Borodin’s unfinished
opera Prince Igor - it was finished by his friends
Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov - appears occasionally in the
release lists. Just a couple of months ago I reviewed Naxos’s
reissue of the legendary Melik-Pashayev Bolshoi recording
from 1951.
Now on the same
label comes a brand new disc with highlights, recently recorded
in the Ukraine under the indefatigable Theodore Kuchar.
And highlights they truly are. I only wish though that they
could have found room for a few more numbers: e.g. Konchak’s
big second act aria. As it is, the Igor excerpts play for
only 50 minutes. The symphonic poem In the Steppes of
Central Asia is thrown in for good measure. But what
is on the disc is excellently performed so anyone with an
interest in Russian opera can safely invest without feeling
short-changed.
This conductor-orchestra
combination is a well-known quantity through a large number
of Naxos recordings. There’s a fine string section and powerful
brass, both of which can be heard to good advantage in the
overture. Kuchar is not one to linger unduly; he generally
adopts lively tempos and a comparison with Melik-Pashayev
shows Kuchar to be almost one minute faster. There is an
irresistible vitality about the playing and that also goes
for the other orchestral numbers: the Dance of the Polovtsian
Maidens (track 3) and the Polovtsian March (track 8). In
the most well-known extract, the Polovtsian Dances – here
performed in the original version with chorus – the rhythmic
vigour is a joy to hear and the Kiev Chamber Choir sing
wonderfully with fresh and youthful voices.
In my notes
I have marked most of the numbers with three exclamation
marks, which is my personal top rating. I had expected good
solo singing since I have heard several sensational Ukrainian
singers lately; I wasn’t disappointed. Taras Shtonda, who
is also a soloist at the Bolshoi, has a round and warm bass
with a fast attractive vibrato. At first I thought that
he didn’t sound nasty enough as Galitzky, but he soon won
me over. Angelina Shvachka sings Konchakovna’s Cavatina
so beautifully – and what an impressive contralto range!
Dmytro Popov is a lyric tenor with a certain ring to his
top notes but it is his tastefully soft singing that impresses
most and the end of his aria is indeed magical. He is still
in the foothills of his career – only 23 when this recording
was made – and great things may be expected from him.
The title part
is sung by Mykola Koval, who has been a leading baritone
at the National Opera of Ukraine since 1981. His voice is
beginning to show signs of wear. He starts his aria rather
shakily with greyish timbre but sings the part with great
authority.
All in all this
disc gave me a lot of pleasure and the “filler”, In the
Steppes of Central Asia is expertly played. Even if
I prefer complete recordings of operas, a highlights disc
can be a very valuable introduction and singing of this
calibre is always welcome. More, please, Mr Kuchar! And
there is no lack of good singers in Kiev. I recently heard
soprano Oksana Dyka as Tosca (see review) and even more
recently I heard the young bass-baritone Vasyl Pudchenko
in recital – one of the most beautiful bass voices I have
ever heard! Both singers should be signed up immediately
– if they haven’t already been.
The sound is
everything one could wish for and the booklet has a useful
synopsis plus the sung texts in a transliteration
of the original Russian and English translations. Well done,
Naxos!
Göran Forsling
Angelina
Shvachka (mezzo) (tr. 4), Dmytro Popov (tenor) (tr. 5), Mykola Koval (baritone)
(tr. 6), Taras Shtonda (bass) (tr. 2), Kiev Chamber Choir/Mykola Hobdych
