VA - Rimsky-Korsakov: Opera Edition (2005)

19 Jul, 14:03
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Artist: Various Artists
Title: Rimsky-Korsakov: Opera Edition
Year Of Release: 2005
Label: Capriccio Records
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (image + .cue, log, scans)
Total Time: 08:20:33
Total Size: 2.05 GB
WebSite: Album Preview

To listen to these operas is to enter a magical world. Seriously: Rimsky-Korsakov was the grand master of the Russian fairy tale opera, charmingly characterized, brilliantly colorful, eccentrically constructed theater works that exist in their own truly magical musical world. In this four opera set, two of the four works are based on a Russian fairy tale -- The Snow Maiden and May Night -- one is described as a three-act opera after Pushkin, but it might as well be a fairy tale -- The Golden Cockerel -- one is described as a one-act opera that was originally intended to be the equivalent of Das Rheingold in the projected Russian equivalent of Der Ring -- Bayarinya Vera Sheloga. Each one is more delightful than the last, except for the last, which is delightful only until the almost tragic ending. While it is true that none of the performances included here -- two by Stoyan Angelov with the Bulgarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and one each by Alexander Lazarev with the Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester and Dimiter Manolov and the Sofia National Opera Orchestra -- are better than functional, but less than thrilling and the sound by Capriccio is just about acceptable but not much more, the works themselves are so enchanting that the lover of Russian operas from the Silver Age will be thrilled to have them on their shelves. -- James Leonard

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