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The Mighty Five (Могучая кучка) album cover

Album guide

The Mighty Five (Могучая кучка)

Alexey Kruglov - Jaak Sooäär Quartet

Released
2014
Label
ArtBeat Music
Forces
Saxophone, Guitar, Quartet
Personnel
Alexey Kruglov alto and soprano saxophones, Jaak Sooäär electric guitar, Mihkel Mälgand double bass, Tanel Ruben drums

The Mighty Five contains music by only four members of the Russian circle. César Cui’s absence is acknowledged with a joke in Flight of the Bumble Bee… Or… Sorry Cezar, a 75-second burst that pushes Rimsky-Korsakov towards free jazz.

The rest is equally unwilling to behave like a polite chamber tribute. Alexey Kruglov adds toy saxophone, train whistle and shouts to a quartet driven by Jaak Sooäär’s electric guitar and live electronics.

Hear both

The classical side contains only the source pieces used on the album, in album order. The jazz side presents the complete album whenever a dependable copy can be embedded.

The originalsRimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Mussorgsky, Balakirev · classical source works

The listening queues above follow the same order. The classical player omits tracks that are not based on a classical original.

Jazzed upAlexey Kruglov - Jaak Sooäär Quartet · 2014
Open full album in Spotify

Spotify’s player is here for convenience; the full track listing below remains available to everyone.

Source works

The album’s complete track listing, with each classical source identified and original compositions marked plainly.

  1. Scheherazade, Op. 35: I. The Sea and Sinbad’s ShipRimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35: I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship — the theme
  2. Alexander Borodin Prince Igor: Chorus of Polovtsian GirlsBorodin: Prince Igor, Act II: the Polovtsian Dance with chorus, “Улетай на крыльях ветра”
  3. Pictures at an Exhibition: II. The Old CastleMussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition — II. Il vecchio castello (The Old Castle)
  4. Tale of the Tsar Saltan: Flight of BumblebeeRimsky-Korsakov: The Tale of Tsar Saltan — Flight of the Bumblebee
  5. Pictures at an Exhibition: X. The Great Gate of KievMussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition — X. The Great Gate of Kiev
  6. Nocturne in F-Sharp MinorBalakirev: Nocturne in F-sharp minor
  7. Pictures at an Exhibition: IX. Baba-YagáMussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition — IX. The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba-Yaga)
  8. Prince Igor: No Sleep, No RestBorodin: Prince Igor, Act II: Igor’s aria “Ни сна, ни отдыха измученной душе”