The second-ever recorded 'Onegin'
J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 02/13/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This 2 CD set of the complete 'Yevgeny Onegin', its second-ever recording, was made at the Bolshoi in 1937 and, oddly, features two different conductors. Alexander Melik-Pashaev, principal conductor of the company, led most of it, but for some reason Lensky's gorgeous first act aria as well as other seemingly random parts of the act were omitted when it was issued. They were re-recorded in 1948 with Alexander Orlov conducting the same artists as in the original recording. The opera's first recording was the sound track of a 1936 film, and in spite of its poor recorded sound it was released widely in the West by Melodiya. This recording unaccountably was never released in the West except briefly on an obscure label. This performance is a treasure and will be new to most connoisseurs of the opera. The cast is first-rate and the sound has been refurbished magnificently by wizard producer Ward Marston. The only drawback to this release is the lack of a libretto. But as a second copy of the opera it shouldn't be passed over, particularly at the budget Naxos price."
One Of The Two Great Recordings of Eugene Onegin
Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 05/17/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Amazon editorial review here by Dan Davis is a good description of this performance's merits. To my taste, it is one of the two great recordings of Eugene Onegin. I used to own this account in its original American LP release (Period 507, 3 discs), and this Naxos transfer is superior in every way (the LPs were pitched at least a half-tone high, which made episodes like the reapers' chorus sound like Munchkins saluting Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz"). On the original LPs, the conducting was attributed to Melik-Pashayev - there was no mention of Orlov.
The stand-out singer here for me is the Lensky of Ivan Kozlovsky, probably my favorite Russian tenor. His Simpleton in Mussorgsky's "Boris" was also virtually definitive, as was his Hindu Guest's "Song of India" in Rimsky-Korsakov's "Sadko" (in the complete recordings of both operas, conducted by Nikolai Golovanov - see my reviews).
My other favorite "Eugene Onegin" is the 1955 Bolshoi Theatre recording conducted by Boris Khaikin. It was formerly available in an excellent transfer on the defunct Legato Classics CD label, which replicated the beautiful sound of my old LP set (MK 204). This performance is now available on Opera d'Oro in a mediocre transfer (I heard parts of it at a used CD store recently).
I think the Khaikin performance over-all is better than this earlier Bolshoi account, with one important exception. The young Galina Vishnevskaya gives what I feel is the finest Tatiana of any complete recording, and the Onegin of Yevgeny Belov has never been bettered. Likewise Ivan Petrov's superb Gremin. Khaikin's conducting captures the diverse moods of this opera better than anyone else I have heard. And the recorded sound is vastly superior, at least as heard on my Legato Classics CDs and the original LPs.
Unfortunately, the exception to all this excellence is Sergei Lemeshev's Lensky, which I feel was recorded when the great Russian tenor was a little past his prime. Lemeshev's lower range sounds quite weak, and much of his soft singing is nearly inaudible. While Lemeshev still has lots of style, I think Kozlovsky's Lensky is unquestionably better - in fact, the greatest-ever.
These two recordings of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece are now the only ones in my collection. Hopefully Melodiya will make available a well-mastered edition of its classic 1955 Khaikin reading. Meanwhile, be sure to avail yourself of this splendid Naxos CD set - it has the finest-ever Lensky and wonderful performances by such Russian vocal greats as Mikhailov, Nortzov, and Kruglikova. The conducting is also excellent, if just a little short of Khaikin's.
Highly recommended."
Idiomatic Performance Filled With Charm
Music lover | Philadelphia | 06/12/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This performance, beautifully restored by Ward Marston, is full of charming idiomatic singing that gets right to the heart of this special opera in a way modern readings can't. Do not let the dated sound stop you from purchasing this recording. A modern digital version, full price, is Bychkov on Philips with Hrovostosky and Focile. It is excellent in every way, but not special in the way this is."
