Notes and Editorial Reviews
The other Rimsky-Korsakov issue is a pleasure throughout offering seldom-heard works of the Russian master which have received few if any previous recordings. These four cantatas are hardly "profane" as the title suggests. The brief Song of Alexis, Man of God, for chorus and orchestra, dates from1878, the time when the composer revised his opera The Maid of Pskov; he actually uses a pilgrims' chorus from Pskov in this cantata. The longest work on this CD (17:09) is The Song of Oleg The Wise, for mens' chorus with tenor and bass soloists, to a poem by Pushkin, completed in 1899. The Girl in the Lake is almost as lengthy (16:25), scored for chorus with soprano and tenor soloists. Written in 1897, it was premiered in St. Petersburg
Read more
the following year with Glazunov conducting. Iz Gomera resulted from the composer's unfufilled wish to write an opera on Homer's Odyssey to be called Nausicaa; the cantata, for orchestra and womens' voices, was premiered in 1903 with Siloti conducting. Performances surely are authoritative, choral singing is strong and, fortunately, the four female soloists are not typical of the usual Russian wobbly sopranos.
-- Robert E. Benson, ClassicalCDReview.com [11/2002]
reviewing the original release of this recording, Le Chant du Monde 288175
------------
As was tradition in his family, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov trained to be a naval cadet. He continued to compose throughout his years in service and was appointed Professor of Composition and Orchestration at the St Petersburg Conservatory, despite having an extremely limited knowledge of music theory. He is now remembered as one of the most influential Russian Nationalist composers of all time, and was an integral member of ‘The Five’.
This disc brings together the great composer’s cantatas. The Poem about Aleksey, the Man of God Op.20 originally appeared as a chorale in his opera The Maid of Pskov, and Rimsky-Korsakov later created a separate work from it. The Song of Oleg the Wise Op.58 is written in a marital style, as befits the subject matter of the ruler and warrior Oleg; Switezianka Op.44, a cantata for two soloists, is of a similar style. Also on the disc is From Homer Op.60, a tantalising glimpse of what might have been if Rimsky-Korsakov had continued to write his opera based on Homer’s Odyssey; the work is made up of the intended orchestral introduction and opening chorus of the opera. It depicts the storm that washes Odysseus onto the shores of Phaecia, and shows the composer’s talent for writing for female voices, including a trio (soprano, mezzo soprano, contralto) and a female chorus.
The cantatas feature the Chorus of the Moscow Academy of Choral Art and the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, as well as a host of accomplished soloists.
OTHER INFORMATION:
* Recorded in 2001.
* Contains extensive liner notes on the composer and works. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Poem about Aleksey, the Man of God, Op. 20 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Conductor:
Vladimir Ziva
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Moscow Symphony Orchestra,
Moscow Choral Academy
Period: Romantic
Written: 1878; Russia
Language: Russian
2.
Song of Oleg the Wise, Op. 58 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Performer:
Dmitri Kortchak (Tenor),
Nikolai Didenko (Bass)
Conductor:
Vladimir Ziva
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Moscow Symphony Orchestra,
Moscow Choral Academy
Period: Romantic
Written: 1899; Russia
Language: Russian
3.
Iz Gomera, Op. 60 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Performer:
Svetlana Sizova (Mezzo Soprano),
Tatiana Fedotova (Soprano),
Svetlana Luchmanova (Alto)
Conductor:
Vladimir Ziva
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Moscow Symphony Orchestra,
Moscow Choral Academy
Period: Romantic
Written: 1901; Russia
Language: Russian
4.
Switezianka, Op. 44 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Performer:
Elena Mitrakova (Soprano),
Dmitri Kortchak (Tenor)
Conductor:
Vladimir Ziva
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Moscow Symphony Orchestra,
Moscow Choral Academy
Period: Romantic
Written: 1897; Russia
Language: Russian
Customer Reviews
Be the first to review this title
Review This Title
