Notes and Editorial Reviews
For many, the heart of the opera is Tatyana, whose Letter Scene is at the emotional center of the piece. Thus, one appeal of this 1955 performance is Galina Vishnevskaya at the height of her powers. This studio recording, recorded by Melodiya, has been available before on compact disc, on a set issued by Legato Classics... This Russian set, after the prelude, begins with the duet between Olga and Tatyana, lustily sung by Vishnevskaya and Avdeyeva: clearly this will be an emotional performance. The voices are forward in the mix here, despite Tchaikovsky’s suggestion that the two girls are singing a duet within the house... Vishnevskaya is a near perfect Tatyana, if one assumes that Tatyana, despite her paleness and moony quality, is ready to
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burst with emotion. Vishnevskaya lets hers explode in the Letter Scene, but is subtle enough to capture the wistfulness and essential sadness as well. She is also able to convey her relative restraint in the finale. I can’t particularly hear innocence in the voice, but neither can I in Tchaikovsky’s lush score. Belov and Lemeshev fulfill their roles well.
-- Michael Ullman, FANFARE
reviewing Eugene Onegin, previously released as Opera d'Oro 7066
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Works on This Recording
1.
Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky
Performer:
Maxim Mikhailov (Bass),
Maria Maksakova (Mezzo Soprano),
Georgi Nelepp (Tenor),
Elena Kruglikova (Soprano),
Eugenia Verbitskaya (Mezzo Soprano),
Alexander Pirogov (Bass),
Bronislava Zlatogorova (Mezzo Soprano),
Nikhandr Khanaieff (Tenor),
Vassily Lubenzov (Bass),
Ivan Kozlovsky (Tenor),
Aleksandra Turchina (Mezzo Soprano),
Sergei Krasovsky (Bass)
Conductor:
Nikolai Golovanov
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra,
Bolshoi Theatre Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: Russia
Date of Recording: 1948
Venue: Moscow
2.
Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Andrei Sokolov (Tenor),
Igor Mikhailov (Bass),
Georgi Pankov (Bass),
Eugenia Verbitskaya (Mezzo Soprano),
Valentina Petrova (Mezzo Soprano),
Ivan Petrov (Bass),
Galina Vishnevskaya (Soprano),
Larissa Avdeyeva (Mezzo Soprano),
Eugene Belov (Baritone),
Sergei Lemeshev (Tenor),
Nikolai Timchenko (Tenor)
Conductor:
Boris Khaikin
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra,
Bolshoi Theatre Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1877-1878; Russia
Date of Recording: 1956
Venue: Moscow
3.
Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin
Performer:
Vera Borisenko (Voice),
Evgenya Smolenskaya (Soprano),
Sergei Lemeshev (Tenor),
Mark Reizen (Bass),
Andrei Ivanov (Baritone),
Alexander Pirogov (Bass)
Conductor:
Alexander Melik-Pashayev
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra,
Bolshoi Theatre Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1869-1887; Russia
Date of Recording: 1951
Venue: Moscow
4.
Queen of Spades, Op. 68 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performer:
Margareta Shervinskaya (Mezzo Soprano),
Ivan Manshavin (Bass),
Vladimir Politkovsky (Baritone),
Sergei Ostroumov (Tenor),
Valeria Barsova (Soprano),
Nikhandr Khanaieff (Tenor),
Bronislava Zlatogorova (Mezzo Soprano),
Pantaleimon Nortsov (Voice),
Alesandr Baturine (Bass Baritone),
Xenia Dzerjinskaya (Soprano),
Maria Maksakova (Mezzo Soprano),
Nadezhda Chubienko (Soprano)
Conductor:
Samuel Samosud
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra,
Bolshoi Theatre Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1890; Russia
Date of Recording: 1940
Venue: Moscow
5.
Sadko by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Performer:
Victor Gorbunov (Bass),
Vladimir Filipov (Bass),
Larissa Andrejeva (Mezzo Soprano),
Vera Firsova (Soprano),
Valentina Levko (Mezzo Soprano),
Vladimir Petrov (Tenor),
Alexei Ghelieva (Bass),
Nikolay Zakharov (Tenor)
Conductor:
Yevgeny Svetlanov
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra,
Bolshoi Theatre Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1894-1896; Russia
Date of Recording: 11/12/1964
Venue: Live Live - Moscow
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 4 Customer Reviews )
Fair value, but uninspiring May 2, 2013
By P. Ledesma (Wellington, KS) See All My Reviews
"I appreciated the opportunity to be able to affordably obtain this set of operas, but even though there were some good moments, they were few and far between. Maybe we were being spared more drudgery when an act was omitted from the Borodin, but when even the so called HIGHLIGHTS are performed blandly and uninspired, I found it difficult to sit through more than an hour at a time of this music. The decision to provide scant synopsis information compounded that frustration. I hope that my suggestion for opera sets like this - to provide more detailed printable synopsis downloads for a nominal fee - will receive some consideration. Russian opera is simply very dark and low in positive emotion, which mirrored the tragic national mood of the times when the music was conceived. That same creative void even seemed to bleed into the times of these live performances. The Tchaikovsky performances were saved due to the competent musicianship and the composer's ability to remain less muzzled by the nationalism that held back THE RUSSIAN FIVE. That said,I think few would disagree with my suggestion that opera really wasn't the best venue for Tchaikovsky's symphonic gifts. Boris Godunov, except for one over-matched vocalist, was also well done. But the reason this set got 3 stars from this listener was due to the one time $9.99 sale price."
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Historic, idomatic performances April 29, 2013
By William Snyder (Greenbelt, MD) See All My Reviews
"One must always be concerned with old, often live performances remastered for CD and selling at bargain prices. In the case of this Bravissimo! Opera Library set of Russian operas, all from the Bolshoi Theater, the sound is generally very good, especially for the singers. And most important, these are historic performances by great Russian singers and players who perform this music better, or at least more idiomatically, than anyone else. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated all five operas recorded on these discs."
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Russian Opera April 19, 2013
By Frances Vandervoort (Chicago, IL) See All My Reviews
"Sound quality is not ideal, but the performances are well done."
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