Thread: Russian Opera

Boris Godunov, the only opera I have more than one version of (Rostropovich-Erato/Karajan-Decca/Melik-Pashaev-Melodiya). I don't think there is any other opera that conveys so well the popular drama, amazing. I like both Rimsky's and Mussorgsky's orchestration (haven't heard Shostakovich's).

Opera is not really my main thing but I have a few russian ones that I love, already mentioned here: Khovanschina, Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk (Katarina Ismailova), Prince Igor, Russlan and Ludmila. And that's it for me. I have to dig more...

Impressive, but then, teach us. What do you recommend?
================================================== ===

I'm sorry I am nobody to recommend you something.

It is a question of taste.

I love Rimsky-Korsakov and I bought many DVDs...There is also an awesome DVD about Cherevichki (the slippers, the story was written by Gogol).

The best thing to do is to be familiar with the main Russian writers: Gogol (Rimsky-Korsakov(may night, Christmas eve), Tchaikovsky (Cherevichki=Christmas eve, the same story), Moussorgsky (Sorotchinsky fairy) have his music)...Many of Pushkin (Moussorgsky, Boris Godounov), Rimsky (Tsar Saltan), the golden cocqerel, Tchakiovsky (Evgeni onieguin, the queen os spades) Prokofiev (War and peace, Tolstoi)...etc. Dargomizhskym Russalka (Pushkin), Shaporin (the decembrists)..Schnittke, 3 operas...not very good...

Russian litterature and Russian music go hand in hand...

Russian opera is like saying German or Italian opera...you have so many...for a lifetime!!!

A suggestion? Tell me what do you like? Then I could help you. But something is common in Russian opera and Italian opera...Both are "opera by numbers", this means...different scenes, different music...not like Wagner or Schreker, development opera...one or two themes developed...

I hope the explanation is clear...

I'd love to help you...But can I really?


Humbly,

Martin

Originally Posted by myaskovsky2002

Impressive, but then, teach us. What do you recommend?
================================================== ===

I'm sorry I am nobody to recommend you something.

It is a question of taste.

I love Rimsky-Korsakov and I bought many DVDs...There is also an awesome DVD about Cherevichki (the slippers, the story was written by Gogol).

The best thing to do is to be familiar with the main Russian writers: Gogol (Rimsky-Korsakov(may night, Christmas eve), Tchaikovsky (Cherevichki=Christmas eve, the same story), Moussorgsky (Sorotchinsky fairy) have his music)...Many of Pushkin (Moussorgsky, Boris Godounov), Rimsky (Tsar Saltan), the golden cocqerel, Tchakiovsky (Evgeni onieguin, the queen os spades) Prokofiev (War and peace, Tolstoi)...etc. Dargomizhskym Russalka (Pushkin), Shaporin (the decembrists)..Schnittke, 3 operas...not very good...

Russian litterature and Russian music go hand in hand...

Russian opera is like saying German or Italian opera...you have so many...for a lifetime!!!

A suggestion? Tell me what do you like? Then I could help you. But something is common in Russian opera and Italian opera...Both are "opera by numbers", this means...different scenes, different music...not like Wagner or Schreker, development opera...one or two themes developed...

I hope the explanation is clear...

I'd love to help you...But can I really?


Humbly,

Martin

Of course you can help me and teach me, you just did!
Ever since I started this thread, I've seen a couple more, and liked them.

War and Peace (or Peace and War - it is this way in the opera as well) - loved Peace, found War impressive and with some great moments but a little over-the-top in terms of screaming patriotism (apparently requested by the authorities) and a little too long and rambling, although probably the best scene in all of it is in the War part - the death scene, one of the best in all of opera.

Le Rossignol - absolutely loved it.

Bethrotal in a Monastery - loved it too.

My Ruslan and Lyudmila copy has arrived but I haven't watched it yet.

I have ordered Prince Igor but it hasn't arrived yet.

What do I like? Pretty much everything. I rarely fail to like an opera. I seem to always find something good about even the ones I don't feel crazy about, and the ones I really dislike are *very* rare (I once started a thread about it) and may have more to do with poor productions than with the operas themselves.

So, I like operas in all styles... baroque, classical, romantic, belcanto, verismo, modernist, contemporary... tonal or atonal or any alternative system... Italian or German or French or Russian or British/American... numbers operas, scenes operas, written-through operas...

I guess I just love opera.

So what I was asking for was just a list of your favorite Russian operas so that I can explore the ones I don't know little by little. But you and others in this thread have done just that, and I'll continue to explore.

Thanks, and cheers!

Borodin - Prince Igor
Dargomizhsky (between Glinka and Tchaikovsky) - The Stone Guest
Fleischman - Rothchild's Violin
Prokofiev - War and Peace (that should actually be 'Peace and War' to follow the original Russian title)
Prokofiev - The Flaming (or Fiery) Angel
Rimsky-Korsakov - Le coq d'or (The Golden Cockerel)
Rimsky-Korsakov - The Tale of Tsar Saltan
Shchedrin - Dead Souls
Stravinsky - Le rossignol (The Nightingale)
Stravinsky - Mavra
====================================
Borodin, OK
Dargomizhsky: The stone guest (literally Pushkin play) is bad, rather Russalka....
Fleischman.....I don't even know this composer...maybe... I can't say no
Prokofiev Voina y Mir in Russian (War and peace in English...you are wrong again). A lovely opera...But War and Peace in Russian too, I speak Russian.
Prokofiev, the fairy angel...Good, not a good start for a beginner go for the love for 3 oranges instead.
Rimsky-Korsakov, Le coq d'or is his last opera and not very good, very well known by American people...not good at all. Take Mlada or Snegurotchka instead (the snow maiden) or the Tsar's bride...
RimskY; The tsar Saltan, wonderful choice, Pushkin
Schredin: the worst Soviet composer ever, Maya Plisetskaya's husband. He onlyu composed one thing nice: Carmen (Bizet) ballet.
Stravinsky, le rossignol, Mavra, both are cute.


Your choice.

Do not recommend blindly...Please try to know what are you talking about...Do not recommend what you like but what you think the other person could like...

Martin Pitchon

Originally Posted by myaskovsky2002

Borodin - Prince Igor
Dargomizhsky (between Glinka and Tchaikovsky) - The Stone Guest
Fleischman - Rothchild's Violin
Prokofiev - War and Peace (that should actually be 'Peace and War' to follow the original Russian title)
Prokofiev - The Flaming (or Fiery) Angel
Rimsky-Korsakov - Le coq d'or (The Golden Cockerel)
Rimsky-Korsakov - The Tale of Tsar Saltan
Shchedrin - Dead Souls
Stravinsky - Le rossignol (The Nightingale)
Stravinsky - Mavra
====================================
Borodin, OK
Dargomizhsky: The stone guest (literally Pushkin play) is bad, rather Russalka....
Fleischman.....I don't even know this composer...maybe... I can't say no
Prokofiev Voina y Mir in Russian (War and peace in English...you are wrong again). A lovely opera...But War and Peace in Russian too, I speak Russian.
Prokofiev, the fairy angel...Good, not a good start for a beginner go for the love for 3 oranges instead.
Rimsky-Korsakov, Le coq d'or is his last opera and not very good, very well known by American people...not good at all. Take Mlada or Snegurotchka instead (the snow maiden) or the Tsar's bride...
RimskY; The tsar Saltan, wonderful choice, Pushkin
Schredin: the worst Soviet composer ever, Maya Plisetskaya's husband. He onlyu composed one thing nice: Carmen (Bizet) ballet.
Stravinsky, le rossignol, Mavra, both are cute.


Your choice.

Do not recommend blindly...Please try to know what are you talking about...Do not recommend what you like but what you think the other person could like...

Martin Pitchon

See? You can teach indeed.
My next "target" is Love for Three Oranges.
As soon as I see it, I'll tell you what I think.
Thanks.

I have The Gambler DVD, it is in Russian.

This opera "the Gambler (Dostoyevsky) is very hard and Prokofiev was "too" young, at this period also composed the chaotic symphony #2 like Shostakovich...Many coincidences..After his first (classical) (I don't like it). The third contains the music of the opera The fairy angel, awesome...If you don't like opera, you have this to replace a bit, same themes.
I like this opera (feast in times of plague) by Cui...(Cui, Pushkin) Small is beautiful, just 1 CD, like Mozart and Salier (Rimsky-Korsakov, Pushkin), 1 CD

Lo bueno y breve dos veces bueno...Refrán español (Spanish proverb, if it's good and short it is two times good).

Martin Pitchon


Martin PItchon

Liubov k tri apelsinam (Love for three oranges is funny, beautiful and very good music...Prokofiev was considered as "L'enfant terrible" in France.

Hasta la vista

Martin PItchon

Well...How many Russian operas do you know? Should I say 100? Yes. I guess, this is a nice number.

R-K: 15
Glinka: 2
Rachmaninov: 6
Prokofiev: 10-12
Tchaikovsky: 10
Taneyev: 2
Arensky: 2
Schnittke: 4
Shostakovich: 4
Stassov: 2
Dargomizhsky: 5
Moussorgsky: 5-6
Borodin: 1


and a big etc.


What do they have in common? They certainly do...When you listen to a Russian even sovietic opera...not just the beautiful language that I'm learning but the mood, the Russian mood...that didn't change with the years...

The nose and both Gamblers (Shosta and Prokofiev) have something in common...They cannot be understood! This is music for crazy people!

Take a look of my list....I think that is a big list...

http://pages.videotron.com/svp/

See you.

Martin Pitchon

Originally Posted by myaskovsky2002

Well...How many Russian operas do you know? Should I say 100? Yes. I guess, this is a nice number.

R-K: 15
Glinka: 2
Rachmaninov: 6
Prokofiev: 10-12
Tchaikovsky: 10
Taneyev: 2
Arensky: 2
Schnittke: 4
Shostakovich: 4
Stassov: 2
Dargomizhsky: 5
Moussorgsky: 5-6
Borodin: 1

Wow! You know 100 Russian operas?
Help me out with something, then. I only know one of R-K's, Sadko which I didn't especially like, and I have, still unwatched, The Golden Coquerel. What should I try next? The Tale of Tsar Saltan? The Snow Maiden? Other suggestions?

Originally Posted by jhar26

Three that I like very much.

Only one link works. After reading your later comments I wouldn't mind trying the Prokofiev - which one is the Rossini-like?

Thanks

Originally Posted by sospiro

Only one link works. After reading your later comments I wouldn't mind trying the Prokofiev - which one is the Rossini-like?

Thanks

Betrothal in a Monastery. It's Rossini like - but in 20th century musical language of course.

is a lovely opera indeed.

I don't think is Rossini like...Rossini has many "recitatives", this opera hasn't. Rossini has many longueurs, this opera hasn't. Rossini is nice but this one is more likely to like the XXth-XXIst century public.

This is JUST my opinion

Martin Pitchon

Originally Posted by jhar26

Betrothal in a Monastery. It's Rossini like - but in 20th century musical language of course.

Thanks - on my 'order-after-Christmas' list. Any other Russian operas for a beginner to put on my list? There are conflicting opinions on here regarding Boris Godunov; is it easy or difficult?

(have got Eugene Onegin)

Originally Posted by myaskovsky2002

is a lovely opera indeed.

I don't think is Rossini like...Rossini has many "recitatives", this opera hasn't. Rossini has many longueurs, this opera hasn't. Rossini is nice but this one is more likely to like the XXth-XXIst century public.

This is JUST my opinion

Martin Pitchon

I mean in terms of the story, the comedy, the characters. It even plays in Seville. Of course it doesn't SOUND like Rossini, but the setting and the atmosphere is similar. It kinda relates to Rossini in the same way that Der Rosenkavalier relates to Mozart.

Originally Posted by sospiro

Thanks - on my 'order-after-Christmas' list. Any other Russian operas for a beginner to put on my list?

Rimsky-Korsakov's "Sadko." Almaviva is not a fan, but I love it.