Pokrovsky Ensemble Les Noces Label: Elektra Nonesuch Stravinsky's Les Noces ("The Wedding") and Russian Village Wedding Songs. This CD is superb. Amazing performances of traditional Russian wedding songs, intended to reveal Stravinsky's use of these sources for the ballet Les Noces ("The Wedding"), which is also performed here. Every track relies extensively on the choral work of the singers in the Pokrovsky Ensemble. There's a little variation in tempo and background instrumentation, but most of the tracks are pretty similar, with an oddly unsettling, powerful quality to them. None are more unsettling than the Stravinsky pieces themselves, where angular, demented instrumentation supplements the intense vocal work. Every track is great. Try cut 17 and tell me this isn't some of the most powerful music you've ever heard. Try cut 3 for an excellent solo female vocal lament, and compare it to Stravinsky's augemented version, cut 4. The liner notes are also superb. Translations of all the songs are provided, as well extensive notes, which describe Russian wedding customs, and speculate on Stravinsky's motives for denying that he incorporated traditional influences in his work. 1 2:01 Play, Skomoroshek faster. female vox, male chorus 2 3:15 River Wailing female voices. Slower. 3 2:33 Trumpet Solo bridal lament. 4 5:00 Les Noces, First Tableau Bridal lament w/accompaniment 5 5:25 Les Noces, Second Tableau Preparing for battle/wedding 6 3:18 Les Noces, Third Tableau A truly demented Wedding. 7 9:05 Les Noces, Fourth Tableau upbeat vibe, kinda like "Hair" 8 1:12 Cosmas and Demian Fiddle, male voices. Mid-tempo 9 1:43 The Drinker Slower, wailing female/male 10 2:40 Green Forest Slower choral lament. 11 1:04 God Bless, Jesus mouth harp, male chorus 12 2:42 My White Peas female chorus. Unsettling... 13 1:39 Steambath guitar, harp, female voices 14 2:07 Berry female chorus, fiddle 15 1:31 Black Beaver female voice answering chorus 16 2:13 In the House flutey, cool metal banging 17 1:27 Bunny with Short Legs Flute, Intense female chorus. 18 1:30 The Bed Fairly rapid chorus. 19 3:23 Birch Tree Female lamenting, chorus in BG