Review: Alumni of the Yale Russian Chorus

Subject: RE: Review: Alumni of the Yale Russian Chorus
From: Janie
Date: 17 Nov 09 - 10:11 PM

It is so wonderful to have an opportunity to revisit the memory of that wonderful concert, Charlie.

And being able to watch the faces of the men as they sang, to note the pleasure and passion in their faces is really wonderful. I noticed that at the concert, even sitting as far back as I was, and to watch the faces up close adds even more.

Subject: RE: Review: Alumni of the Yale Russian Chorus
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 17 Nov 09 - 09:06 AM

Here's the URL for a YouTube recording of Blazhen Muzh by the Alumni of the Yale Russian Chorus at Duke on November 1, 2009. (It was just processed and mounted on YouTube!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIhnWWNVjpY&feature=channel


--Charlie Baum

Subject: RE: Review: Alumni of the Yale Russian Chorus
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 04:54 PM

Here's a YouTube from the performance. Pardon the camera jumping around--it took Andy a while before he steadied the camera, but the sound is glorious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiHX8GhcUTA


--Charlie Baum, who appears among the first tenors about half-way through the video.

Subject: RE: Review: Alumni of the Yale Russian Chorus
From: Janie
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 08:01 PM

Was looking for a Youtube performance that might be representative of what I heard tonight. didn't find it, but did find this trailer that gives some background on the quite remarkable history of the chorus. It didn't didn't start out as a bunch of "singers."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzFPv37Kb2c

Subject: Review: Alumni of the Yale Russian Chorus
From: Janie
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 07:51 PM

Our own Mudcatter Charlie Baum is a member of the Alumni of the Yale (Men's) Russian Chorus, and mentioned at the Getaway this year that he was going to be in Durham with them for a performance at Duke Chapel.

They were magnificent!   The first set consisted for the most part of sacred Russian music. I assume Russian Orthodox.They are a rather large a capella men's chorus. The accoustics in Duke Chapel are marvelous for choral singing (though terrible for the simple spoken word. The main conductor, Denis Mickiewicz, addressed the audience at length on two occasions, and most of us have no idea what he said or was talking about.) Several of these songs set chills running down my spine in some places, and had me floating up with the angels in others. "Blessed is the Man" (Blazhen muzh), with wave after wave of antiphonic Alleluias was so transporting that I literally lost awareness of everything but the music as it unfolded.

The second set consisted of Russian folk songs, some traditional, some arising as recently as World War II. The soloists were marvelous as was the entire chorus.

If you get a chance to hear them, do not pass it up.