The Rusalka Cycle: Songs Between the Worlds

Album Review

This collaboration between the American female choir and Ukrainian composer Mariana Sadovska builds from a base of folk texts and melodies into quite a stunning original work. There's a strong element of tradition to it, based on the story of the Rusalki, the spirits of dead women who live in the waters, forest and fields, and who bring fertility to the crops each spring. But it's far from being a folk piece. The original tunes Sadovska brings, along with the arrangements, make it soar. Kitka, who've proved their worth before, take their cue from Eastern European music, fitting perfectly into this as they are able to perform the subtle vocal gymnastics necessary to bring all this to life. In spite of the myth of regeneration and fertility, there's an overwhelming sadness to much of it, in the aching sweep of voices and eerie harmonies. This music, intended for a stage production, works alone, but is more effective when heard as an extended piece shifting through moods rather than as individual tracks. In spite of the melancholy, there's real beauty and invention in it all, to match the spirits of all those dead women.