109.00 PLN

3 CD:

Nr kat.: BLV107402
Label  : Bella Voce

Viewer 5.0 out of 5 starsBest-Sung Khovanshchina April 22, 2006 First, I must say that I agree with every word the previous reviewer has written. Opera d'Oro's packing is minimal - a shallow (not even accurate) synposis of the plot, with only few words about the work (without mentioning which version is it) and not a word about the performance itself; But these are minor problems compared to this set's qualities: The singing is tremendous - I have Ghiaurov as Prince Khovansky on Abbado's dvd, and although there he sings with the outmost depth of character he is past his prime and outshone a bit by the younger Burchuladze and Kotcherga. Here he is at the top of his prime, with a huge voice and already many years of experiece in that role. The highlight of this production for my ears is Fiorenza Cossotto as Marfa. Her strong chest-voice is perfect for this part, and she puts altogether an outstanding portrayal of a rejected lover and a religious fanatic. It is the only recording, as far as I know, where she takes part in a russian opera, which is a real pity. She would have made wonders as Marina in Boris godunov. Siepi's participation is also an interesting one - apparetly, an italien basso has a closer timber to the russian than a german has, and the verdian aproach works out fine. The orchestral playing is supportive, and is led by a russian conductor, who succesfuly gave those italiens some lessons about the russian tradition. The singing is in italian, but it doesn't reck the musical line, and the sound quality is surprizingly good. It is Shostakovich's orchestration, thank god, and not the musical-distortion made by Rimsky-Korsakov. For fans of Ghiaurov, Cossotto, and Mussorgsky it's a must-have, and for just music lovers it's a real bargain!