Search - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Thomas Schippers, Rome Opera Orchestra :: Rimsky-Korsakov: Ivan the Terrible

Christoff completists only

Julian Grant | London, Beijing, New York | 09/12/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"It's cheap, it's a rare opera, Boris Christoff is always worth hearing. But, this is not Boris Godunov. Rimsky's Tsar Ivan is a thoughtful, resigned, even gentlemanly character, and in fact he only enters the opera in the second half. You sense Christoff trying to get his teeth into something that isn't really there. To try to make this opera seem a star vehicle, the first half is brutally filleted; some of the cuts really jar, particularly when the compact 6 min Overture is here reduced to 3. Christoff is is commanding, but the rest of the cast are not - Schippers whisks things along in a lively, but cavalier fashion, but much detail is obscured by the slightly boomy and confused recording. That this opera can work, and contains powerful choral music as well as a host of minor character vignettes, is proved by Gergiev and his Kirov forces on Philips, released under the works real title, 'The Maid of Pskov'. It's full price - in this case, you get what you pay for."

Good price, great music, less-than-fantastic recording

Julian Grant | 10/18/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Its hardly worth criticising, considering the great price for this opera, but this has very poor sound quality. The recording seems to have picked up a good deal of distracting outside noise, charming in some cases and plain agitating in others. I was also a bit thrown off by the fact that the two discs were cut up into only 4 tracks, which doesn't really hurt anything, but does tend to confuse things from time to time.The performers are top-notch, and the performance is done well at the very least. No libretto, of course, and scant information on the opera/performance. If you haven't got much money, I'd recommend this."