Search - Rimsky-Korsakov, Nelepp Davydova, Golovanov :: Sadko

One Of The All-Time Great Russian Opera Recordings

Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 05/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sadko is almost never performed outside of Russia, where apparently it remains the most popular of Rimsky-Korsakov's operas. It's a wonderfully colorful score: brilliant orchestration, memorable tunes (such as the Song of India), and a delightfully escapist fantasy plot about the adventures of Sadko in the underwater kingdom of the Sea King. I would rank it right up there with Scheherazade as one of the composer's very best examples of musical picture painting.



There is, of course, a stereo Philips recording of a live Kirov performance conducted by Gergiev, whereas this one was recorded in 1952 in (excellent) mono sound. So why should you consider this Melodiya set? Here are three reasons:



1. Gergiev is one of the best Russian conductors of our time. But Nikolai Golovanov (1891-1953) was probably the greatest Russian conductor of ALL time. His colorful, energetic, yet sensitive leadership here simply outclasses Gergiev's from beginning to end.



2. While this is only in mono, the Gergiev - recorded live - has lots of extraneous stage noises and is only marginally better recorded than this one.



3. Golovanov's cast simply sings circles around Gergiev's. This is the old Bolshoi at its best. Georg Nelepp is an excellent Sadko, and Elizaveta Shumskaya's Volkhova is a fine musician who really shapes her phrases and sings some beautiful top notes. Most noteworthy of all is the celebrated Guest Scene (where the singing is especially weak under Gergiev). The cream of yesteryear's greatest Russian singers - Mark Reizen, Ivan Kozlovsky and Pavel Lisitsian - simply sing the lights out in the gorgeously descriptive songs of, respectively, the Varangian, Hindu and Venetian guests. If you love great singing, this scene alone makes this rather elusive set a compelling purchase.



I am keeping this Golovanov-led Sadko and letting Gergiev's go to the used CD store.



Highest recommendation.



"