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