1 comments about Wagner - Rienzi / Kollo · Studer · Rootering · Bayerische Staatsoper · Sawallisch.

1. This live recording of Wagner's early opera Rienzi is the epitome of what early grand Wagner opera should sound like. The superb heldentenor Rene Kollo heads up the cast in a stunning performance. Critics were never too fond of his voice, since he was a lesser star next to the big Wagnerian tenors like James King, Jon Vickers and Wolfgang Windgassen, but Kollo had a very flexible voice, one with brilliant lyricism and terrific lung power. His role in Rienzi must be by far his best work, and certainly one that was ver demanding vocally. It's a long opera with a convulated plot, and is an example of Wagner's first maturity as a composer of Romantic opera. This represents a style of opera that is neither Flying Dutchman nor Der Freischutz. It is a Germanic form of Meyerbeer, a composer whom Wagner was openly critical of but who had to secretly admit was a great influence. Soprano Cheryl Studer sings with passion, lyrical strength and virtuosic musicality. Her golden voice was capable of singing Wagner (she sang Elisabeth in Tannhauser) and bel canto (she has sung Lucia and Verdi's Traviata). So in Kollo and Studer you get great versatile voices singing in a thrilling manner. All fans of these artists and of Wagner will want to buy this recording. There is another Rienzi with Kollo on a studio recording but this one is by far the better set. The live experience makes it more powerful.

5 comments about Busoni - Doktor Faust.

1. Nagano's premiere recording from Lyon of the complete Doktor Faust made quite a splash six years ago and prompted a Met production starrring Thomas Hampson. Busoni employs a traditional musical language that looked the wrong way in the 20th century--his blend of counterpoint, Lisztian bombast, and chroaticism is largely forgotten compared to the idiom of Stravinsky and the Second Viennese School. Thus he joins Pfitzner, Zemlinsky, Korngold, and other lush post-Romantics whose ambitious, overstuffed lushness became a historical footnote. But Doktor Faust, like Pfitzner's Palestrina, another mystico-philosophical spectacle, is fascinating to encounter.
   
   It's a shame that the music isn't more medlocially inspired or so full of long monologues rather than true dramatic encounters. That might have made a difference with audiences and opera directors. What we do get is exhaustive, hair-raisingly high passages for the hero (amazingly executed by Dietrich Henschel, a Fischer-Dieskau sound-alike who studied with the master) and startling work from the tenor Mephistopheles, Kim Bagley. They occupy center stage much of the time. The orchestral preludes and interlueds are extensive and enjoyable if somewhat abtract, again in the vein of Pfitzner. Other reviewers, including the one from Amazon, have assessed this recording very well, so I can only add another voice in saying that Busoni's magnum opus is a bizarre, riveting one-off.



2. Doktor Faust, like Busoni's Piano Concerto, breaks the mold of how an opera is organized. The ideas of this opera germinated for some time with Busoni, and he composed the purely orchestra portion, like the Sarabande and Cortege (1912), prior to the opera itself. The opera is cast in two preludes, an intermezzo and three scenes (collectively gather under the title "Principle Action") with an epilogue. The opera begins with a short symphonic movement that sets the mood and is followed by a speaker; the poet of the drama who addresses the audience elaborating of the story that is to follow.

   The story is a mixture of different sources that include Goethe and other mystical figures, such a Zarathusra and Caliostro and Busoni's own interest in the occult. This is not the typical Faust story. One unusual feature is making Faust a baritone and Mephistopheles a tenor. We are usually expecting the Devil to be a rich, sonorous bass as in Gounoud's Faust but Busoni turns such notions on their heads. The parts of Doktor Faust and Mephistopheles dominate this opera, so their casting is highly important. Kim Begley is outstanding as Mephistopheles and brings a sinister presence to the role. Dietrich Henschel as Fautus is equally up to his challenging role and although his voice shows signs of strain during the long monologues, he is very good. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is the speaker, and an earlier Faust. Kent Nagano does a wonderful job conducting this multi-faceted work.

   The music has been described as linear in the booklet but one should not think it atonal and is more akin to the late Romantic works of Strauss and Mahler. Unfortunately, Busoni died before work on Doktor Faust was completed, the conclusion of the work was composed by Philip Jarnach, a pupil of Busoni's who did not have all of the composer's sketches. In 1984, Anthony Beaumont, using all of Busoni's material, composed a new ending for the opera. This recording uses the Jarnach version but also includes the Beaumont ending (which I think is closer to Busoni). Perhaps more important is the fact that this is an uncut performance of this opera. I first heard Doktor Faust over the radio not knowing who wrote it let alone what the story was about. I found it fascinating and so bought the recording. I think that anyone interested in 20th century opera will find this an indispensable recording.




3. I turned on the radio one Saturday afternoon and this recording was on. Although I had no idea whose work this was, my ears perked up immediately as I speculated: Strauss? Hindemith? Who? By the end of ActI, I knew I wanted it, and as soon as the announcer identified the work and the recording, I was on line ordering. Since then I have had no occasion to regret this impulse buy. The performance and recording job are both first-rate, and despite the necessity of doing a little programming to choose between two endings, I've listened to this more than I have to any other opera.

   "Doktor Faust" could be considered both as modern music for people who aren't crazy about modern music, and opera for people who aren't crazy about opera. The music itself is basically harmonious, and melodies and colorful, memorable, orchestral effects permeate the work, being, at the same time unequivocally "modern". As opera, it is consistently inventive and exciting, eschewing such operatic conventions as recitative, intoned dialogue, and discrete arias and choruses. The dramatic, choral and musical techniques are thoroughly integrated, to great effect.




4. I bought this CD in order to prepare for the opera which played at the Met in Jan. 2001 with Thomas Hampson in the title role. Yes, I travelled 3000 miles just to spend one evening being about 100 feet away from the man. I'm smitten.

   Well, I have to admit I liked the live opera better. It is a very visually engaging story and it needs to be seen live. Anyway despite all that this recording is quite good, and Kent Nagano did a tremendous job with such a difficult score. The chorus was chilling on Easter morning, singing praise to God amidst such evil. I liked the tenor in this opera, I think he plays the part of Mephistofeles? His voice is perfect, very shrill and evil sounding, in this opera that is made of mainly baritone voices. I appreciated the native German of Dietrich, the baritone that sang Dr. Faust. While lyric baritone is my favorite fach in general, Dietrich's tone was a bit too lyrical for this role, according to my taste, but he has no control over that. Otherwise he did very well.

   I cannot wait to see Blubeard's Castle next spring at the LA opera with Sam Ramey as Keksakallu, Denise Graves as Judith, and Kent Nagano conducting. I know the conducting alone will make that 500 mile drive worth every minute.




5. I made the unforgiveable mistake of lending my DGG 1969 CD box set of this work to someone in 1992 who due to a complicated set of circumstances could never give it back. Since then I have fretted over the loss of this magnificent work from my collection and today I am the proud owner of this wonderful recording, which is both technically and professionally superior to the older recording. I am delighted at Henschel who does the near impossible for DFF was in top golden voice in the older recording. The orchestra relishes the strange score which comes more to the fore than on the previous recording. I cannot recommend this work enough to anybody who is unfamiliar with it. In its way it is as audacious as Wagner's Ring, it is as musically inventive of an unfamiliar world as Debussy's 'Pelleas et Melisande' and as deep a rumination on the philosophy of determinism as Berg's 'Wozzeck'. The ever changing orchestral moods and Busoni's unique vocal lines evoke an uncanny atmosphere. Busoni's major source of inspiration for the work was the puppet theatre version of the legend rather than Goethe's magnum opus. Due to this fact, an air of mediaevalism underpins the work with occult forces and unfamiliar codes if behaviour. The drama performed by the actors (puppets) is like a superstructure overlaying the subliminal musical argument beneath (the actual forces of good and evil in the macrocosm). The tolling bells and the unearthly harmonies invoke a time that predates Goethe and the Age of Reason, or is as if we have lost those certainties of Transcendental Idealism and are cast adrift in a strange world where metaphysical causation and its Kantian solution have been abandoned. As a consequence, the teleological ethical certainty which derives from this loss makes Faust the actor condemned the moment he summons Mephistopheles who is 'quicker than the thought of man'. He is not to be redeemed and yet the young man who rises from his corpse in the last scene hints at the possibility of some salvage if not salvation from this human (yet cosmic) catastrophe. The Hegelian notion of negation is set out throughout the drama in the fact that every action is opposed by another force. This is exemplified in the final act when Faust is determined to pray yet is prevented from so doing by the ghost of a murdered soldier. This CD set is wonderful and more than makes up for the loss that I have been trying to make good for eight years. I will now relax and stop looking for a version of this work and enjoy this one for years to come.

1 comments about Puccini: La Bohème.

1. I bought this recording before I became familiar with opera performers. I probably would never have considered it now that I am "educated". Let's face it - the principle performers are not the big names that one typically looks for when considering an opera recording. But I thank my lucky stars for my earlier "ignorance". Victoria de los Angeles (Mimi) and Jussi Bjorling (Rodolpho) are perfect (in my humble opinion), particularly under the direction of Sir Thomas. And I was really surprised to find that the original recording was made in 1956. EMI did a great job in remastering it to CD. It sounds like it was made last year! Bjorling's "Che gelida manina" is so wonderful - not showy or ostentatious (unlike Pavorotti or Domingo). And Mimi's response ("Mi chiamano Mimi") is - well, perfect. These two arias, as performed by Bjorling and de los Angeles in succession, make me weep. I am disappointed to find that this recording is no longer available. Apparently this occurred rather recently. I would recommend that anyone who wants a great recording of "La Boheme" hurry to find a copy of this performance before they are all gone.

1 comments about Jommelli - Didone Abbandonata / Röschmann, Borst, W. Kendall, M. Bach, D. Taylor, Raunig, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Bernius.

1. I am sooo glad I went ahead and bought this recording in my quest for all of Dorothea Röschman's recordings. I know Jomelli from the only two recordings out there (I believe): Gérard Lesne and Véronique Gens singing Le Lamentazaione del profeta Geremia, which I saw performed in France (snappy!), and Armida Abbandonata (jeez! talk about a fixation on abandoned women!) with Christophe Rousset conducting. Now, let's not confuse Jomelli's opera with "deep" music, yet the sheer amount of glorious coloratura baroque singing is thrilling here as it is elsewhere. All you need is a perfect cast - which Frieder Bernius (nearly) provides us with! Dorothea Röschman is Dido (I hope we all know the story), Martina Borst, mezzo, is Aeneas (a little lackluster at moments, but quite good), William Kendall, tenor, Mechtild Bach, mezzo, and two of my favorite - if much less well known male altos, Daniel Taylor and Arno Raunig. Raunig is actually a very nice male soprano, who only has one other disk out that I know, some arias made famous by Farinelli (all to be found in the movie!). Unfortunately for me, that disk is at the bottom of an elevator shaft in my old appartment in Paris, so I was really glad to find him again on this recording (I'm sure you care).

5 comments about Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov.

1. The singing has its meritous moments , even quite good actaully, the chorus excellent.
   It 's Karajan with his usual flubbing on the podium, HvK maks slips as to when the orch should enter the right time for the csating...the singers are always trying to figure out what hvK is up to next...., he often stretches phrases, more often guilty of bashing and banging certain cressendos, just too akward for my taste, You might like it, who knows, read the above stunning reviews for all the hype you want.. For me its Gergiev by a significant margin that wins the day.



2. For a long time this 1970 Boris Godunov was out of print, but it has been remastered and issued in Universal's "Originals" series. It is to be preferred to the edgy, shrill sonics found in Decca's ADRM pressing. For a non-specialist it's comfusing to sort out all the variants of Mussogsky's protean score. But clearly the plusher Rimsky orchestration and "corrected" harmonies, which Karajan abets with suave conducting, no longer sound like an improvement. But if you want Boris brought into the European mainstream, this performance is impeccable.
   
   To my ears, the Coronation Scene is too smooth, however--one doesn't feel the crowd's religious awe and suppressed turmoil enough. The tavern scene's crudeness is also smoothed over, but after that, the great strengths of this reading come through. Ghiaurov, Talvela, and Vishnevskaya are past masters, and in particular the equal vocal power of Penin (not sounding hoary for once) and Boris (more lyrical and vulnerable than usual) is gripping.
   
   The supporting cast consists of hand-icked voices, mostly Slavic, and of ocurse the Vienna Phil. is incomparable. Decca has provided excellent sound. Contrary to one reviewer, I don't think this is a fruther remastering beyond the original 1988 version. The greatest advantage over Russian-based performances is that Talvela and Ghiaurov actually sing every note with a minimum of shouting and melodramatic vocalizations. The same is true in Abbado's reading of the original Mussorgsky orchestrations on Sony, although his Boris is several notches below Ghiaurov.
   
   All in all, the most lyrical Boris I've heard, even though the absence of suffering and grit is telling.



3. I wonder if I will get thrown in jail for recommending a recording of the Rimsky-Korsakov orchestration of Mussorgsky's masterpiece? Purists might do that, if they could.
   
   I do though highly recommend this recording as a great overall opera experience. The combination of Herbert von Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra helps this recording trump the competition hands down. The most highly rated competitors are the two EMI recordings with Boris Christoff. Both of those recordings feature French orchestral forces that can't hold a candle to the Vienna forces that von Karajan and Decca bring to the bar. Christoff is certainly unbeatable. In both cases, especially the mono recording, he has a decent supporting cast too. But the poor orchestral and choral support drag the opera experience down and don't do the work justice at all. I will never part wiht those recordings because of Christoff though.
   
   Decca brought in a chorus from Sofia, which together with a very able cast of soloists makes for a splendid recording. I am not always very nice in rating recordings that are seemingly totally concocted in the studio, as this appears to be since it features a symphonic orchestra and a choir that isn't even in the same geographical area. But this recording doesn't seem suffer from the studio.
   
   The sound is top notch too.
   
   Highly recomended.



4. First off, I disagree with a previous reviewer's statement, "the Rimsky-Korsakov version of Boris Godunov, which was edited and reorchestrated so much by him that I don't think you should compare recordings of this version with the recordings now in print." You can definitely compare recordings that are orchestrated by R-K and Shostakovich for that matter, with the pure Mussorgsky editions. By and large the music is largely similar. R-K and Shostakovich more or less refined what Mussorgsky had left.

   Second of all, the two versions in the Gergiev recording on Phillips are both Mussorgsky's version. Neither has been re-orchestrated by R-K, Shostakovich, or anyone for that matter. Therefore, what we really have are three great versions of Boris.

   That being said, this is the recording at hand and a fantastic one it is. This recording was my introduction to Russian opera and I still hold BG as the greatest of all Russian operas, whether re-orchestrated or not.

   The cast and conducting are wonderful, however, it is the Vienna Philharmonic that is the star of this set. What magnificant and wonderful playing. I could not live without this recording for the orchestra alone, but everything else is great too.

   If you are looking for your first Boris, I would hands down recommend Gergiev's recording on Phillips. Not only is it two of Mussorgsky's orginal versions, but the Coronation Scene under the baton of Gergiev blows the Coronation Scene on this set away. Under Gergiev you feel like you are on Red Square witnessing the Coronation of a Russian Tsar!

   In closing, I could not live with this or Gergiev's version....if you have to choose one - good luck!




5. Decca is finally bringing back the old favorite. Herbert von Karajan uses the more popular Rimsky-Korsakov version of Mussorgsky's unfinished masterpiece whereas Rostropovich uses Shostakovich's version, which, perhaps, is closer to Mussorgsky's vision and Gergiev gave us original score and the subsequent revision for contrast. Rimsky-Korsakov is known for his brilliant orchestral showpieces so there is no wonder that he left his mark on the score in such way that it became less "rough" and way more refined and even "glossy" so to speak. Von Karajan, of course, is the master of refinement so his style suits this version the best. In addition to spectacular Nicolai Ghiaurov - THE Boris of our time, it features the great Galina Vishnevskaya as Marina. That combination was and still is unmatched on record, no matter what version you choose to listen to.

   I admit, I am a huge fan of Nicolai Ghiaurov and I am completely "under a spell" of his incredible talent. Captured here in his prime he shows what can be made of relatively smallish role of Russian Tsar. Being a Russian myself, I've heard great accounts from Chaliapin, Reizen, Kipnis, Petrov, and Kotcherga. And, of course, I've listened to very involved rendition of Boris Christoff. Rostropovich utilized Ruggero Raimondi's lighter but agile bass to its full advantage (and he, like Karajan, has Galina Vishnevskaya as Marina). Yet none of these basso masters handle this demanding part like Ghiaurov. While blessed with thunderous voice, he never comes out vulgar or insincere; he makes it his prime objective to bring out the tender vulnerable side of Boris, the Macbeth-like anti-hero. Many interpreters choose to go over the top, particularly in the famous Clock Scene, they scream and puff with intent to show the terror that consumes Tsar Boris as he sees the ghost of murdered Tsarevich Dmitri. Ghiaurov, instead is a lot more subtle, but real terror and remorse permeate his every phrase. At the same time, he is regal and even sinister when he talks with deceiving Shuisky or addressing the people. Incidentally, this is the only opera where the people as a unit (i.e. chorus) are one of the main characters; the chorus work is complex and very well done here.

   Galina Vishnevskaya was a leading soprano for 2-plus decades of the Bolshoi theater in Moscow, and since her departure (forced by Brezhnev's regime and constant persecution of her and her husband Mstislav Rostropovich), no one was able to fill her shoes. Karajan's choice to cast a spinto soprano in the role of Marina Mnishek was a very controversial decision, mostly because traditionally it was a mezzo role. It was exacerbated by the fact that Vishnevskaya was not allowed to leave the country at that time. However, the great maestro pulled all the strings and managed to get his way. Needless to say, it was a great success. Vishnevkaya's powerful chest register allowed her to accurately hit the mezzo notes, sounding very regal and seductive to completely overwhelm the False Dmitri, but she is also extremely convincing as a real challenger of Tsar Boris in her dramatic outbursts.

   The supporting roles are well cast but, naturally, the last great Simpleton was Ivan Kozlovsky. After him, nobody could make the voice of the simpleton important, to make it THE voice of Holy Mother Russia. Same goes for the False Dmitri; Zednik and Spiess (on this set) came close but their voices are not pretty enough for the duet. Why hasn't anyone cast Zurab Sotkilava? Rangoni is good enough, but I would prefer a more sinister sound.
   The role of monk Pimen is crucially important, it is he who started the whole revolt, in a way. He has two great narratives and this role, therefore, requires a basso with the authoritative voice and delivery. Once again, Decca scores the win - it has Martti Talvela, a (very solid Boris himself). No other set has Pimen like that.

   Decca has finally remastered the sound, so it's clean and even, particularly when the full orchestra and chorus are utilized (the Coronation Scene for instance). This is a must-have set, don't hesitate.

No comments about Verdi: Il Trovatore.

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!)

3 comments about Tchaikovsky - Mazeppa / Leiferkus · Gorchakova · Kotscherga · Dyadkova · Larin · Pederson · Margison · Zednik · Neeme Järvi.

1. I can only recommend the two previous reviews as excellent analyses of this recording. I have two small reservations however, and both relate to Galina Gorchakova.

   I wish to point out that I admire this soprano. She does not at all display the unsteadiness and wobble which is present in so many "great" Russian sopranos. She does, as one previous reviewer points out, have a large voice, which she manages quite well. However, her rich tone brings her character closer to the mezzo of her character's mother , Lyubov (Dyadkova). The two voices, though beautiful, are too similar. Dyadkova is quite within her role, however....Gorchakova maybe does not sound as juvenile as one would imagine Maria to be. Nevertheless, her interpretation is excellent.

   The other quibble has more significance, but still does not detract from my 5-star rating (mainly because Russian operas are such rarities that a fine recording such as this deserves every encouragement): the famous final mad-scene lullaby. This is not in truth solely Gorchakova's fault but also Jaarvi's in that this stunning aria deserves a more sombre and meaningful interpretation. Subsequent interpretations (concert recordings) have left me with the unshakelable feeling that the aria was just a little too rushed.....but still, acceptably done. Here, I lament the wasted potential given such a great conductor and Gorchakova's lovely voice.

   All in all, however, a definite winner! I cannot resist the temptation to make particular mention of Kotscherga's brilliant portrayal of Kotchubey. His excecution-scene aria is a moving tear-jerker. Well worth getting; if only it were more readily accessible........




2. Recently all sorts of awards and praises have been bestowed upon Valery Gergiev's recent live recording of Mazeppa. While it is really good, I have to recommend this Neeme Jarvi's set over it. The main reason is innovative casting. Sergei Leiferkus at first appears to have too young sounding and too light of a baritone for the title character. But that's not true at all. His voice is ideal for communicating the menacing simultaneously with romantic qualities of the Hetman, a very complicated character one would love to hate. In contrast to rough all-out rendition provided by Putilin for Gergiev, Leiferkus is consistently noble and subtle, making the character an intriguing three-dimensional figure. The spectacular Kirov spinto soprano Galina Gorchakova sings his love interest, Maria, with passion and wise restraint of her very powerful voice to emphasize Maria's youth and impulsiveness. To complete the fateful triangle, Sergei Larin beautifully sings the role of ardent Cossack Andrei. Great Ukrainian bass Anatoly Kotcherga is Maria's father Kotchubey, his characterization is appropriately tragic and moving, particularly in Act II Prison Scene. And Maria's mother Lyubov is Larissa Diadkova, a rising star among mezzos with rich resonant sound, indeed similar to Archipova's, as the knowledgeable reviewer below points out. Even the small roles of Iskra, Orlik and Drunken Cossack are luxuriously cast: Richard Margison, Monte Pederson, and Heinz Zednik display complete understanding of Russian text and score.

   This opera is the epitome of tragedy, even though it begins cheerfully. As soon as Mazeppa asks for the hand of his own goddaughter, the sequence of events progresses as a thunderbolt, pausing briefly only for the Hetman's passionate tuneful aria "O Maria". Not only did Mazeppa want Kotchubey's daughter, he also wanted his wealth, necessary for keeping up his large army. He resorts to torture and when the proud old man does not budge - to execution, keeping these deeds in secret from his beloved Maria. As the grizzly secret comes out, she blames herself for everything and her fragile mind is snapped after she becomes a witness to her father's execution. The opera's finale combines death scene and mad scene. As Andrei dies, (killed, alas, by fleeing Mazeppa), Maria tries to comfort him imagining he is her child. The atmospheric sounds of violins and winds make the lullaby motif eerie and unsettling.

   The works of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin were Tchaikovsky's lifelong inspiration. The operas "Eugeny Onegin" and "Pique Dame" are well known and appreciated. Somehow, "Mazeppa" fell into obscurity and had not been performed nearly as often, even though its source, the poem "Poltava", remains one of the most popular epic poems in Russian literature. Thus Maestro Jarvi makes a very strong case for it by involving Russia's major talents for this release. The Gothenburg orchestra is able to rise up a storm; the battle scene in Act III is stirring, much like the familiar 1812 overture. As usual, one can expect somewhat more intensity from Gergiev, but his cast, while very good, does not match Jarvi's "pound for pound." (Curiously, though, Gergiev also casts Diadkova as Lyubov.) Add crystal clear spacious digital sound and English, German and French translations, and this set becomes a definite First Choice.




3. As a composer of twelve operas, Piotr Illyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was behind Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in the matter of importance and influence in the development of Russian operas. We know Tchaikovsky as a composer of orchestral works and ballets. However, among the real essences of Tchaikovsky was his operas. Whereas Pique Dame and Yevgeni Onegin has their occassion appearances on opera/theatrical stages, his other operas continue to be neglected (with some exceptions in Russia).

   Mazeppa, the three act opera of 1884 strikes me as a bold, dark yet honest theatrical work: the opera which is part history and part romance (between Andrey and Maria). Based on Alexander Pushkin's epic poem "Poltava", Tchaikovsky's "Mazeppa" is nationalistic as well as personal and Act II is the most gripping of the three. Whereas some people deemed "Mazeppa" as hardly as memorable as Tchaikovsky's famous orchestral compositions, "Mazeppa" contains outflows of fine musical passages and retained the daring, dynamic, honest communicative essences of the composer. "Mazeppa" is to my mind a masterpiece.

   Neemi Jarvi, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and the Chorus of the Royal Opera (Stockholm) demonstrate of how much they thought of Mazeppa. Nothing but upmost admiration is at presence here and the recording is by far a model one. What is equally significant and pleasing was the quality of the singing. Galina Gorchakova as Maria brought the warm, sentimental femininity to her role whereas Larissa Dyadkova (the Irina Arkhipova of the 1990s) was convincing in bringing the maternal side as Lyubov, Maria's mother. Lyubov represents strength and wisdom and Larissa Dyadkova was sucessful in portraying those qualities as well. Sergei Leiferkus bought out the sterness of Mazeppa, the leader of the Ukranian cossacks, and Anatoly Kotscherga was telling in his role as Kochubey, Maria's father who were betrayed by Mazeppa. I especially admire the ending of scene I (Act II) where Kotscherga was remarkably real in portraying the vengence, the defiance, the anger of Kochubey. Sergei Larin gave his role as Andrey a passionate voice and Heinz Zednik added a marvellous humor as a Drunken Cossack. Richard Margison (as Iskra) and Monte Pederson (as Orlik) were also compelling.

   Only Vasily Nebolsin and the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra and Chorus gave ultimately a thrilling performance of the work before Jarvi's recording. Alexander Ivanov (as Mazeppa) and Ivan Petrov (as Kochubey) were among forgotten legends as Russian opera singers. Ivanov bought out more of the deviance of Mazeppa and Nina Pokrovskaya was excellent in her portrayal of Maria (somewhat bringing out the stronger side of her persona). I truly hope for the re-issue of their orginal Melodiya LP recording of 1952.

   However, among the currently available recordings of "Mazeppa", Jarvi's version is first-rate and therefore, a first choice, although Gergiev's performance with the Kirov Orchestra and Chorus is a close runner-up.

   Recommendable, and with no regrets!

No comments about Donizetti - Emilia di Liverpool / Kenny · Bruscantini · Merritt · Dolton · Mason · Mills · Thornton-Holmes · PO · Parry.

2 comments about Myslivecek: Il Bellerofonte.

1. The title of this review says it all. Myslivecek is one of those unfortunate composers whose works have never been accorded the acclaim they deserve. The previous reviewer is right on the mark, but I think this work is even better than he has said. The singers are all unknown to me, but I think they are superb. This is a great work, beautifully performed. If you are a lover of 18th century music and particularly opera, it deserves a place in your collection.



2. This opera is absolutely wonderful. If you enjoy the music of Mozart, Haydn, or Dittersdorf, you will love this rare work of Myslivecek!