Petite Suite
1. In The Monastery
2. Intermezzo	 
3. Mazurka In C 
4. Mazurka In Db
5. Dreams 
6. Serenade 
7. Finale. Scherzo - Nocturne – Scherzo

USSR Symphony Orchestra 1985
Evgeny Svetlanov – conductor


In The Steppes of Central Asia

Tchaikovsky Large Symphony Orchestra
Vladimir Fedoseyev - conductor

Borodin wrote little enough -- an opera, a couple of symphonies, a tone poem for orchestra, a couple of string quartets, a string quintet for chamber musicians, and a handful of songs for voice and piano -- and next to nothing of any substance for the piano alone. The largest of his piano works is the Petite Suite, seven brief movements composed over a period of five years, dedicated to the Countess Louise de Merci d'Argenteau and published in 1885. Following Borodin's death in 1887, Glazunov edited and orchestrated a number of his works, including the Petite Suite. In Borodin's autograph, the score bears the dedication "Petit poeme d'amour d'une jeune fille" (Little poems on the love of a young girl). Each movement of the work also has a brief explanation following it. The austerely liturgical first "Au couvent" (At the Convent), "The Church's vows foster thoughts only of God"; the shyly charming second Intermezzo, "Dreaming of Society Life"; the grandly joyous "Mazurka I," "Thinking only of dancing"; the lyrically romantic "Mazurka II," "Thinking both of the dance and the dancer"; the voluptuously lyrical "Reverie" (Dreams), "Thinking only of the dance"; the sensually chaste Serenade, "Dreaming of love"; and the closing romantic Nocturne, "Lulled by the happieness of being in love." Clearly, Borodin had a specific program for the whole work, a work that is part dance, part dream, and all love. ---James Leonard, Rovi

Borodin wrote the symphonic sketch “In the Steppes of Central Asia” in 1880, for an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the reign of Tsar Alexander II. It is one of his most popular works, giving a convincing picture of the approach and disappearance of a camel train in the empty desert wastes of central Asia. Quite how he achieved this is a bit of a mystery, since despite being well-travelled, he never went within 1,000 miles of the region he depicted so well!

The composer himself provided the following programme: “In the silence of the monotonous steppes of Central Asia is heard the unfamiliar sound of a peaceful Russian song. From the distance we hear the approach of horses and camels and the bizarre and melancholy notes of an oriental melody. A caravan approaches, escorted by Russian soldiers, and continues safely on its way through the immense desert. It disappears slowly. The notes of the Russian and Asiatic melodies join in a common harmony, which dies away as the caravan disappears in the distance.” String harmonics, haunting woodwind solos and triumphant bell-like passages combine to form this fleeting musical tableau. --- bhco.co.uk

download:  uploaded anonfiles mega 4shared mixturecloud yandex mediafire ziddu

back

String Quartet No. 1 in A Major    
Composed 1875-79, Premiere 30.12.1880 St.Petersburg

[1] Moderato - Allegro             
[2] Andante con moto                
[3] Scherzo: Prestissimo             
[4] Andante. Allegro risoluto               

String Quartet No. 2 in D Major 
Composed 1881

[5] Allegro moderato                 
[6] Scherzo:.Allegro               
[7] Notturno: Andante               
[8] Finale: Andante - Vivace          

Borodin String Quartet:
Andrei Abramenkov, Mikhail Kopelman - violin
Dmitri Shebalin - viola
Valentin Berlinsky - cello

download:  uploaded anonfiles mega 4shared mixturecloud yandex mediafire ziddu

back

1.1 	Overture 	10:17
1.2 	Prologue 	21:20
	Act 1
1.3 	Scene 1: At Vladimir Galitsky's Court 	18:35
1.4 	Scene 2: Arioso Of Yaroslavna 	9:53
1.5 	Yaroslavna With The Girls 	4:59
1.6 	Yaroslavna And Galitsky 	8:05
2.1 	Finale Of Act 1 	
	Act 2
2.2 	Choir Of The Polovtsian Maidens 	6:07
2.3 	Dance Of The Polovtsian Maidens 	2:16
2.4 	Cavatina Of Konchakovna 	6:39
2.5 	Scene With Choir 	3:40
2.6 	Recitative And Cavatina Of Vladimir Igoryevich 	5:25
2.7 	Duet Of Igoryevich And Konchakovna 	6:40
2.8 	Aria Of Prince Igor 	7:03
2.9 	Prince Igor And Ovlur 	4:01
2.10 	Aria Of Konchak 	6:30
2.11 	Recitative of Prince Igor 	3:26
2.12 	Polovtsian Dance With Choir 	11:53
	Act 3
3.1 	Polovtsian March 	5:52
3.2 	Song Of Konchak 	3:11
3.3 	Recitative Of Konchak And Choir Of The Khans 	4:50
3.4 	Choir And Dance Of The Guards 	3:46
3.5 	Recitative Of Ovlur And Prince Igor 	1:59
3.6 	Trio (Konchaknova, Igoryevich And Prince Igor) 	4:13
3.7 	Finale

Boris Martinovich (bass-baritone) - Igor Svyatoslavich, Prince of Seversk
Stefka Evstatieva (soprano) - Yaroslavna, his wife
Kaludi Kaludov (tenor) - Vladimir Igorevich, Igor’s son
Nicola Ghiuselev (bass) - Vladimir Yaroslavich, Prince Galitsky, Yaroslavna’s brother
Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass) - Konchak, Polovtsian Khan
Alexandrina Milcheva (mezzo) - Konchakovna
Mincho Popov (tenor) - Ovlur, baptized Polovtsian
Stoil Georgiev (tenor) - Skula, buffoon
Angel Petkov (baritone) - Yeroshka, buffoon
Elena Stoyanova (mezzo) - Yaroslavna’s nurseBoris Martinovich - Igor Svyatoslavich (baritone)

Sofia Festival Orchestra & Sofia National Opera Chorus
Emil Tchakarov - conductor

At Brilliant's prices it would be crazy to complain even if this performance were only adequate, but as it is, it is in fact in many ways very good. That’s especially true in terms of the sound and brilliance of the Sofia forces under Tchakarov's energised direction. Both chorus and orchestra are really impressive, singing and playing with huge verve and enthusiasm. The Polovtsian set pieces are very idiomatic: lilting and invigorating by turns.

By and large we have here a number of star voices, some of whom are, to put it kindly, in their later flowering but they are still artists of note. Amongst these are veteran Bulgarian basses Ghiuselev and Ghiaurov, both a bit rough, rusty and unsteady of tone but also powerful and characterful as Galitsky and Khan Konchak respectively. Rather more elegant singing is provided by the smoothly authoritative bass-baritone Boris Martinovich, who also collaborated with Tchakarov in an excellent "Life for the Tsar" and as Rangoni in "Boris Godunov". It is possible to carp about some of the throatier comprimario tenor roles here and even lead tenor Kaludi Kaludov is at times a bit breathy and hoarse but he sings in very committed, convincing manner. The power of Stefka Evstatieva's soprano is occasionally compromised by the typical "Slavonic steam-whistle" effect she produces at forte but she is a compelling vocal actress. Alexandrina Milcheva is perfectly acceptable as Konchakovna and she has a serviceable lower register. That said, her voice does not have the velvety, sensual power of such as Obraztsova in what is, in my estimation, an unjustly neglected recording conducted by Mark Ermler. Some of the best singing may be heard in the stirring Third Act Trio for Konchakovna, Igorevich and Prince Igor and also the touching aria for Yaroslavna which follows that, feelingly sung by Evstatieva with some pointed use of smoothly controlled dynamics.

This does not shake my preference for the Ermler recording but I readily concede that this one is both subtler and much more affordable than that red-blooded version. It has no libretto, only an excessively condensed synopsis. ---Ralph Moore, musicweb-international.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto bayfiles

back

CD1
Tracks 1 – 14

CD2
Tracks 1 – 14

Yaroslavna - Consuelo Rubio
Konchakovna - Carol Smith
Polovtsian Girl - Jeanne Diamond
Nurse - Prudencija Bickus
Vladimir - David Poleri
Eroshka - Mariano Caruso
Ovlur - Rudolf Knoll
Prince Igor - Igor Gorin
Prince Galitsky - Boris Christoff
Skula - Renato Cesari
Khan Konchak - Boris Christoff

Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra & Choir
Oskar Danon – conductor

Lyric Opera of Chicago, 10/12/1962

Some operatic careers are puzzling to those of us who do the observing rather than the singing or hiring, and certainly one of the most puzzling must be Igor Gorin. The Russian-Jewish baritone began his career as a cantor, and achieved quite a measure of fame in America as a concertizer and as a star of radio. He was a regular on the Bell Telephone Hour and Voice of Firestone, and an RCA recording artist, yet he made a single performance as Germont at the Met, quite late in his career. The principal value of this important release is Gorin’s Igor, a towering achievement vocally and dramatically. His rich, resonant, firmly focused voice is based on an extremely sound technique, and he sings with presence and character. Those who really love this opera should know this performance, which is as richly characterized and beautifully sung as any.

One cannot, however, consider this as a main recommendation for a recording of Prince Igor. As with so many recordings and performances, it is severely cut, omitting the third act entirely. The Philips recording with Gergiev is the gold standard for this opera. Benjamin Pernick’s brilliant review of that recording in Fanfare 19:1 gives a thorough history of performing editions and other recordings, and I would refer the interested reader to the Fanfare archive for the valuable information contained therein. There is something to be said, as a supplement, for the Opera d’Oro release of the 1951 Russian recording with Andrei Ivanov, Mark Reizen, Alexander Pirogov and Sergei Lemeshev. George Jellinek reviewed that in 26:6.

What Immortal Performances offers us in addition to a chance to hear a wonderful baritone in a major role is a glimpse into an important moment in a major American opera company. The Lyric Opera of Chicago during the period in which it was run by Carol Fox competed with any house in the world (save for the fact that no one in that administration was smart enough to make some kind of recorded archive, so many truly important performances are lost to us). The Björling/Callas Trovatore is one that we’d all like to have heard. The standard practice was to broadcast the opening night, so only one opera per year was broadcast, thus allowing for preservation. In 1962 it was Prince Igor, a performance that had an extra frisson as Ms. Fox engaged a dancer for the Polovtsian Dance sequence who would make his American debut that night—Rudolf Nureyev. Sadly we cannot know his performance from an audio recording, though we can share in the excitement of the ovation he receives during his bows. It is worth noting that for this era it was an act of some courage for the Lyric Opera to produce the opera entirely in Russian.

In addition to Gorin, this performance boasts Boris Christoff in the dual roles of Galitsky and Konchak, a trick he repeated for EMI about five years later. In his excellent notes, producer Richard Caniell notes that Christoff is not in quite as firm voice as he was on his earlier EMI Boris Gudonov recording. That may be true, but he sounds pretty good to me here, and with much firmer tones than he shows on the later EMI set. The voice had really started to spread by that time. So the monumental presence of Christoff and the rich Prince of Gorin are the reasons for serious collectors to explore this set. That is especially true because of the added bonus of a 1961 studio recording originally on the Golden Crest label called Arie antiche, with Gorin accompanied very nicely by pianist Willard Straight. This recital includes music of Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Scarlatti and many others, and adds immensely to the value of this set. Again, it shows a warm, rich, focused baritone voice supported by a very firm technique. And one further bonus—Largo al factotum in a 1945 Gorin broadcast from The Voice of Firestone that demonstrates (along with the Arie antiche) the truth of his claim that he tried to build his technique by studying recordings of Battistini. A brief interview rounds out the Gorin material here.

There is one more highlight in Prince Igor, and that is the tenor David Poleri. Those of us who still treasure his brilliant Michele in Menotti’s Saint of Bleecker Street recording will be delighted by his sensitive and lovely singing here. This version of Vladimir’s Cavatina can stand with some of the finest.

The remainder of the Prince Igor is, to be honest, a mixed bag. I find Consuelo Rubio a bit harsh and unsteady, the other singers fair but rarely more, and the chorus sounds a particularly motley conglomeration. The Lyric Opera Orchestra plays much better today than it did in those days, with some ensemble problems and less-than-stellar solo playing. Danon’s conducting is, however, well shaped.

As usual, Immortal Performances’s production standards are top of the line. The notes are both informative and interesting (yes, it is possible to be one without the other), and the sound is quite good. Caniell also provides a remarkably well designed scene-by-scene chart telling us who composed which scene and who orchestrated it. Very helpful indeed, and a major asset of this set. There are some minor issues with the source, which Caniell explains, but overall this is a natural sounding early 1960s monaural radio broadcast, and for this kind of material the sound is really terrific. The original radio announcer from Chicago is kept, but is tracked separately should you wish to omit that particular piece of atmosphere.

For those with an interest in Borodin’s opera, or in hearing Gorin and Christoff in wonderful live, staged performances, this is a very valuable release. --- Henry Fogel, FANFARE magazine

Prince Igor (Knaz’ Igor) is an opera in four acts with a prologue by Alexander Borodin. The libretto, adapted by the composer from the East Slavic epic The Tale of Igor’s Campaign, centers on a 12th-century Russian prince (Igor Svyatoslavich) and his campaigns against the invading Polovtsian tribes. The opera was first performed in St.Petersburg on November 4, 1890. In the USA the opera was first produced at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, December 30, 1915. Borodin left the opera incomplete at his death in 1887. Composition and orchestration was completed posthumously by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. According to the printed score, the opera was completed as follows: Rimsky-Korsakov orchestrated the previously unorchestrated passages from the Prologue, Acts 1, 2, and 4, and the "Polovetsian March" which opens Act 3. Glazunov used what existing material was left to compose and orchestrate the rest of the third act; the often-repeated legend is that he also reconstructed and orchestrated the overture from memory after hearing the composer play it at the piano several times. (In his memoirs, Shostakovich quotes Glazunov as admitting to, in essence, writing the overture based on Borodin’s themes; this explanation appears to make more sense, because of the rather complex polyphonic nature of the overture, which would have made it virtually impossible to adequately render on the piano.) Both the Overture to Prince Igor and the "Polovetsian Dances" (from Act II) are well-known concert standards. Together with the "Polovetsian March", they form the so-called "suite" from the opera. --- balletandopera.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex 4shared mega mediafire uloz.to cloudmailru

back

String Quintet for 2 violins, viola & 2 cellos in F minor
1. Allegro con brio
2. Andante ma non troppo
3. Menuetto				play
4. Finale: Prestissimo (Completed by O. Evlakhov)

String Sextet in D minor (3rd & 4th movements lost)
5. Allegro
6. Andante

Performer: 
Alexander Bobrovsky – viola
Alexander Detisov – violin
Alexander Gotthelf – cello
Alexander Osokine – violin
Alexander Polonsky – violin
Igor Suliga – viola

Beyond all argument, Alexander Borodin was one of the great composers of late 19th century Russia. He was also one of the great Russian chemists of his time, and his day job prohibited him from turning out much music, just as his early death stopped him from completing much of it. Borodin's chamber music includes one masterpiece -- the Second String Quartet -- one near masterpiece -- the First String Quartet -- and many early pieces with little character or intrinsic worth. Compared with the glorious melodies, heartfelt harmonies, vigorous rhythms, and masterful construction of the two string quartets, the piano quintet, string quintet, string sextet, and three trios are merely well put together compositional exercises. These performances are not particularly attractive. The Moscow String Quartet is neither tight nor especially together, and the tone is lean and edgy where it should be rich and warm. The various other Moscow groups performing the remainder of the works are not convincing.

download:  uploaded anonfiles gett mega 4shared mixturecloud yandex mediafire ziddu

back

CD 1:
Symphony No.1 in E flat major
Symphony No.3 in A minor
Prince Igor - Overture
Prince Igor - Dance of the Polovtsiann maidens
Prince Igor - Polovtsians Dances

CD 2:
Symphony No.2 in B minor
Notturno from String Quartet No.2 in D major
In the Steppes of Central Asia
Petite Suite

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Torgny Sporsen - bass
Neeme Järvi – conductor

We have long needed a first-rate set of the Borodin symphonies and it would be churlish to deny that Jarvi gives us just that. The cycle ought to fit on to one well-filled CD, but DG's makeweights are more generous than their rival's and this two-disc package should not be regarded as uncompetitive even at premium price.

To take the couplings first: while The steppes have doubtless been traversed with greater sensitivity on occasion, there is ample eloquence from the Swedish winds and the overall effect is enhanced by the excellent recording. This, and part of the Prince Igor selection, appeared previously in harness to the ubiquitous 1812! As IM noted then, the Polovtsian revelries include a brief contribution from the great Khan himself, effectively recalling the music's authentic, operatic context. The Petite Suite is something of a rarity, a little stolid in Glazunov's arrangement, though that may have something to do with the rather over-beefy sound. I haven't heard Cherkassov's rival account, very much the junior partner for Mussorgsky's reconstructed Sorochintsy Fair (Olympia (CD) OCD114, 12/88). The real novelty in Jarvi's box is Nikolay Tcherepnin's exotic treatment of the familiar Nocturne. DG provide generally excellent notes—a ''documentary chronicle'' rather than the usual critical essay—from Richard Taruskin; yet there's nothing at all on the radically transmogrified quartet movement. Tcherepnin was one of Prokofiev's favourite teachers—the only one actively sympathetic to Scriabin—and his arrangement transforms Borodin's chaste textures into an oriental tableau of glitter and excess. It will come as a shock to those expecting Sir Malcolm Sargent's discreet infilling, but Jarvi is in his element. The Gothenburg first horn does not seem too happy with his part but the playing is otherwise distinguished.

The 'authenticity' of Borodin's own scores has often been questioned, the First Symphony being regarded as something of a dry-run for the Second. This is to underestimate a remarkably accomplished composition, assembled under Balakirev's wing and yet unmistakably Borodin's own work. The First Symphonies of Rachmaninov and Sibelius are perhaps the more remarkable but neither would have been quite the same without this exuberant precursor. The old Record Guide even finds the theme of Elgar's Enigma anticipated 'anagramatically' in the material of Borodin's Andante. Jarvi plays the music for all it's worth and DG's big, bassy, resonant sound works well. (BIS more consistently achieve transparency in this acoustic space.) Perhaps the Schumannesque finale is fractionally rushed, although Andrew Davis is similarly fleet of foot with the Toronto SO (CBS). In the Third Symphony and Prince Igor Overture, Jarvi's familiar tendency to hustle the music along is more pronounced. If you see the Moderato assai marking of the first movement of No. 3 as incompatible with anything but the usual poised pastorale, Jarvi's dramatic, interventionist approach may not be for you. The scherzo is also tougher than usual, though by no means unconvincingly so. And I should say that the indisputably lyrical elements of the Overture are most beautifully shaped, the rubato natural and unforced.

Should you feel that Jarvi fails to build tension as effectively as his more patient rivals here or in No. 3, you will appreciate his way with No. 2—an epic reading different in tone from Davis's lithe and astringent one. The opening pages are superbly crisp—how listless Gergiev sounds by comparison (Philips)—and only the crescendo at the end of the movement (7'43''ff) seems a little too good to be true. Either Jarvi's control of the orchestra is truly awesome or the engineers have contrived a little help. The conductor adopts a sensible tempo to articulate the bubbling scherzo, and his Andante is daringly broad. (The tempo indications and metronome marks here are in any case Rimsky's.) The evocative horn solo is eloquent indeed—it must have been a nightmare to play—and, if some of the phrasing later on seems a shade under-motivated at Jarvi's leisurely pace, the fervour of the strings at the climax should convince you—they certainly convinced me. The finale is superbly done.

With Andrew Davis's engaging Toronto set, lightly sprung and tightly miked, now showing its age, and the one-disc cycles from Serebrier (ASV) and Gunzenhauser (Naxos) let down by the quality of the orchestral response, Jarvi's discs, comprehensively indexed and attractively boxed, would now be my first choice. -- Gramophone [9/1992], arkivmusic.com

download: uploaded yandex 4shared mediafire solidfiles mega nornar

back