# Russian opera just for Russian opera lovers



## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

*Russian opera just for Russian opera LOVERS*

Personally I don't love the title. Once I started a thread and I guess, people who didn't know anything about Russian opera participated... I guess it was a waste of everybody's time... I would like to participate here people who know at least 50 Russian operas. I am sorry to be a bit restrictive... But "lo bueno y breve, dos veces bueno" (good when is short is twice good)

Respectful

Martin


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

If this thread had been titled "Post here if you like Russian opera a little bit" I probably would have waited and watched how it developed. As only people who know 50 operas or more are allowed to post here I feel excluded and so I am compelled to post even if I am not allowed to.

Listened to this the other day, The Mussorgsky piece is a bit obscure, probably only a native Russian speaker would really get the satire but the Rimsky-Korsakov piece is great except for one of those annoying laughs that opera characters make.









Quack

Disrespectful


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

quack said:


> If this thread had been titled "Post here if you like Russian opera a little bit" I probably would have waited and watched how it developed. As only people who know 50 operas or more are allowed to post here I feel excluded and so I am compelled to post even if I am not allowed to.
> 
> Listened to this the other day, The Mussorgsky piece is a bit obscure, probably only a native Russian speaker would really get the satire but the Rimsky-Korsakov piece is great except for one of those annoying laughs that opera characters make.
> 
> ...


It is OK! Mozart and Salieri is an interesting opera about Pushkin's story where Mozart was murdered by Salieri, just a theory. This is the shortest opera of the grand maestro, about tha Marriage (Gogol) the story is funny and the opera was never completed by Modest who left unfinished almost all his operas... I hope you know more about R-K's operas, he composed 15 beautiful operas and... I have them all, Servilia I have just some excerpts, this opera was destroyed by him after the unsuccessful premiere.

About the version of Mozart it is quite important. I got one with the great Ivan Kozlovsky...and I have another two.

http://www3.bell.net/svp1

You can see just Russian composers if you want.

Best

Martin

P.S. Personally I don't like the marriage, I have both on DVD too


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## Bardamu (Dec 12, 2011)

"The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya is a masterpiece!" shouted Bardamu just before being booted out by Myaskovsky for missing the thread requirements.


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

just to taste R-K's flavour

Martin


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Bardamu said:


> "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya is a masterpiece!" shouted Bardamu just before being booted out by Myaskovsky for missing the thread requirements.


indeed, it is, I bought the DVD 3 months ago, it is absolutely awesome. Once you know Russian opera, opera doesn't have the same taste any more. It is in between the lightness of Italian opera and the deepness of German opera. Thank you for sharing with us!

I am sorry about the 50 stuff, I know at least 150....LOL I am a real fanatic, I guess!

Sincerely,

Martin


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

50 Russian operas? are you joking? 
I only know one - Tchaikovsky's Onegin - and I think it is well over rated.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Russian opera that really grabs me, although I don't qualify for Martin's group

Tchaikovsky: Pique dame (my favourite), Eugene Onegin, Mazeppa, Iolanta. I quite like Cherevichki too.
Borodin: Prince Igor
Glinka: A life for the Tsar
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov, Khovanshchina
Rimsky-Korsakov: The tsar's bride (my favourite), Le Coq D'Or, May Night, The Snow Maiden. The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh is on my "to listen to" pile. Sadko is good too.
Prokofiev: War and Peace (my favourite), A love for three Oranges, The Gambler, Betrothal in a Monastery (always seems more Italian than Russian to me)
Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> Russian opera that really grabs me, although I don't qualify for Martin's group
> 
> Tchaikovsky: Pique dame (my favourite), Eugene Onegin, Mazeppa, Iolanta. I quite like Cherevichki too.
> Borodin: Prince Igor
> ...


You have never disappointed me! That is great! But about the WODERFUL Russlan and Ludmila (Pushkin). I think it is important to read those books, it is important to enter deeper in the stories.
Ruslan and Liudmila (Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka)






[













Sincerely

Martin


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Rimsky-Korsakov : Christmas eve, it is the same story than Cherevichky, but this is the original title of the short story by Gogol, composed after Tchaikovsky's opera










To be followed by all means

Martin


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Rimsky-Korsakov : Christmas eve, it is the same story than Cherevichky, but this is the original title of the short story by Gogol, composed after Tchaikovsky's opera
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well the overture is pretty convincing. Love the bells, this is music I would play on Christmas Eve to remind me of my cold snowy Swiss village when New Zealand is sweltering in summer December heat.

I'll watch the YouTube opera version to get a feel for it, but I must confess to preferring my Russian opera in Russian, even if I can't understand a word of it. The only affordable relatively recent CD I can find on Amazon is (dare I say it) from Naxos.


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> Well the overture is pretty convincing. Love the bells, this is music I would play on Christmas Eve to remind me of my cold snowy Swiss village when New Zealand is sweltering in summer December heat.
> 
> I'll watch the YouTube opera version to get a feel for it, but I must confess to preferring my Russian opera in Russian, even if I can't understand a word of it. The only affordable relatively recent CD I can find on Amazon is (dare I say it) from Naxos.


I agree plenty but, as far as I know, is the only version on DVD. On CD you have many versions, I you were interested, gladly I have some recommendations, in Rusian, of course.

You can see my music and videos at http://www3.bell.net/svp1 you can get just operas. I have also a list of Rusian composers. You will find there all R-K Operas, all Tchaikovsky's, all Prokofiev, all Rachmaninov, all Glinka's, All Dargomizhsky's, All Shostakovich's... Indeed I took many many years...Remember I am an old guy. LOL
*Remember to do Control F *to access a particular information (e.g. composer, cunductor, etc)

Sometimes the titles are in French, sometimes in English and a few times in Spanish (ex.: la fiancée du tsar or la novia del zar is the tsar's bride) dependig on my mood.... You will notice many versions of the operas I love. Why? Because some parts are great in one version and other parts are great in another version. That's why I have around 4,000 CDs/DVDs and some known composers I like less, I have just a little (e.g. I am not a Bach fan). Around 70% of my music corresponds to Russian composers.

Best regards

Martin

Martin


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

I'm pretty sure this thread is going to die soon. The wicked witch of the *WEST* is not attracted by Russian music.

Nitram, sad


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

I had a look at your list, you seem to have one CD recording of La Veille de Noel. I'll put it on my wishlist.


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> I had a look at your list, you seem to have one CD recording of La Veille de Noel. I'll put it on my wishlist.


I do have 3 versions the best for me is a bit old but the very best, Golovanov.

http://www.amazon.com/Rimsky-Korsakov-Christmas-Nuit-Noel-Moscow/dp/B004LU604A/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1342760414&sr=1-5&keywords=Rimsky-korsakov+Christmas+eve+golovanov

You have many other awesome operas by R-K: May Night (Gogol), The story of Tsar Saltan (Pushkin), Mlada (opera-Ballet). You can have some excerpts on youtube, apparently Russlan and Liudmilla (Glinka) is complete in many parts, there some softwares to record from youtube if you don't want to buy the opera.

Best

Martin


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Wow... In USA is not available, but in U.K. It is quite expensive...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-E...=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1342760909&sr=1-2

Here in Canada is also available, but the price...

http://www.amazon.ca/Christmas-Eve-...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1342761051&sr=1-1

In France

http://www.amazon.fr/Christmas-Eve-...=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1342761445&sr=1-2

This version is for me the reference. I bought the same version in LP in Russia in 1970. The same year, I told Dmitri Shostakovich that I loved R-K; he smiled and told me "you have such a good taste, my friend!" (sic)

Martin


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

I have Russlan and Lyudmilla and Mlada on DVD (the latter very irritating as the video director rarely shows the dancers' feet, grgrrrr), and May Night on CD.


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

*Steps in*

I quite like Eugene Onegin.

*Steps quietly out before Martin starts throwing things after for not fulfilling thread requirements at all*


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Aksel said:


> *Steps in*
> 
> I quite like Eugene Onegin.
> 
> *Steps quietly out before Martin starts throwing things after for not fulfilling thread requirements at all*


It is a beginning anyhow. My requirements were maybe hard, but some people just come by curiosity, then the thread becomes "polluted", i don't know if you understand what I mean. If I understand well, you are coming here to have more information about some more operas that eventually you could like... THAT IS VERY POSITIVE. You are very very welcome.

Martin


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> I have Russlan and Lyudmilla and Mlada on DVD (the latter very irritating as the video director rarely shows the dancers' feet, grgrrrr), and May Night on CD.


I guess there are two versions on DVD... On mine dancers are not hidden at all

Unless, the hide and I didn't notice... For me dancing anyhow is not my cup of tea.

.http://www.amazon.com/Rimsky-Korsakov-Gavrilova-Borisova-Nikolsky-Ananiashvili/dp/B000BB1MDM/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1342790346&sr=1-1&keywords=Mlada+rimsky

This is my version.

Martin


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

myaskovsky2002 said:


> I guess there are two versions on DVD... On mine dancers are not hidden at all
> 
> Unless, the hide and I didn't notice... For me dancing anyhow is not my cup of tea.
> 
> ...


Same as mine. You do see the ballet dancers (although there are too many close-ups), but often only their top halves.

Mlada is billed as an opera-ballet, so the ballet is important in my view (although like you I'm not usually that keen), and therefore someone competent to film ballet dancers should have been employed. And the first point about ballet dancers is that what they do with their feet is important. Cutting them off at the waist is wilful amateurism.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

mamascarlatti said:


> Same as mine. You do see the ballet dancers (although there are too many close-ups), but often only their top halves.
> 
> Mlada is billed as an opera-ballet, so the ballet is important in my view (although like you I'm not usually that keen), and therefore someone competent to film ballet dancers should have been employed. And the first point about ballet dancers is that what they do with their feet is important. Cutting them off at the waist is wilful amateurism.


OMG you're joking ... they cut the dancers off at the waist? lol that's pretty strange


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

guythegreg said:


> OMG you're joking ... they cut the dancers off at the waist? lol that's pretty strange


I know, unbe-flipping-lievable ehh!


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## stevederekson (Jan 5, 2014)

Khovanshchina is a sublime opera, among by top 5.

The prelude is one the pieces I can never tire of.


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## Bardamu (Dec 12, 2011)

What's the best Khovanshchina recording?


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Personally I don't love the title. Once I started a thread and I guess, people who didn't know anything about Russian opera participated... I guess it was a waste of everybody's time... I would like to participate here people who know at least 50 Russian operas. I am sorry to be a bit restrictive... But "lo bueno y breve, dos veces bueno" (good when is short is twice good)
> 
> Respectful
> 
> Martin


Is there a question to this or are we just listing Russian operas?


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Bardamu said:


> What's the best Khovanshchina recording?


The only one I'm familiar with is









Wiener Staatsoper, Abbado.


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

GioCar said:


> The only one I'm familiar with is
> 
> View attachment 32777
> 
> ...


+









Abbado has the better orchestra, Margaritov the better choirs & soloists


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

For Khovanshchina I have Tchakarov, Gergiev and this one sung in Italian:









Alternate release:


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