# The Queen of Spades from Yugoslavia



## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I am in the first stage of preparing a DVD-Audio set from some Russian music LPs I've accumulated - but not heard. The major works in it will (I hope) be Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov and Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. My LP set for the Tchaikovsky is from the "Richmond Opera Treasury Series - a product of London Records". It's from Yugoslavia, with Heybalova, Bugarinovich, Marinkovich and Popovich, the Belgrade National Opera Orchestra conducted by Baranovich.

Does anybody here have any experience with this production - or with the personnel? I see that my spell-checker doesn't know any of them, but my spell-checker is nearly as ignorant as I am.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

They were released as _Ace of Diamonds_ stereo LP box sets on Decca UK and often had good sound and great drawing covers by anonymous artists from the Decca Group. They can be found here also, now and then, for example. Supposedly there are reviews, more or less valuable, on the web, even though old _Gramophone_ sources doesn´t seem to be online for free any more. But TC opera fans include some true connoisseurs ... 
Well, I´m just adding to the mystique, I guess.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Hah. It's in the Naxos archives:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=9.80030-32

with no details (except "1955"), and not available in the US or Singapore.

Haven't found anything else. Oh well, at least it isn't a one-off.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

The critiques are not good,but I laughed at this comment : Melanie Bugarinov : "Her lullaby might be Amneris having a snooze in her dressing room in 'Aida' act 3."


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Well so much for _that_ plan. The LPs are in good shape, and the sound is good, but there is way too much recitative and not enough _music._

Onward to Boris Godunov.


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