Collectors operating in the basso cantante region will
want to know about these two separately available discs. They
come to us courtesy of Arco Diva studios in Prague where the
recordings were made some dozen years ago.
Koptchak was born in Slovakia as was Lapšansky. His international
debut came in Covent Garden in 1982 as Gremin. To this we can
add an honour roll at La Scala, the Met, Paris, Salzburg and
Munich. He has sung the expected roles and has been acclaimed
in them: Godunov, Pimen, Varlaam not to mention Mefistofele,
Kontchak and Fafner. Nor has he neglected Slovak composers.
Works have been written for him by Eugen Suchon, Roman Berger
and Ladislav Holoubek.
His Glinka is characterised by a melancholy, tender imploring
and a tendency towards bel canto. His singing is affectionately
rounded with a quick-trembling vibrato. There’s plenty of volume
to draw on and an evident intelligent projection with the words.
He is not deficient in a grand swing in The Fire of Longing
(tr 14). There’s a more Beethovenian flourish in K Molli
(tr 5). A darker barking Erlkönig manner surfaces in
The Night Parade. There’s no doubting the needy imploring
of Pushkin’s Declaration (tr 19).
The Rachmaninov songs suit him even better with many of them
having brief and emotionally concentrated kernels. A wider emotional
palette is called for. Before The Ikon (tr 1) is reverentially
honeyed contrasting with the lyric passion in yesterday we
met (tr 2) with its dynamic range from seductive tender
to roaring passion. The stentor tones of I am no prophet
are memorable with a piano part tolling in grandeur like the
Etudes-Tableaux. Brooding picks up on the On the death of
a siskin moves deftly between dark and tender. I noted the
dark tolling in I beg you not leave – this world is not
far removed from The Isle of the Dead. Fate has
its Beethoven leitmotif and eldritch graveside manner.
It’s the longest song at 7.11. The seductive honey of Morning
(tr.16) reminds us of Koptchak’s range: half drowsing and
half woken. Christ is risen takes us to his devotional roots
more deeply driven down by the Vespers.
The Glinka booklet is in English and czech with the sung words
printed in Cyrillic characters first and then in English translation.
Unhelpful. Better if the words had been printed side by side
though native Russian speakers will be indifferent to this.
Thankfully parallel Cyrillic and English is adopted for the
Rachmaninov booklet..
Rob Barnett
Full Track List
Sergey RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
1. Before The Icon, Op.21, No.10
2. Yesterday We Met, Op.26, No.13
3. I Am No Prophet, Op.21, No.11
4. All Things Pass, Op.26, No.15
5. He Took All From Me, Op.26, No.2
6. It Is Time, Op.14, No.12
7. Brooding, Op.8, No.3
8. Let Us Rest, Op.26, No.3
9. In The Soul Of Each Of Us, Op.34, No.2
10. On The Death Of A Siskin, Op.21, No.8
11. Oh No, I Beg You, Do Not Leave, Op.4, No.1
12. A Dream, Op.8, No.5
13. By The Fresh Grave, Op.21, No.2
14. Fate, Op.21, No.1
15. Song Of The Disenchanted
16. Morning, Op.4, No.2
17. At The Gates Of The Holy Cloister
18. I Was With Her, Op.14, No.4
19. Christ Is Risen, Op.26, No.6
20. Fragment From A Musset, Op.21, No.6
Sergej Koptchak (bass); Marian Lapšanskı (piano)
rec. Lichtenstein Palace, Prague, 21-24 Feb 1998
ULTRAPHON UP 003-2 231 [56:46]
Mikhail GLINKA (1804-1857)
1. Say Not That It Grieves The Heart [2:29]
2. I Love You Was Your Assurance [2:43]
3. Tell Me Why [2:43]
4. Do Not Tempt Me Needlessly [3:09]
5. To Molly From A Farewell To St. Petesburg [3:36]
6. The Night Parade [4:59]
7. A Farewell To St. Petersburg [4:20]
8. I Recall A.S. Pushkin [3:34]
9. Call Her Not Divine [5:39]
10. Shall I Forget [2:51]
11. Doubt [5:03]
12. Soon You Will Forget Me [2:54]
13. The Lark From A Farewell To St. Petersburg [2:32]
14. The Fire Of Longing Burns In My Heart [1:26]
15. Romance From A Farewell To St. Petersburg [2:49]
16. Where Is Our Rose A.S. Pushkin [1:44]
17. Fantasia from A Farewell To St. Petersburg [6:56]
18. How Sweet It Is To Be With You [3:47]
19. Declaration [1:04]
Sergej Koptchak (bass); Marian Lapšanskı (piano)
rec. ICN Polyart Studio Prague, 10-13 Aug 1989.
ULTRAPHON UP 0020-2 231 [64:25]
Sergej Koptchak (bass); Marian Lapšanskı (piano) 
