Includes work(s) by various composers. Ensembles: Soviet Red Army Chorus, Red Army Band. Conductor: Victor Fedorov.

Following on the success of Fremeaux's first release of the Red Army Choir's historic recordings, the label now offers a second volume devoted to great traditional Soviet melodies. The repertoire on the disc includes the National Anthem of the USSR.

On this release, the Red Army Choir sings traditional and orthodox Christmas songs. Even when singing such familiar music, the precision of the ensemble's sound reveals the full mastery of the choir's vocal skills. Combined with a unique feeling for these carols' arrangements, these performances remind the listener exactly why the Red Army Choir was one of the great artistic symbols of the Soviet era.

Produced by Andre Benichou, this record is the result of an encounter between Pedro Ibanez, the great Spanish classical guitarist, and Vadim Avdeev, the director and arranger of Boris Alexandrov's Red Army Choir. This collaboration between two universes combines the Iberian guitar and the Mediterranean traditions with the power and rigor of a Russian choir evoking the collective soul of the great peoples of the north.

RED ARMY CHORUS: The Best of the Original Ensemble