This fine orchestral performance of
Rachmaninov's choral-orchestral masterpiece The Bells is nearly spoiled by poor singing. The WDR Sinfonie Orchester Köln plays with polished brilliance and manifest enthusiasm, while
Semyon Bychkov leads with a supple beat and a firm grasp of the long line. But as sung by the WDR Ründfunkchor Köln and the Lege Arts Chamber Choir, the text is too thick with muddled consonants, at times not even sounding like Russian, and
Rachmaninov's big tunes are bogged down by heaviness. The soloists are at best a mixed bag -- soprano
Tatiana Pavloskaya is wobbly, tenor Evgeny Akimov is strident, and baritone
Vladimir Vaneev is stolid -- but they at least sound authentically Russian. The combined choirs, on the other hand, garble the text and mumble the melodies so that not much is left of the music except heft and mass. The coupling of the Symphonic Dances is much better. Unencumbered by singers,
Bychkov and the Cologne orchestra turn in a bright and buoyant performance that rivals the better recordings of the late work. In short: the Symphonic Dances are worth hearing, but except for the orchestral introductions and interludes, steer clear of The Bells. The orchestral sound is deep and colorful in both performances.