku Yamada, a former Max Bruch student and founder of the first Japanese symphony orchestra. What a delight to hear something different so nicely sung. Something different is also offered by Mexican tenor Dante Alcalà -this time in Spanish- with Femin Alvarez’s ‘Plegaria Dios te salve Maria’ and Rodney Clarke lends his bass to Peter Cornelius’s ‘The three kings’. Gruber’s ‘Stille Nacht’ is sung alternately by Fujimura, Alcalà, Breslik and Wook yung Kum. The latter is an Italianate Korean tenor who also sings a sensitive ‘Mille cherubini in coro. A wonderful compilation of young upcoming stars.
Rudi van den Bulck, Operanostalgia