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Universal Music4
Jewels of Romance
André Rieu, violin; Johann Strauss Orchestra
Universal Music, Nov. 17, 2023
As the holiday season approaches, Dutch violinist André Rieu returns with a special album titled Jewels of Romance. After Happy Together (2021) and Silver Bells (2022), the man who became famous for his interpretations of Johann Strauss II’s Blue Danube (and subsequently created an orchestra in the composer’s name), offers us another series of classics from pop song, cinema and the great orchestral repertoire. With an ensemble of more than 50 musicians, it’s hardly surprising that some arrangements, such as Indian Love Call, The Sound of Silence and Everything I do, drag more than their original versions. On the other hand, The Ludlows does an excellent job of recreating James Horner’s music in Legends of the Fall. In fact, the latter has a Nowel, Nowel feel that could easily see it played on Dec. 25. The popular hit Smile also lends itself well to the exercise.
The album also contains a Ukrainian folk song, Nitsch Jaka, featuring Anna Reker. The Ukrainian-born singer, with her pleasant timbre but sometimes a shortness of breath, is accompanied by the Mastreechter Staar, a choir based in André Rieu’s birthplace and hometown. Last but not least, two standards from the classical repertoire are also on offer: Aquarium, from Camille Saint-Saëns’s Carnaval des animaux, and the waltz from the ballet Coppélia, composed by Léo Delibes.
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