Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908)
Sadko - Opera in Seven Scenes (1898)
Sadko - Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov (tenor)
Volkhova - Aida Garifullina (soprano)
Lubava Buslaevna - Ekaterina Semenchuk (mezzo-soprano)
Nezhata - Yuri Minenko (counter-tenor)
The Sea Tsar - Stanislav Trofimov (bass)
Viking Guest - Dmitri Ulianov (bass)
Hindu Guest – Alexey Neklyudov (tenor)
Venetian Guest – Andrey Zhilikhovsky (baritone)
Whistle – Mikhail Petrenko (bass)
Fife Maxim Paster (tenor)
Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra/Timur Zangiev.
Stage director and set designer- Dmitri Tcherniakov.
Costume Designer-Elena Zaitseva.
Lighting-Gleb Filshtinsky
rec. live February 2020, Bolshoi Theater Moscow, Russia
Produced by François Duplat, TV & Video direction Andy Sommer
Video: 1 BD50, Full HD, colour 16:9, sound PCM 2.0., Regions A,B,C.
Subtitles; English, French, German, Spanish, Korean, Japanese.
Booklet in English, French, German encolsed
BEL AIR CLASSIQUES BAC488 Blu-ray [186 mins]
The operas of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov seem to be enjoying a period of exposure after many years of barely sitting on the fringe of the repertory of major opera houses. Recently I had the opportunity to review Snegurochka in a Blu-ray from the Paris Opera (review). Now along comes another infrequently staged opera, Sadko, in a shiny new production from the Bolshoi in Moscow.
Dmitri Tcherniakov’s production continues along a similar path that he charted in Snegurochka. Trying to blend a traditional staging in the broader sense; but updating the characters to a modern-era look and motivation. This approach worked generally quite well in the Snegurochka, but falls somewhat short in Sadko. Prior to the music we are treated to a series of brief filmed interviews with three of the principals that coincides with a reality television dating show. This ostensibly places the character motivations in an understandable light to modern audiences. When the music begins, things are jarringly thrown back into a sort of fairy tale setting which represents the entrance to a large amusement park. Sets are sometimes adapted from the designs of various productions in the early 20th century. The undersea kingdom is given the full aquatic Folies-Bergère treatment, including a massive, garishly-lit staircase around which all of the sea creatures parade. One waits in anticipation for someone to break out into “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise” but it thankfully never happens. Sadko is definitely an anti-hero which has always been something of a barrier to staging this work. Tcherniakov increases Sadko’s isolation from the rest of the characters by presenting him as a combination of Don Juan/Stanley Kowalski. The constant hyperactive, party-boy antics that he inflicts on Sadko quickly become both distracting and wearying. Both the Princess Volkhova and Lubava suffer physical abuse at his hands, which only left me tired of Sadko’s tale rather more rapidly than I have found before.
Vocally things are fairly impressive throughout. The star of the show is undoubtedly Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov’s Sadko. He handles Tcheriakov’s high-energy concept of Sadko leaving one to muse on how exhausted he must have been after each performance. His bronzed voice, relatively even throughout his range, makes an excellent anti-hero. He occasionally pushes his tone into moments of unsteadiness to fill Rimsky-Korsakov’s phrases but on the whole he acquits himself admirably. Ekaterina Semenchuk is deluxe casting for Sadko’s wife, Lubava. Her luscious, penetrating tone and sympathetic yet full-blooded portrayal make Lubava more than just a sad cipher. Aida Garifullina sings with a breathtakingly sweet sound particularly in her sad farewell song. Both she and Mavlyanov are at their finest in their charmingly playful duet. Stanislav Trofimov’s formidable bass makes a solidly authoritative Sea Tsar. The three Foreign Guests are all given assured performances by some impressively gifted young singers from the Bolshoi Company. In this they completely outclass those on the older Maryinsky DVD under Valery Gergiev. In particular Alexey Neklyudov’s song of the Indian merchant is sinuously silken-toned. The other two singers are every bit his equal.
Timur Zangiev leads a lively performance of the score with due attention to subtle nuances. The Bolshoi Orchestra and Chorus are in resplendent form, and manage to outshine their Maryinsky counterparts on the Philips DVD. This is partly due
to the magnificent acoustics of the recently refurbished Bolshoi Theater which allows the recording team to capture the opera in sound of amazing warmth and immediacy. The sound of the Maryinsky release is rather dull and removed in comparison. The picture quality on this Blu-ray is of the highest caliber throughout. I auditioned the Blu-ray in PCM stereo and am unable to comment on the multi-channel presentation.
Mike Parr
Previous review: Roy Westbrook
