XXV Symphonic Jablkon

After Jablkon's thoroughly disappointing 2003 effort Cestující v Noci, one wondered how the group's second symphonic album would turn out. Rest assured, XXV is everything a longtime fan of this Czech band could hope for. Recorded live at the Alternativa festival, in celebration of Jablkon's 25th anniversary, this album features the group and its guests accompanied by the Moravsti Symfonici, a young symphonic orchestra conducted by Ales Podaril. The arrangements are not the least bit complacent; instead, they relentlessly defy expectations, daring to go beyond the original songs and beyond the traditional role of an orchestra (listen to the musicians make a racket in "Crazy Waltz"). The result is similar to the Agon Orchestra revisiting Filip Topol and Psí Vojáci's repertoire (see Filip Topol & Agon Orchestra, also released by Indies). The selection of songs covers the group's entire career, from the 1988 album The Ninth Wave up to 2001's Mumlava and the group's then-current studio release, Cestující v Noci. Michal Nemec Jablkon is in very good shape, making all kinds of voices (and — one can imagine from how the crowd reacts — faces), personifying the songs. Highlights include "Nursery Rhymes" ("Ríkadla"), the always impressive "Baba Aga," "Crazy Waltz" ("Bláznivy Valcík"), where the group heartily mocks orchestral seriousness, and the complex "One Pint Jug" ("Pulitr"), one of Jablkon's most enduring classics. The only weak moment is found in "Letter to Vera" ("Dopis Vere"), where the arrangements suddenly become tame, almost mundane. Luckily, "Farewell Applause" is given a crowd-pleasing treatment and "Who Will Sing to Us" ("Kdopak nám Zazpívá") is hilarious, pitting the orchestra musicians posing as a children's choir against the briefly punk rocking Jablkon. The CD concludes with two acoustic numbers, a nice finale. It is worth mentioning that there are no repeat selections between XXV and the 1995 album Symphonic Jablkon. ~ François Couture, Rovi