Russian Christmas Music by Alfred Reed, conducted by Johanna Anderson, performed on 12/15/24. скачать в хорошем качестве

Russian Christmas Music by Alfred Reed, conducted by Johanna Anderson, performed on 12/15/24.

Performed at Holy Hill Basilica, December 15, 2024. Russian Christmas Music is one of the many Alfred Reed pieces that is counted among the standard repertoire for wind bands. It was originally written in November of 1944 and performed later that same year at a special concert in Denver, Colorado. It was originally commissioned as a tribute to the friendship between the Russian and American allies in WWII. The inspiration of the piece is from an ancient Russian Christmas carol, "Carol of the Little Russian Children" along with some elements taken from the liturgical music of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Although it is given in one single movement, four distinct sections can be easily recognized. Reed subtitled these sections "Children's Carol", "Antiphonal Chant", "Village Song" and the closing "Cathedral Chorus". "Children's Carol" starts slowly with the clarinets, chimes and string bass. Other voices soon join in building into the next section. "Antiphonal Chant" is faster and longer, with the melody carried by the brass section. As the woodwinds join, the music becomes more and more frenzied until the section ends with a massive pervasive crash. "Village Song" is much gentler and highlights quite a few soloists. It then enters a more unique time signature of 6/4 where the woodwind and brass sections exchange playing a series of cantabile phrases as the string bass, and later the bells, plays a long string of very distinct eighth notes in the background. The section lessens in intensity and ends with another soloist. "Cathedral Chorus" starts quietly as the previous section ends, but quickly builds into a very majestic sound. The section then builds to a climax, then backing down to a final woodwind chorale. The sound builds again, and the piece concludes with a chorale, which include a wonderful chime part and a horn counter melody.