3 comments about A Life for the Tsar.

1. Bulgarian people understand more or less Russian partitions. It's an honest version but do not have great expectations. Other versions as Melik-Pachayev are less complete but much better.



2. Tchakarov was a very good conductor, and I admit that he is doing all he can in this recording. The opera is complete and performed in the first Glinka version. Martinovich and Tozcyka are both good, but I wish their voices could be a bit larger and lower for Susanin and Vania. The higher voices are disasterous. Pendachskaya is funny and in some moments unpleasant. The worst of the soloists is the American tenor Chris Merrit. He has a strangly dark lyric tenor, with a very unpleasent accent. He tries to sing all high notes and therefore, the phsycological partait is not shown. The small roles are actualy sung better then the major ones.



3. Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804-1857) is considered to be the father of Russian classical music. Glinka essentially was the first Russian musician with a formal musical training (at the Boarding School for the Nobility in St. Petersburg and later in 1833-1834 with Siegfried Dehn in Berlin for composition). Before Anton Rubinstein founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music in 1862 (with his brother, Nikolai Rubinstein the founder of the Moscow Conservatory by 1866), there were no formal professional institutions of music of any kind. Glinka was born into a wealthy family and was exposed to music of the West.

   Glinka's extensive travel abroad (to Italy and then to Berlin) gave him additional exposures, this time to the operas of Rossini, Bellini, Donezetti, others. After he returned to Russia from composition lessons under Dehn by 1834, Glinka understood music and especially operas enough so as to embark on his first opera, "A Life for the Tsar."

   "A Life for the Tsar", also the first Russian opera, was completed by 1836. The original title was "Ivan Susanin" but was changed to "A Life for the Tsar" by Glinka in dedicating the operas to Tsar Nicholas I after his visit to the rehersals. The orignal title was restored by 1918 by the Soviet Regime.

   The highly successful premiere of the work on November 27th, 1836 ensured the opera the permanent place in the repetoire in virtually every theatrical stages in Russia. Incidentially, "A Life for the Tsar" was performed (and recorded) more often than Glinka's second opera "Russlan and Ludmilla."

   Above all the recordings made on this work, Tchakarov, the Sofia National Opera Chorus, the Sofia Festival Orchestra, and the star singers gave a highly memorable and a polished performance. Not only did they performed the complete version of the work, there's this intimacy and warmths embetted. Boris Martinovich (as Ivan Susanin) was very commanding in his portrayal as a peasant of the Domnino village who love Russia and its Tsar enough the sacrifice his life. Alexandrina Pendachanska as Antonida (Susanin's daughter) was also magnificent and vivid while the rest of the cast never ceased to amaze me.

   Emil Tchakarov was on his way in possibly recording all of Russian operas. Sadly he succumbed to the AIDS endemic by 1991 at the age of 41. Sony Classical is doing him great justice in keeping his recordings undeleted. This recording is a gemstone, especially since recordings of Russian operas continue to take the back seat (either because original recordings of Russian operas never made it to the record shops or were deleted too prematurely or because new productions of this operas in theaters outside Russia are deemed as too risky by today's opera companies). This wonderful recording, however, is a reminder of just how much we are missing.

   Recommended, with grace.

5 comments about Wagner: Tristan und Isolde.

1. This live performace is without doubt one of the most intense and moving of all Tristan recordings ever made. But in this particular issue the sound is unbearable with distortions in all climaxes and at all higher notes. Try to find another issue.



2. SOURCE: Live performance from the 1952 Bayreuth Festival broadcast by Bavarian Radio.
   
   SOUND: Opera d'Oro, as always, is economical with facts and details about its products. Judging from what I hear, my guess is that the ultimate basis for this version was recorded off the air under somewhat less than ideal conditions. This supposition is supported by the fact that rival versions are crowing about being new re-masterings of the original Bavarian Radio tapes.
   
   I think the technical qualities of the recordings of "Parsifal" and "Meistersinger" made at the previous year's festival are better than they are on this 1952 set, but the 1951 "Meistersinger" is a compilation assembled from parts of performances and rehearsals and I strongly suspect that is equally true of the "Parsifal." They were made by EMI technicians under the personal direction of the great Walter Legge. In 1952, the Bavarian Radio engineers, faced with capturing a single live performance on the wing, couldn't match Legge and EMI. They, perforce recorded some annoying audience noise, accepted some occasional distortion (mostly involving Mödl) and placed their microphones in such a way that the orchestra is more distanced than it should be.
   
   There are a few sonic oddities. The offstage voice of the young sailor, for example, sounds extraordinarily echo-y for someone who is supposed to be on the deck of a ship in mid-ocean. From time to time, voices briefly take a nosedive in volume as singers turn away from the microphones or wander into sonic dead spots.
   
   All that said, I find the sound here to be satisfactory for what it is: a historical record of the quite remarkable performance that took place in Bayreuth six decades ago.
   
   CAST: Tristan - Ramon Vinay (tenor); Isolde - Martha Mödl (soprano); King Marke - Ludwig Weber (bass); Kurwenal - Hans Hotter (baritone); Melot - Herman Uhde (tenor); Brangäne - Ira Melaniuk (mezzo-soprano); Steersman - Gerhard Stolze (baritone); Young Sailor - Werner Faulhabler (tenor); Shepherd - Gerhard Unger (tenor).
   
   CONDUCTOR: Herbert von Karajan with the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus.
   
   DOCUMENTATION: No libretto. Bill Parker provides a short essay on the history of the opera and brief summary of the plot by act. Track list which does not show timings.
   
   COMMENTARY: The Bayreuth Festival was reborn in 1951 under the joint direction of Wieland and Wolfgang Wagner, the composer's grandsons. They were, unlike their English-born mother, deemed to be free of the taint of Nazidom, despite their former close relationship with the man they had called "Uncle Wolf." The Festival was beset by problems arising from an impoverished treasury and the need to take on new forms of production in order to confirm the break with the ... deplorable past. To balance its problems, the Festival luxuriated in the presence of two resident conductors of enormous stature, Hans Knappertsbusch and Herbert von Karajan--and positively reveled in the emergence of a generation of Wagnerian singers who can only be described as fabulous when compared to the current unimpressive crop.
   
   This recording dates from the second year of the revived festival, before the titanic egos of the two conductors had collided with the equally bloated egos of the Wagner Brothers to create permanent rifts. The cast, led by Vinay (1911-1996), Mödl (b. 1913), Weber (1899-1979) and Hotter (1909-2003) are a Wagnerian dream team. And the other roles are filled with performers of impressive stature, too.
   
   Of the great post-war generation of Wagnerian singers, the performers on this set were not the best singers, as such, but--in my opinion, at least--very much the best actors. If you want the best singing, go to the Flagstad or Nilssen versions. If you want a perfectly realized music drama, this is your set.
   
   Chilean Vinay, the once and future baritone, is a totally convincing Tristan, conveying the pain and passion of the role to perfection. Mödl is a precise match for him. To my mind, she does more than sing Isolde, she becomes Isolde. Weber and Hotter were performers of vast authority.
   
   No opera house in the world today could hope to match this cast--or even come close.
   
   This is a historic recording in adequate (but no more) mono sound. Nevertheless, the overall performance is so good, that it is worth five solid stars. When the mood strikes me to hear "Tristan und Isolde," this is the set that I put on the player.



3. This is the same 1952 live Bayreuth performance that we have seen in various incarnations on different labels - but in a poor transfer. Better to buy either the new Orfeo label edition, which is good but three times the price, or the bargain Membran set (available on Amazon UK) which is a good, clean transfer with minimal distortion. This performance will never be a sonic extravaganza in whatever issue you acquire it, and you have to endure some very annoying, persistent coughers who belie the reputation for attentiveness enjoyed by Bayreuth audiences, but its limitations are well worth accepting in return for an incandescent assumption of their roles by the two great principal singers in top form. There is something peculiarly immediate and vibrant about Modl's assumption of the role of Isolde which puts the magisterial but bland Flagstad in the shade and even outdoes Nilsson in the famous live Bohm performance. She has a Callas-like manner of getting to the heart of the role by a specially intelligent inflection of the text and affecting use of her lower register combined with some thrilling (if slightly "scooped") top notes. Vinay's baritonal tenor is both heroic and tender; the exchange between the lovers just after their discovery in flagrante by the king is particularly moving. Ludwig Weber is past his best and a bit wobbly, but knows how to wring the heart and Hotter, typically woofy and heavy on the vibrato, nonetheless creates a vivid character in his Kurwenal. Despite the limited sound you can hear how Karajan caresses the music without dragging it out or distorting the pacing of the work; he really is good here, free of the later affectations and mannerisms. Uhde turns in another typically incisive vignette as the vicious, obsessive Melot. Malaniuk is just average as Brangane but sings strongly and expressively where it counts in her offstage warnings during the great love duet. This recording takes its place alongside my other favourite "Tristans": the old Reiner/Beecham with Flagstad and Melchior (the latter still unbeatable), the later Furtwangler, the Bohm DG live, the Knappertsbusch set with Treptow and Braun and the last and latest Pappano, in lovely sound and preserving a performance of lieder-like intensity and burnished tone by Domingo.



4. I'm not here to praise this famed Tristan, which opened the 1952 season at Bayreth and also marked Karajan's last summer at the festival. Everything about it deserves the praise lavished by others. I just wanted to note, for those who haven't discovered the fact, that the official master tapes have now been released on Orfeo, ending fifty years of pirate pressings, some good, ome not so good. Lovers of the opera will want to buy the best sound they can find, despite the temptation of Opera d'Oro's bargain price.



5. There is no recording of this opera that offers a more involved performance than this. Conductor, orchestra and singers are all at their peak. Vinay is overwhelming; his anguish in Act III heart-breaking. Ludwig Weber's sorrow, as Marke in Act II,is palpable and beautifully sung. Modl's Isolde is rich-voiced and passionate.
   
   Prior reviews from the late 90's and early 2000's cite poor sound which is not evident on the copy I just bought (8/06). I can't imagine any lover of this opera being disappointed. This is the version I'll now listen to.

3 comments about Verdi: La Forza del Destino.

1. This is one of the three or four most satisfying recordings of this great, sprawling opera - and two of the others also feature Tebaldi. To hear her at her very best, you need to go to the legendary 1953 live set, thrillingly conducted by Mitropoulos - Del Monaco also is stunning here - but the sound is pretty woolly and Aldo Protti merely adequate compared with the burnished, nut-brown tones of Bastianini. The 1955 Decca studio recording, in excellent stereo sound, is very good - I cannot believe how snooty some critics (especially British ones who rave about weedy, effete voices like those of Pears, Bostridge and their like) are about Del Monaco in this, probably his best role; to me he is tremendous, but it has to be said that for sheer glamour, Corelli tops him in this 1958 recording (also available on black white DVD). The cast assembled is without peer, although some might reasonably prefer Siepi to Christoff in the role of Padre Guardiano; both are deeply satisfying. The sound is good and although Tebaldi is a little ungainly at times, this is a passionate, committed performance of real stature and Corelli's admirers will need no convincing; his duets with Bastianini are priceless. Buy it - only be aware that the common stage cut of about ten minutes is made in Act 3 (just after "Urna fatale") of the duet beginning "Ne gustare m'e dato", leading to "Sleale! Il segreto fu dunque violato" and culminating in the sword fight between Alvaro and Carlo (so wonderfully recorded by Caruso and De Luca) - so it's not a complete version, unlike the studio sets.



2. The video of this performance was an audio experience with snow but the Harvey Cd set there is no visual distraction. The sound really hurts the orchestra as it does in the VAI recording where the New Orleans Orchestra is just not good but the voices there is from another time warp. That recording has Milanov and Warren at their very best despite some whiners in some reviews. Sorry! Back to the Correlli, Tebaldi stunner. I think this is the only extant recording of Correlli in this role. I remember a matinée broadcast from the Met many many Saturdays ago in the late 50's with Correlli and Tebaldi and others. Corelli's big aria casued pandemonium. It is a shame he never recorded it in the studio with this cast. Vocally this is a miracle and so is the VAI recording where I think Milanov sings one her greatest performance in this role. She could be inconstant but she is on here. Buy but them both! Charge it! You'll have two great historical performances on Your shelf. The opera itself has poor moments but the casts here make it a masterpiece!



3. In spite of its rambling plot and reliance upon coincidence, "La Forza del Destino" has some of the most beautiful music in opera. Having heard numerous recordings (including the Met's 1984 video with Leontyne Price) plus a live performance, I can say without a doubt that this version is my favorite. I can't think of a more perfect cast of singers.

   When Herbert von Karajan first conducted Renata Tebaldi at La Scala in 1946, he exclaimed on hearing her sing "Ah! La voce d'angelo!" (Ah! The voice of an angel!) - possibly a comment on her location (she was singing in the organ loft) - but his description also fits her voice.

   In this recording of 'Forza,' Tebaldi spins out phrases of sheer tonal velvet, especially in Leonora's aria, 'Madre, pietosa Vergine' outside the monastery, and later when her voice floats out over the voices of the monks in the prayer 'La Vergine degli angeli.' Then you will have to wait until opera's end for 'Pace, pace, mio Dio.' Thank God Bach was Protestant, or we would have nothing to counter the gorgeous, compelling religiosity of this Verdi, as sung by Tebaldi.

   Listen to Franco Corelli sing 'La vita e inferno all'infelice,' one of the most difficult and beautiful tenor arias that Verdi ever wrote, or to his duet with Bastianini, 'Solemne in quest'ora,'and you may agree with those of us who believe he was the twentieth century's greatest tenor.

   The grim determination of Ettore Bastianini's Don Carlo di Vargas makes him a perfect foil to Correli in the Act IV duet "Invano, Alvaro, ti celasti al mondo." Corelli will break your heart, even though he is a somber rather than piteous Padre Raffaello. There is none of the Gigli sobbing in his music.

   Boris Christoff is a majestically sung Padre Guardiano. Just imagine Boris Godunov as a rather terrifying Italian monk.

   The two minor but important roles of Fra Melitone and the gypsy, Preziosilla are perfectly rendered by Renato Capecchi and Oralia Dominguez. If this 'Forza' hadn't had such strong principals, these two characters might have stolen the opera. I usually consider the fortune-telling, war-mongering gypsy and the short-tempered Franciscan monk annoyances to be gotten past so that I can hear the principals sing, but Capecchi and Dominguez demand a careful listening for these roles.

   This performance is conducted by Francesco Molinari Predelli.

3 comments about Bizet: Carmen.

1. I am thoroughly impressed with the quality and price of this version of Carmen, my favorite opera. For the price of one CD (I bought it when it was still only [price]), one gets three CDs including a quality live recording of this opera as well as a good number of "Bonus Tracks" performed by Gedda. The sound quality is far better than I'd expected given the price and the fact that it was recorded in 1954. There is no static or anything distracting on this recording (except perhaps for the inevitable occasional coughing of an audience member, which one must expect in a live performance). Both the conducting and the singing are great, as all the singers are very capable of their roles: Simionato's Carmen is both beautiful and nasty, Gedda's Jose is jealous yet loving, and Roux's Escamillo is arrogant and rather dislikeable yet wonderfully sung with fine enunciation. No libretto is provided, so look elsewhere if one is desired, but I'm not complaining. This is an excellent, high-quality performance and recording for a good price.



2. Could someone comment on the recording quality of this Carman?



3. What a find!!!! Here you have two great sopranos (Simionato and Gueden) in the midst of their glorious careers and one of the greatest tenors of all time at the beginning of his (the great Nicolai Gedda, at 29 and only 3 years into his magnificent singing career). Simionato and Gedda are just magnificent here. Gedda sings a Flower Song so virile and impassioned, it has yet to be equaled. Simionato sings a very beautiful, sexy effortless Carmen. One comment about the Viennans in the audience, there is very little applause (or noise of any kind, for that matter), Maestro Von Karajan must have had the audience sitting on their hands. The Maestro Von Karajan turns his customary great performance, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. This is such a great performance. Everyone sings so beautifully and their French style in this music is impeccable. Once again, the accoustics on this Gala recording are great. As an extra bonus, you get great performances of Nicolai Gedda singing excerpts from Les Hugeunots and Le Prophete (both by Meyerbeer and both in French). A perfect performance of the opera Carmen. After listening to this performance of Carmen, all others pale in comparison. A must have!

3 comments about Charles Gounod: Faust.

1. I must warn prospective buyers of this recording, that there is, in fact, a better, cheaper version available! Naxos Historical has released a meticulously remastered 1940 Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Faust, starring none other than that incomparable basso cantante Ezio Pinza in the role of Mephistopheles. Also, Richard Crooks' elegant portrayal of Faust, and exact observance of all of Gounod's markings, makes this recording, in my opinion, undoubtedly the best on offer!



2. This delicious version of Faust is the most complete on records. Authenticity is one of the finest qualities of this typically French opera usually sung by non-French singers with poor diction and diverse styles. It is hard to imagine that such an homogeneous cast could be gathered today. The extraordinary Mephistophele of Marcel Journet has never been surpassed, and the only close comparison in this role is the great Ezio Pinza. This Mephistophele is not only very well sung but also extraordinarily acted. Vezzani's Faust is so personal that it is hard to compare him with other outstanding tenors who have recorded the role (Gedda, Kraus); however, there is no doubt to qualify him at first rank. Mireille Berthon's Margueritte is very good, but she has been surpassed by other sopranos like Victoria de los Angeles. Louis Musy and Marthe Coiffier are very good as Valentin and Siebel. The quality of sound is really good for the time of the recording. If you are a French opera lover, don't miss this gem!



3. Of course the sound is 1928 mono but this is the only available recording that brings us closest to what Gounod had in mind when he composed this work. His Mephistopheles is supposed to be a suave charmer, not a roaring demon as the Russians and Bulgarians have made him on other recordings. (In fact, he even makes a slip in the first line of his "Calf of Gold Song," showing even the Devil is only human!) The Faust is sung by one of a dying breed: the French spinto tenor; and while the Marguerite may be pushed to her vocal limits in the Prison Scene, "She is Marguerite" as the movie ads say. So despite the technical flaws of this recording (RCA Victor was pretty sloppy back then in the quality of what they released), this is the most authentic Faust available. Note: the only deletion from the original set of 20 78 rpms is the opening music to Act II, which here begins with the mezzo aria directly. The entire ballet music, which could be deleted with little loss, is retained.

3 comments about Verdi: Don Carlo / Muti, Teatro alla Scala.

1. For a live Don Carlo, I would recommend the Met's dvd with Domingo and Freni or the d'Oro cd edition with Corelli and Janowitz. I am a big fan of all the singers here, except the mezzo, whom I've never heard before or since. She is adequate in this recording, with sometimes a nice chest register and good diction, but in the big arias, she becomes potato-mouthed, unintelligible, and unnatural-sounding. I would call her performance adequate. Dessi is the most enjoyable here - very Italianate, the voice is perfectly balanced, she shows adequate emotion, with just a hint of strain on the highest notes. It's the men that drive me nuts here. They all three sing beautifully but as though they are some sort of singing machines. Wet noodles - all three of them - no emotion hardly at all. The worst is Pavarotti. Listen to him in his Decca recordings of the Duke and Edgardo, and compare him here. Where did the passion go? I'll tell you where: he himself says he was not fully prepared for these performances and that's why he slipped up one of the nights and was booed. I have wanted to love this recording but I rarely play it in comparison to my other Don Carlos. Don Carlo is a terribly passionate character and so is the entire opera. I heartily reommend getting the d'Oro Corelli recording if you don't have it - it will give you goosebumps - this one will leave you completely unsatified.



2. This is a recording that two groups must possess. 1-fans of Don Carlos, 2-fans of Pavarotti. I have nearly every Don Carlo recorded in the last four decades, and this is my favorite. I bought it to round out my library, and instead it has reached the top of my list. Pavarotti shows a musicianship here he had not attained recently. He is right on the mark musically and emotionally. Otello proved too big for him and may make many avoid this recording -- but they should not. Pavarotti sings with elegance and pure class. His voice has just the right heft. As for the rest of the cast, Paolo Coni is a fine Rodrigo and one can never say enough about Samuel Ramey. This is an expensive set, but necessary for any serious collector or fan.



3. This recording taken from a string of live performances from La Scala sounds great on CD. The voices and orchestra come through very clearly and there is very little stage noise and the audience keeps quite until after each act is over. Now if only all the singers were up to their roles. Daniela Dessi as Elisabetta is adequate (which is good as I have heard her on recordings in truly dreadful voice.) Perhaps this role was a little too mature for her at this stage in her career. Luciana D'Intino was also adequate, sounding at times shrill. Paolo Coni is often put down, but to these ears he makes a fine Rodrigo. His voice blends beautifully with Pavarotti's. After having recently heard the Decca/London Don Carlo with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Rodrigo I would say Coni is revelation. I like and respect the artistry of Fischer-Dieskau, but listening to his Rodrigo is disturbing to the ears. Samuel Ramey does an excellent job (as he always does) as Filippo. Voice and temperment are just right for the king. You may recall that it was at these performances that Pavarotti was booed for a cracked note. Well, there are no cracked notes here, just glorious tones, amazing squillo, and a convincing performance. Don Carlo is one of the very last new roles for Pavarotti and in my opinion he made a very good choice in singing it. This recording, made in 1992 is of the four act version of the opera. I won't say this is the definitive recording of Don Carlo, but I do know that I prefer it to the Decca/London/Solti recording mentioned above (as wonderful as Bergonzi is!)

No comments about Zdenek Fibich: The Bride Of Messina.

5 comments about Mozart - Don Giovanni / Keenlyside, Salminen, Remigio, Heilmann, Terfel, Isokoski, D'Arcangelo, Pace, Abbado.

1. Claudio Abbado's reading of Don Giovanni may lack the spark of energy in his tempii but the singing is glorious and in this regard gives stiff competition to rival sets. There are several excellent recordings of Don Giovanni available among them Carlo Maria Guilini, Charles Makerras and Herbert von Karajan just to name three non-period instrument examples. My primary reason for choosing this set was Bryn Terfel as Leporello, who I saw in the role at a performance of the opera. For this recording, Mr. Terfel sang a marvelous catalog aria and is delightfully in character throughout the opera.
   
   The cast goes on from strength to strength. Simon Keenlyside as Don Giovanni is perfect in the role and sings the champagne aria with true vitality. Matti Salminen as the Commendatore is dream casting and gives a solid performance. The roles of Donna Anna and Donna Elvira are nicely filled by Carmela Remigio and Soile Isokoski and Zerlina is delicately sung by Patrizia Pace. Uwe Heilmann shines in the role of Don Octavio singing a solid role and the lone Italian - Ildebrando D'Arcangelo does a nice job wit the small role of Maseto.
   
   If you are looking for a well-sung Don Giovanni, look no further. The recording is beautifully balanced and clear, perhaps a bit un-dramatic in some areas but a reading that can also thrill and sparkle.



2. Is there still room for a slightly tweaked traditional performance of Don Giovanni? The opera houses of the world think so, but recordings have steadily slipped toward period performances. This Abbado set sounds like a good, not great, night at the Met or the Vienna State Opera. I favor baritone Dons over basses, so Simon Keenlyside's lyrical protrayal, with a dash but not too much sadism, sounds good to me, and he is well paired with the earthy (but perennially mugging) Bryn Terfel, who is much better here as Leporello than he was as the Don for Solti. If only he sounded less angry and more humorous.
   
   Among the women, the Donna Elvira of Isokoski stands out for vocal quality; she falls into the tradition of lyric sopranos like Te Kanawa and schwarzkopf in the role. The Zerlina of Patrizia Pace is proficient rather than coy, and she's not securely in tune all the time. However, she's note-perfect compared to Remigio's Donna Anna, who no doubt will never be heard from again, given her squally, edgy vocalism. Uwe Heilmann sounds thin and nasal as Don Ottavio, making this starchy pair of lovers even more of a trial than usual.
   
   Abbado moves things along steadily, with notably slow recitativos. Although he carefully makes points along the way, I'm not sure that caution ever works i this opera. It needs more drama and fun than Abbado seems to possess--I didn't want to cry or laugh at any point. The Chamber Orch. of Europe plays with a bit of an edge, trying to avoid overt romanticism a la Furtwangler or even Giulini. They, too, can't seem to find a smile.
   
   If I sound more negative than positive, it's because Don Giovanni demands the greatest performance but rarely gets it. At least Abbado and Co. avoid many pitfalls, and with a strong, youthful Don and show-stopping Leporello, this set earns a pretty high place in the current catalog.



3. Claudio Abbado typically gives attention to details in a score and this Don Giovanni is no exception. The pungent, focused sound of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe gives you a satisfying alternative to other lush orchestras. There is a feeling, however, that a bunch of enthusiasts got together for a weekend to make this recording. There are often minor derailments between the conductor, orchestra and singers when a tempo shift comes around.
   
   The star of the cast is Bryn Terfel. He emphasizes the buffo aspects of the role of Leporello and gives an entertaining class-clown performance. At the other extreme, the men's chorus sings like a football team.
   
   Deutsche Grammophon touts the "completely natural sound quality" of their 4D audio recording, yet both of Ottavio's major arias put the singer in a weird acoustic box. It's as if they recorded Uwe Heilmann in a car parked outside the Teatro Communale. I'm a fan of Simon Keenlyside but it doesn't sound like he's being dragged off to hell (or anywhere else) in the finale. It's more like he's lifting weights center stage. I know it's a quibble but they could have faded away to a remote microphone or just asked him to step away from his.
   
   There are aspects of this production worth hearing but my go-to recording is the 1956 Salzburg Festival performance conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos. It too has acoustic flaws and tempo train wrecks but you get top-notch singing from all eight of the principle roles.



4. This Don Giovanni is the best I have ever heard. Abbado handle Chamber Orchestra well as usual and the singing is great. Terfel and Keenlyside is doing a very good work on this and also Remigio.

   Overall this is a stunning record and dont look further. Sound is also at top level... meaning whole production is. Abbado understands Mozart well and is by the way, overall, a VERY steady conductor and is very good at operas in general.

   Its a matter of taste but no serious Mozart opera loving person could be dissapointed with this version.




5. This album is very well sung. I can't think of a better Leporello than Terfel. Perhaps Taddei or Van Damn, depending on your preferences, but I still prefer Terfel, he's that good in this role. D'Arcangelo's immense talents seem almost wasted on Masetto's role, but it is a delxe masetto. Keenlyside has to be one of the most underrated Dons of recent recordings. I prefer his portrayal to Terfel's flat Don Giovanni on Solti's. Keenlyside i perhaps the best recent Don in memory in terms of mixing the smooth and dangerous nature of the mian character. ( Peter Mattei is also great in the role) The women are good too, especially Isokowski and Remigio. Even with all this good singing, the opera still drags. The recitatives are taken at too slow a pace and some arias too. The fine singers are the only factors that save this recording from flopping. I might sound like im beating a dead horse, but get the Guilini version. You wo't regret it. Of course fans of Terfel must own this recording.

5 comments about Glinka: Ruslan And Lyudmila.

1. Like many people, I am familiar with the overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila but have never heard the opera. Mikhail Glinka's reputation as the father of Russian opera rests on just two works: A Life for the Tsar and Ruslan. Of the two, Ruslan is Glinka's masterpiece, but it was not recognized for what it was at its premiere in 1842. The lukewarm greeting poisoned Glinka's mind against writing another opera and it is said that he left Russian in disgust for Germany never to return. The orchestration is very colorful and vividly creates the mood of the story. Glinka included parts for piano, harp, tambourine, glockenspiel and glass harmonica.

   Glinka poured all of his genius into this charming magic-opera, based on a mock epic by Pushkin. What makes the opera fun are the fantastic elements in the story with no less than three magicians trying to turn events in their favor. The story is a bit convoluted but here goes a synopsis: Lyudmila is about to be married to Ruslan when the sorcerer Chernomer abducts her. Ruslan, and two other former suitors Ratmir and Farlaf, set out to rescue her. A good sorcerer named Finn helps Ruslan and Farlaf, a cowardly knight, happens upon the sorceress Naina who agrees to help him defeat Ruslan. Ruslan himself has an adventure confronting an enormous head that is the brother of Chernomer that is guarding a sword that was predicted to be the weapon that would kill Chernomer. Ruslan kills the head and takes the sword. Naina attempt to Ratmir and Ruslan to her magic castle to kill them but she is thwarted by Finn who breaks her spell. Ratmir and Ruslan join forces to save Lyudmila. When Ruslan confronts Chernomer, Lyudmila, is put under a magic sleeping spell. Ruslan has no difficulty dispatching the wizard with the sword but the spell cannot be broken. The sleeping Lyudmila is adducted, yet again, by Farlaf, who is, likewise, unable to break the spell. Finn comes to the rescue by giving Ratmir a magic ring that wakens Lyudmila when it touches her. The opera ends with general rejoicing.

   This recording of the opera by Valery Gergiev and the Kirov is a live performance, which lends some additional excitement to the action. The audience is quiet except for applause between the scenes and at the end of the acts. This is a dream cast with Anna Netrebko as Lyudmila, Vladamir Ognovienko as Ruslan, Galina Gorchakova as Gorislava, the lover of Ratmir, Larissa Diadkova as Ratmir and Konstantin Pluzhnikov as Finn. The Kirov Orchestra is simply superb in their energetic playing and beautiful phrasing. This is definitely an opera to have.




2. As a country, we have been truly unfortunate when the proletariat such as moskvich came to power in 1917 and has effectively wiped out the intelligencia. Had it not been for people like this, the two theaters could enjoy a fruitful working relationship, utilizing the talent of Mariinskiy (Kirov) and the experience of Bolshoi. Truly a shame.
   The recording at hand has much overlooked bass Vladimir Ognovenko as Ruslan and the talented and beautiful Anna Netrebko as Lyudmila. Ognovenko's bass at first would seem too sonorous for the role of youthful Ruslan, but he manages a fiery rendition of "Dai Perun mne mech bulatnyi" cabaletta where he shows that a bass can be cast in parts other than "dads, bads, and priests". This Ruslan also has the best Farlaf (cowardly knight) on record - Gennadiy Bezzubenkov. Ratmir is sang by Larissa Diadkova, whom Opera News rightfully calls The Enchantress. Even the supporting roles are done by great singers, e .g. Michail Kit as Vladimir, Lyudmila's father.
   I would like to recommend folks who are relatively new to Russian opera to read a translation of Alexander Pushkin's poem prior to listening to the recording. You'll find the most fascinating aspect of it - Chernomor, the evil wizard is played by... the orchestra. Enjoy!

   Vasiliy Nikolaevich Nikitskiy




3. .... I would like to point out that the only good thing about this Leningrad version is the conducting of Gergiev, which is, by the way not better than Simonov's and especialy Kondrashin's. That is obvious, since Gergiev is an Osetian, and not a Slav in any way, and there is nothing worse than foreigners trying to uncover the Russian soul. Since the whole Mariinsky company has one bass, Bezzubenkov, they try to feature him in most recordings. There was a very good singer from Kazakhstan, Bulat Minzhelkiyev, but he died a few years ago. Ognovenko, who without question is much more a baritone than bass, sounds not like Ruslan, but more like Liudmila's great-grandfather, since every time he opens his mouth, we get an impression that we hear a ninety year old. Without question, for him the best role to sing would be Pimen is Boris Godunov. Netrebko, who looks very well, and is, without question a very charming girl, just can not fully understand Liudmila's character. She sing all right, but her acting skills are far from the level of her Moscow collegues. On the other hand, the character roles are sung very well by Pluzhnikov, who can't help sounding a little like Shuiskiy, and Bogachova. Gorchakova, one of the most over-rated singers in the world today, is nothing compared to Vishnevskaya, Milashkina, Kasrashvili and Kalinina. The Gorislava of Nina Fomina on the Bolshoi version is far better. When you listen to this version, you get an impression, that you are listening to a very bad Russian-language version of a mixture of Mozart and Rossini. All of the singers on this set lack the russian "matalic" vibrato. In fact, this sounds like cheao Italian bel-canto. The truth is, the modern Kirov is a theater of one conductor. Unfortunately, after the so called democrats got control over power in the country, the Bolshoi lost a lot of money, which he got from the cultural communist, and a coucasian businessman known as Gergiev quicly invited some singers to his theater and took them a few trips abroad. The Bolshoi singers are even now on a higher level. As I said earlier, the Kirov does not have good basses - Bolshoi has Nesterenko, Matorin, Glubokiy, Mikhailov and Nizenko. The only worthy baritones in Lenngrad are Putilin and Gerello, while Moscow has Redkin, Bukin, Vedeneyev, Murzayev and Nechayev. The tenors in the Kirov are not that bad - they have Galuzin, Marusin and the young Akimov, but the Bolshoi has Tarashenko, Maisuradze and a very young Andrey Dunayev, and of course Zurab Sotkilava still appears on the stage. If you are interested at the real jewels of Russian vocal music, buy the "Russian Season" Bolshoi recordings.



4. What a fantastic recording. I love Russian opera...and this recording marks the 11th in my Russian opera series...and is quite different. I was quite shocked...after all Glinka was the father of Russian opera. Although it laid the foundations for Tchaikovsky, Moussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Prokofiev, etc...it is much different from their works.

   This is Belcanto, something I was not expecting- exciting and beautiful...you can definitely hear the Donizetti influence here. Even Bellini and Rossini. Quite thrilling in fact. Very entertaining...one wonderful melody after another....glorious. Music is beautiful, cast is wonderful. You just can't go wrong with Gergiev at the helm of the Kirov.

   Most recommend in the Russian canon, along with Boris Godounov and Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk!




5. After Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka enjoyed the success of his first opera "A Life for the Tsar" (1836), he set his sights on his next operatic project, "Ruslan and Ludmilla" (based on Alexander Pushkin's mock-epic story). The score, which Glinka started in 1838, was finished by 1842. The premiere took place on November 27th of that year and unlike the premiere of "A Life for the Tsar", Ruslan and Ludmilla" generated more of a mixed response from the audience and the critics alike. While some praised Glinka's use of Russian and Caucasian folk music and his vivid and imaginative orchestration, others criticized the work for its lack of drama.
   
   Yet on the other hand, "Ruslan and Ludmilla" became a very important work for the next generation of composers. Tchaikovsky called the work "the tsar of operas" whereas Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev and his group (the Russian Five or Moguchaya Kuchka) used the opera in advocating the essence of nationalism in writing Russian music. Balakirev effectively pointed out the orientalism in "Ruslan and Ludmilla" in furthering the cause against western cosmopolitanism. In fact, "Ruslan and Ludmilla" was Balakirev's bible of sorts and generations of composers after the 1880s understood the importance of Glinka's work for the sake of Russian art thanks largely to Balakirev (although "A Life for the Tsar" was the first to use Russian folksongs).
   
   Curiously, compared to "A Life for the Tsar", "Ruslan and Ludmilla" fared less well in recordings, even though performances of these operas are few & far in between. The 1952 recording featuring Kyrill Kondrashin and the Bolshoi was among the earliest recording of the score (Samuel Samosud recorded it earlier, in 1937, and it is considered by many to be finest version ever, even with cuts made during that performance). This gem of the work had to had to wait until 1983 for another recording, that of Yuri Simonov and the Bolshoi (again, with minor cuts). A twelve year gap separates that from the 1995 Kirov production with Gergiev on the podium. And it is this maestro who, like Kondrashin earlier, remains totally faithful to the full edition of the score.
   
   As for the performance, Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra and Chorus come up huge, with plenty of excitement & absolute vividness. Only Kondrashin and the Bolshoi places a bit more of an élan in that vintage recording while Simonov's take is memorable to say the least. The singers overall are spectacular in this Philips recording. Anna Netrebko is probably the best Ludmilla currently on record while Vladimir Ognovienko (in Ruslan) gives the character more of a purpose (in finding the abducted Ludmilla). Irina Bogachova (as Naina) and Galina Gorchakova (as Gorislava) sing with warmth and intimacy with such professionalism and admiration for Glinka's fantastical score (as with the rest of the cast).
   
   But the legendary though largely forgotten singers in the Kondrashin/Bolshoi recording scores even higher. The steller cast of great singers, which includes Ivan Petrov (Ruslan), Vera Firsova (Ludmilla), Georgi Nelepp (Finn), Aleksei Krivchenya (Farlaff) Yevgenya Verbitskaya (Ratmir), and Sergey Lemeshev (Bayan), sang with a marginally greater sense of panache & artistry than the current version here. That recording was re-issued briefly by Voce della Luna label (VL 2006-3) under Jem Music Corporation from the original Melodiya recording) and it's to me the most special of the recordings ever made.
   
   That said, the Philips album, with great sound and presentation, is highly recommended. But for me, the Kondrashin/Bolshoi recording takes first place.

No comments about Rossini - Tancredi (Complete Opera).