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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Superb performances and recordings make for a classic set of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera suites
22 July 2009
Format:Audio CD
This boxed set was, on its original release in 1984, a superb collection of orchestral music from Rimsky-Korsakov's operas; despite some strong competition in the intervening years, I think it remains so and it is definitely the first choice for this repertoire, even though it is now some 25 years old.
Neeme Järvi leads the Scottish National Orchestra in superlatively disciplined and sensitive performances. They really are at the top of their game, as evinced by the control in the sustained wind chords that open the `Christmas Eve' suite - they were, as the composer himself acknowledged, suggested by the chords that occur at the start of Mendelssohn's `Midsummer Nights Dream' Overture and like the music that inspired them, they usher in a fairytale sound world; when the soft brass and strings join, it is a moment of pure magic.
Järvi really has the measure of this music: the suite from `The Golden Cockerel' is sultry and languorous without the sensual or grotesque aspects of the score being overplayed. The suite from `Tsar Saltan' is similarly impressive: Rimsky-Korsakov, always a stern self-critic, reproached himself for repeatedly depicting the sea musically by using analogous methods but the second movement (`The Tsarina Adrift at Sea in a Barrel') here comes across as beautifully stirring and poetic - for me, it is the most entrancing track in the collection and under Järvi's baton the surging waves and appearance of the stars as night falls are wonderfully evoked.
The recorded sound is exceptionally clear - the important timpani parts in the `Christmas Eve' polonaise and in the `Procession of the Nobles' from `Mlada' have the prominence they need for their rhythmic effects to stand out; the brass instruments also ring out wonderfully and every detail of Rimsky-Korsakov's varied and often delicate string scoring is reproduced with exemplary clarity.
It is good to see these discs are still in the catalogue, even more so now they have been re-released at mid-price. It is even better to be able to report how well these recordings and performances have stood the test of time: they would be hard to equal, I think, and very difficult to beat. Heartily recommended.
Neeme Järvi leads the Scottish National Orchestra in superlatively disciplined and sensitive performances. They really are at the top of their game, as evinced by the control in the sustained wind chords that open the `Christmas Eve' suite - they were, as the composer himself acknowledged, suggested by the chords that occur at the start of Mendelssohn's `Midsummer Nights Dream' Overture and like the music that inspired them, they usher in a fairytale sound world; when the soft brass and strings join, it is a moment of pure magic.
Järvi really has the measure of this music: the suite from `The Golden Cockerel' is sultry and languorous without the sensual or grotesque aspects of the score being overplayed. The suite from `Tsar Saltan' is similarly impressive: Rimsky-Korsakov, always a stern self-critic, reproached himself for repeatedly depicting the sea musically by using analogous methods but the second movement (`The Tsarina Adrift at Sea in a Barrel') here comes across as beautifully stirring and poetic - for me, it is the most entrancing track in the collection and under Järvi's baton the surging waves and appearance of the stars as night falls are wonderfully evoked.
The recorded sound is exceptionally clear - the important timpani parts in the `Christmas Eve' polonaise and in the `Procession of the Nobles' from `Mlada' have the prominence they need for their rhythmic effects to stand out; the brass instruments also ring out wonderfully and every detail of Rimsky-Korsakov's varied and often delicate string scoring is reproduced with exemplary clarity.
It is good to see these discs are still in the catalogue, even more so now they have been re-released at mid-price. It is even better to be able to report how well these recordings and performances have stood the test of time: they would be hard to equal, I think, and very difficult to beat. Heartily recommended.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It's great to have a marvellous set of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera suites in this marvellous two-disc set. Although Chandos originally released this superb collection of recordings as a triple-disc set, this reissue fits the contents of the original triple-disc set comfortably into a double-disc set. So this means that you can save a whole lot of money by buying this reissue as compared to buying the triple-disc set brand new on its original release. The performances are superb and Jarvi and the Scottish National Orchestra really relish the details and the felicities in these scores. In this superb reissue the collector can get an undoubted bargain in hearing the concert suites from many of his operas, and it can nicely complement any existing recording of Sheherazade. I imagine that this disc set allows you to explore more of Rimsky's fairy-tale music outside of Sheherazade and, wisely, the concert suites from the fairy-tale and fantasy operas are presented here.
Before I started listening to this set I was familiar with some of the music, including the Flight of the Bumblebee and the Christmas Eve Polonaise. However, Jarvi's performances are peerless and I think they do a superb job in these performances. Their performances of the Tsar Saltan and Golden Cockerel suites are superb, with well-chosen tempi, flair and, in the case of the Procession of the Nobles, panache. I rather like the steady pace of the opening March in the Tsar Saltan suite, and it really builds up climaxes naturally. The Snow Maiden suite comes off superbly too, because one can really hear the atmosphere in the Dance of the Birds. The Dance of the Tumblers is also given a suitably rumbustious performance here. I also like the details that they savour, such as the twinkling stars early on in the Christmas Eve suite and also the swell of the sea that accompanied the Tsarina in her barrel. In the same suite we get the added bonus of hearing the complete version of the Flight of the Bumblebee, and it's a complete plus in my book, especially when it's given a spectacular performance here. Most of the time we hear a cut version, but fortunately this recording restores a middle section that seems to have been omitted from most performances. The listener can really hear the performers revelling in the superb orchestration.
The presentation is superb with the slimline double-disc box. Chandos also remastered the sound at a higher 96kHz/24-bit resolution and the recording comes up wonderfully well. The booklet includes the Noel Goodwin liner notes from the original release. They really help you to follow the music, but I admit that there are slight inaccuracies in the paragraph about Mlada. Also, I rather like it that the suites are presented in chronological order whereas on the previous triple-disc release, Mlada and the Invisible City of Kitezh were paired on the second disc of the set, disrupting the chronological order. Another plus point in the layout of the reissue is that the Christmas Eve suite is broken up into sections, while on the previous release it was one long track.
This marvellous bargain of a classical reissue is really worth the money.
Before I started listening to this set I was familiar with some of the music, including the Flight of the Bumblebee and the Christmas Eve Polonaise. However, Jarvi's performances are peerless and I think they do a superb job in these performances. Their performances of the Tsar Saltan and Golden Cockerel suites are superb, with well-chosen tempi, flair and, in the case of the Procession of the Nobles, panache. I rather like the steady pace of the opening March in the Tsar Saltan suite, and it really builds up climaxes naturally. The Snow Maiden suite comes off superbly too, because one can really hear the atmosphere in the Dance of the Birds. The Dance of the Tumblers is also given a suitably rumbustious performance here. I also like the details that they savour, such as the twinkling stars early on in the Christmas Eve suite and also the swell of the sea that accompanied the Tsarina in her barrel. In the same suite we get the added bonus of hearing the complete version of the Flight of the Bumblebee, and it's a complete plus in my book, especially when it's given a spectacular performance here. Most of the time we hear a cut version, but fortunately this recording restores a middle section that seems to have been omitted from most performances. The listener can really hear the performers revelling in the superb orchestration.
The presentation is superb with the slimline double-disc box. Chandos also remastered the sound at a higher 96kHz/24-bit resolution and the recording comes up wonderfully well. The booklet includes the Noel Goodwin liner notes from the original release. They really help you to follow the music, but I admit that there are slight inaccuracies in the paragraph about Mlada. Also, I rather like it that the suites are presented in chronological order whereas on the previous triple-disc release, Mlada and the Invisible City of Kitezh were paired on the second disc of the set, disrupting the chronological order. Another plus point in the layout of the reissue is that the Christmas Eve suite is broken up into sections, while on the previous release it was one long track.
This marvellous bargain of a classical reissue is really worth the money.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
The BEST Rimsky-Korsakov orchestral recording
11 Mar 2008
Format:Audio CD
Today Rimsky-Korsakov is now known primarily as an orchestral composer. His masterful use of color won him deserved praise in his day, and his book on composition is still in print after over 100 years.
Recently I glanced through an introduction to classical music and found his "Cappricio Espagnol", "Scheherezade", and "Russian Easter Festival Overture" (Op 34, 35, and 36) listed as the recommended works for listening. While these are his most famous works, they are not the best representatives of his orchestral mastery. Rimsky was first and foremost a composer of operas with 15 to his credit.
Alas, what is one to do if he doesn't like opera? Listen to the orchestral suites gleaned from his operas! Of those on this recording, "Christmas Eve", "Tsar Saltan" and "Kitezh" will knock your socks off with Rimsky's craftsmanship of color, melody, drama and humor. Even first-time listeners will recognize "The Flight of the Bumblebee" from Tsar Saltan, and the beautiful, obscure tunes (e.g. Fevronia's theme from "Kitezh") will grow on them. Amateur music historians like me can follow his artistic growth from "Snow Maiden" through his Wagnerian dementia in "Mlada" to his maturity in "Kitezh" and "The Golden Cockerel".
Neeme Jarvi and the Scottish National Orchestra "get" Rimsky. Other Russian works in their repertoire (e.g. Kalinnikov's symphonies) show they understand Russian music, and they perform with gusto. You will hear the twinkling of the stars in "Christmas Eve" and thrill to the martial fanfare of Tsar Saltan's march. The recording is clear and free of distracting noises.
If I could only keep one set of Rimsky-Korsakov's works on CD, this would be it.
Recently I glanced through an introduction to classical music and found his "Cappricio Espagnol", "Scheherezade", and "Russian Easter Festival Overture" (Op 34, 35, and 36) listed as the recommended works for listening. While these are his most famous works, they are not the best representatives of his orchestral mastery. Rimsky was first and foremost a composer of operas with 15 to his credit.
Alas, what is one to do if he doesn't like opera? Listen to the orchestral suites gleaned from his operas! Of those on this recording, "Christmas Eve", "Tsar Saltan" and "Kitezh" will knock your socks off with Rimsky's craftsmanship of color, melody, drama and humor. Even first-time listeners will recognize "The Flight of the Bumblebee" from Tsar Saltan, and the beautiful, obscure tunes (e.g. Fevronia's theme from "Kitezh") will grow on them. Amateur music historians like me can follow his artistic growth from "Snow Maiden" through his Wagnerian dementia in "Mlada" to his maturity in "Kitezh" and "The Golden Cockerel".
Neeme Jarvi and the Scottish National Orchestra "get" Rimsky. Other Russian works in their repertoire (e.g. Kalinnikov's symphonies) show they understand Russian music, and they perform with gusto. You will hear the twinkling of the stars in "Christmas Eve" and thrill to the martial fanfare of Tsar Saltan's march. The recording is clear and free of distracting noises.
If I could only keep one set of Rimsky-Korsakov's works on CD, this would be it.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Amazing Music and a great conductor
9 Jun 2008
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is great music. This is real music. Powerful, confident, by a composer at the top of his game.
If you are tired of the reader's digest stuff that only makes the top 10 lists (mozart, beethoven, etc) try some REAL classical music. Not to knock Ludwig & Amadeus of course. Usually the same set of concertos and symphonies make the top 10 lists , or recent soloists. You have to dig deep to find something like this. Rimsky was a genius. He was a state composer & conductor, he wrote pieces for the army orchestra, but he also wrote operas, beautiful operas with beautiful pieces like these. His grasp of melodies, of layering a composition - its indefinable. Neemi's recordings of this are one of a kind. Powerful, dramatic, like a storm at sea. I used to play these pieces in college in my dorm room, people would complain, snicker but slowly others started asking to borrow the CD and want it also. Rimsky's melodies will stay with you forever, snatches here & there will come to you. Also look for Bernstein's Capriccio Espangol and Scherezade & Russian Easter Overture to complete your Rimsky experience.
If you are tired of the reader's digest stuff that only makes the top 10 lists (mozart, beethoven, etc) try some REAL classical music. Not to knock Ludwig & Amadeus of course. Usually the same set of concertos and symphonies make the top 10 lists , or recent soloists. You have to dig deep to find something like this. Rimsky was a genius. He was a state composer & conductor, he wrote pieces for the army orchestra, but he also wrote operas, beautiful operas with beautiful pieces like these. His grasp of melodies, of layering a composition - its indefinable. Neemi's recordings of this are one of a kind. Powerful, dramatic, like a storm at sea. I used to play these pieces in college in my dorm room, people would complain, snicker but slowly others started asking to borrow the CD and want it also. Rimsky's melodies will stay with you forever, snatches here & there will come to you. Also look for Bernstein's Capriccio Espangol and Scherezade & Russian Easter Overture to complete your Rimsky experience.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Superb performances
21 Feb 2010
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I highly recommend this double CD for lovers of the music of Rimsky-Korsakov. I purchased it after hearing the suite from the Golden Cockerel on the radio, but all the selections are excellent. I followed the Golden Cockerel Suite with my copy of the orchestral score, and this performance is perfect. Other performances sometimes rush through the opening and the beginning of the March, but Neeme Jarvi conducts it just right. The "Procession of the Nobles" from Mlada is the best performance and recording I have ever heard - real goose-bump time, and it begs to be played loudly.
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