Record Reviews

IMPROOPERA ~ IMPROOPERA REQUIEM / LYDIAN 2021/18 ~ POLAND ~ Pop-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by Polish duo ImprooperaFind albums by this artist comprising od mezzo soprano opera singer Aleksandra OpalaFind albums by this artist and Jazz keyboardist Piotr MatusikFind albums by this artist. The album presents six tracks, three composed by Polish Classical composer Karol SzymanowskiFind albums by this artist and one each by Maurice RavelFind albums by this artist, Pyotr TchaikovskyFind albums by this artist and Stanislaw NiewiadomskiFind albums by this artist, all arranged by Matusik. Most of the material is treated very closely to its original form, as composed, with Matusik employing some synthesizer parts in addition to his acoustic piano playing. There are just a few moments of instrumental improvisation by Matusik, and his arrangements of the original music are extremely respectful and delicate. The vocal parts are beautifully performed and Matusik already proved himself as an excellent keyboardist playing on several records in the past, which of course makes this album a true pleasure to listen to. Although personally I’d prefer to hear the duo taking a bit more risks and moving further away from the Classical core into open ventures, but I respect their choices. This album is closely linked to the “Stanislaw Moniuszko: Z Domowego SpiewnikaFind albums with this title” album, also featuring Opala and Matusik and following a similar musical concept, which I also liked very much. Overall this is a very unusual and stimulation album, definitely worth being discovered, and it might build another bridge between Classical Music and Jazz, or in this case Opera and Jazz to be more specific. Well done!

Updated: 15/07/2021Posted: 15/07/2021

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ STANISLAW MONIUSZKO: Z DOMOWEGO SPIEWNIKA REQUIEM / LYDIAN 2020/13 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is one of many albums recorded by Polish Jazz artists as part of the birthday bicentenary celebrations of the Polish Classical composer Stanislaw MoniuszkoFind albums by this artist (1819-1872). This album presents Jazzed up arrangements of eight songs taken from his "Home Songs" collections, performed by mezzo-soprano operatic singer Aleksandra OpalaFind albums by this artist, pianist Piotr MatusikFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Marcin ZupanskiFind albums by this artist and accordionist Wojciech GolecFind albums by this artist. The approach is quite original, and offers a direct contrast between the Classic songs performed by Opala and the improvised / Jazzy parts by the three instrumentalists, which harmonize beautifully, even when they "clash" stylistically when the instrumental parts are almost Free Jazz oriented. As a result this is definitely one of the most interesting Moniuszko related Polish Jazz projects the "Moniuszko year" produced. As magnificent and interesting as the Polish Jazz scene is, easily topping the European scene in the last two decades or so, it suffers from local "obsession" when dealing with its National Musical heritage. A huge part of Polish Jazz recordings is related either to Krzysztof KomedaFind albums by this artist (the Godfather of Polish Jazz) or Frederic ChopinFind albums by this artist (the National composer), and lately Moniuszko – all totally out of proportion and in complete contrast to the need to respectfully leave the past behind and look ahead. Of course such projects find support more easily from the Ministry of Culture and other financial support bodies, but such opportunism should be kept at bay as much as possible. Having said all that, this project is definitely "forgiven" for riding on the Moniuszko wave, due to its originality and overall splendid music it offers and for being quite different from most Jazz-Classical Fusion offerings the world over. Personally I enjoyed this music immensely, as weird as it sound at first – well done Lady and Gentlemen!

Updated: 15/07/2021Posted: 04/01/2021

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend