Search - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Valery Gergiev, St. Petersburhg Kirov Chorus and Orchestra :: Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Sadko

Static but sumptuous - Sadko casts a spell

07/09/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You can really smell the sea in this opera - the simple evocation of the rocking sea that opens the opera weaves itself into every corner of the score. Don't expect a well made opera a la Puccini, instead it's a leisurely series of tableaux recounting the adventures of Sadko, a musician turned merchant who finds himself on the bottom of the sea. The second and sixth scenes are probably the high spots, the Sea Princess and her watery cohorts are given some gorgeously florid music, but the market scene runs it close, with its songs of three travelling merchants - including the famous Hindu Song. Unfortunately that is one disappointment on this recording, Gegam Gregoriam has neither the line or control to make this old chestnut suitably hypnotic. However the lead performers, Vladimir Galusin (a tireless Sadko) and Valentina Tsidipova (an alluring Sea-Princess) are very appealing - and the rest of the cast is very strong indeed. Gergiev is excellent at pacing this score, which can seem repetitive in lesser hands. Recording quality is perhaps not the best, and there is a fair amount of stage noise, particularly in the more folksy crowd scenes, but Rimsky's vision of a fantastical old Russia and the full spectrum of his technicolour score comes through unimpaired. I play this set a great deal and highly recommend it."

Korsakov's Finest Work...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 11/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Premièred in 1898, Sadko is possibly Korsakov's finest work.



Gerald Abraham says, `Sadko is not only Rimsky-Korsakov's best opera, but his most quintessential--that in which he is most completely and exuberantly himself and most profoundly Russian.'



Sadko isn't a drama in the sense of La Bohème or Carmen; rather it is an `opera-bylina in seven tableaux'--meaning, a musical pageant entertainment in a series of scenes based on mediaeval epic tales (byliny).



Ultimately, Sadko is an exemplary exercise in Korsakov's beauteous melodies, brilliant orchestrations, and enthusiastic Russian nationalism.



Sadko features fairy-tale transformations in the story line and developing variations in the melodic line, with a colourful cast of kulaks, merchants, and maidens.



Aficionados who adore Korsakov's resplendent Antar and Scheherazade will swoon upon his marvellous Sadko, for it is extraordinary Art of the first water.



The `live' recording was done at the Mariinsky Theatre (St. Petersburg, 1993) with Gergiev's star in ascendancy.

In the early- and mid-1990s Gergiev produced virtually all the great Russian operas with the Kirov Orchestra and Chorus, and released them on Philips--though now mostly OOP.

The sound is fine, although there is a bit of applause after each tableau.



Russian excellence:



Rimsky-Korsakov: The Complete Symphonies; Russian Easter Festival Overture; Capriccio Espagnol [Germany]

Rimsky-Korsakow: Scheherazade: Borodin: Polowetzer Tänze





Alexander Borodin: Prince Igor

Borodin: Orchestral Works



Pytor Il'ich Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame

Tchaikovsky: The Symphonies



Scriabin: Complete Symphonies

Scriabin: Complete Piano Sonatas



Glière: Symphony No. 1, Op. 8; The Sirens, Op. 33

Kalinnikov: Symphony Nos. 1 & 2"