I have enjoyed listening to selections on this CD titled “Julia Marty – From East to West.” The CD is obviously a labor of love. I am interested in music in general but my primary interest is “Classical” music. Russian folk (or folk-inspired) music, however, has never failed to fascinate me. Julia Marty has a beautiful voice, quite capable of delivering excellent renditions of songs written in the Russian folk (and popular) music styles. For the curious, in the popular music selections on this CD, some of the melodies (and arrangements) sound like those by the Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis (Vespers, etc.) To fully understand and enjoy the music on this CD, familiarity with Russian culture (of the past and present) helps but it is not a pre-requisite. The selection that stands out in this compilation is titled “Natalia.” The performance is heartfelt. It reveals a sense of loneliness, missing the bygone years, and cherishing what is left as memories. “Natalia” smoothly works its way into a lullaby-like tune played on the keyboard. This tune is in the style of Schumann in his “Kinderzenen” [From Foreign Lands and People; Entering Childhood; Child Falling Asleep,] or, Brahms’ “Lullaby” and the folk inspired tunes used by Mozart such as the “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” The melody could be a reference to what the artist heard as a child. Julia Marty is a capable pianist. The selection titled “From East to West” sounds eclectic, as if the “Eastern” Russian inspiration does not yield to easily mixing with the “Western” Jazz music developed in the United States (based on music from other regions of the world: Africa, Caribbean Islands, and parts of Europe). Great Russian composers of the Twentieth Century, such as Dmitri Shostakovich, however, have written Jazz inspired pieces. Therefore, the two forms have been successfully fused in the past. For an incomplete but, nonetheless, interesting and educational rendition of the influence of Russian village music on an instant of Russian classical music, one could refer to a recent DVD by Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (Keeping Score – Stravinsky: "Rite of Spring"). Stravinsky’s "Rite of Spring", in turn, influenced some Jazz musicians in the U.S. Julia Marty has a beautiful voice. “Natalia” alone is worth the asking price.
Raymond Bayan (Jan 31, 2008)