Initiated and produced by André Bénichou, this disc is the fruit of the encounter between Pedro Ibañez, the great Spanish classical guitarist, and Vadim Avdeev, the director and arranger of Boris Alexandrov’s Red Army Choir. This is the fertile symbiosis between two universes, worlds in which the Iberian guitar — feline, sensual, and inscribed with the individuality and scalded sentiments of the Mediterranean tradition — combines with the power and rigour of a Russian choir evoking the collective soul of the great peoples of the north. Fire and ice! Patrick FRÉMEAUX & Laura BÉNICHOU Like the Bolshoi Ballets, the prestigious choir founded under the name of The Red Army Ensemble is a cultural reflection of traditional Russia. The extraordinary impression of power emanating from the choir and its virtuoso soloists allowed this Ensemble to reach international fame in a domain half-way between great popular entertainment and the classical orchestra. Frémeaux & Associés is now reissuing the recordings made by the son of Alexander Alexandrov, the founder of the choir’s most famous ensemble. These recordings, first made available in France by André Bénichou (7 Productions), testify – quite independently from any ideology – to one of the most important popular expressions of the 20th century. Michel COLOMBINI