After listening to Trevor Pinnock and his English Concert and Chorus Oratorio quick and upbeat interpretation of Handel's Messiah for so long, it's odd to be forced to listen to something else, namely the slower and more ponderous version by the St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra (since I do not feel like listening to my sister's CD version with a Boys' Choir singing the Sop part and Male Solos for Alto-Bass, and she probably has the CDs with her anyway). There seems to be life lacking in this version, the words roll awkwardly off their tongues while their accents are quite distinctive, I can pick out individual voices, the choir strains very often, I can't hear much joy or awe in parts like "And The Glory of The Lord", the Tenors sounded like they were yawning when singing "And He Shall Reign Forever And Ever" and in "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" and I *swear* they sung, "The Prince Of Piss". All in all, it sounds like a Senior Citizens' choir.

Okay, so I'm picky. Maybe it's something to do with the fact that they're Russians.


"Chopin's first Ballade is perhaps one of the most over-performed non-sonata works in piano repertoire. So here I add another one."

Haha.