Alexander Borodin: Prince Igor

Alexander Borodin (Composer), Valery Gergiev (Conductor), Olga Borodina (Performer), Alexander Glazunov (Orchestra), St. Petersburhg Kirov Chorus and Orchestra (Orchestra), Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Orchestra), Yuri Faliek (Orchestra), Galina Gorchakova (Performer), Bulat Minjelkiev (Performer), Mikhail Kit (Performer), Nikolai Gassiev (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Olga Borodina, Galina Gorchakova, Bulat Minjelkiev, Mikhail Kit, Nikolai Gassiev
• Orchestra: Alexander Glazunov, St. Petersburhg Kirov Chorus and Orchestra, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Yuri Faliek
• Conductor: Valery Gergiev
• Composer: Alexander Borodin
• Audio CD (April 11, 1995)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0000041A2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,844 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the best we are likely to get, January 17, 2000

By 

Julian Grant (London, Beijing, New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alexander Borodin: Prince Igor (Audio CD)

'Prince Igor' was left in a state of total disarray at the time of Borodin's death - after working on it for 25 years there was still not a fixed libretto, so it has come down to us in a version by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. There are rumbles that they corrected and improved it as much as Rimsky's well-meant but over-polished versions of Mussorgsky and a new version (radical) has been performed in Russia, but not yet made generally available. This recording adheres to a 'new performing edition by the Mariinsky theatre', which means that you get the Polovstian Act - usually 2, first, after the Prologue. This works extremely well, despite the fact that a lot of the most gorgeous music comes earlier on in the story. The old first act follows - making much more dramatic sense and bolstered by some unfamiliar music, amplifying the role (and villainy) of Igor's brother-in-law, Prince Galitsky, left to mind the shop in Russia, and carouse and abuse long suffering sister and wife of Igor, Jaroslavna. The third act (the second Polovstian act) is less anti-climactic than usual by being thus separated from its musically much more substantial predecessor and by from by the inclusion of a new solo, resurrected from Borodin's sketches, for the hero, Igor, where he calls upon the spirits of past russian heroes to help him out of his capture. Only the end strikes me as a little arbitrary, the opening chorus from the Prologue is re-instated intead of the customary final chorus - it's effective, but strikes me as caprice masquerading as scholarship, particularly as this 'old' final chorus (which we don't hear) was actually all by Borodin, and even more unusually, partly orchestrated by him. You can hear the more conventional (published) layout of the on the Sony recording conducted by Emil Tchakarov, but it really doesn't hold a candle to the intensity of this performance.

Olga Borodina is marvellous as the sexy Konchakovna - the legato in her sultry entrance-aria is breathtaking (CD 1 track 10). Michael Kit wants a little of tonal allure at times, but gives a very emotive and heroic performance, both bass roles are very strong indeed. There is a video of a flawed Covent Garden production conducted by Bernard Haitink (on Decca - nla) with Anna Tomova-Sintov as the long suffering wife of Igor, Yaroslavna, who set the stage alight with almost religious tragic fervour, besides this Galina Gorchakova is found wanting - she sings creamily as Yaroslavna, but is not as involving as she could be. Gegam Gregoriam sings an old-fashioned robust Vladimir. Gergiev as ever, paces the opera beautifully. What a score it is! Dramatically, if you regard the piece as a medieval icon, ruined in places and with bits missing, and not a well-made play a la Tosca, it is very compelling. The recording quality is not great, a little recessed in the treble and slightly grainy, but it conveys the big moments readily enough.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sumptuous Recording of a Neglected Opera, January 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alexander Borodin: Prince Igor (Audio CD)

Russian opera (Mussorgsky & Tchaikovsky aside) has a somewhat limited exposure here in the United States; after listening to a CD like this, you have to wonder why. Yes, Borodin's libretto is no masterpiece--the fouth act is rather scrappy and winds itself up far too suddenly--but the music itself is sumptuous and constantly inventive. (I find it to be one of the few operas without any dull musical moments.) This particular recording is especially fine, with detailed liner notes to explain just how the work has been tinkered with over the last century. The soloists are quite expressive, and Gergiev brings out fine playing from the orchestra--he even makes the Polovtsian Dances sound barbaric and fresh, which is quite an accomplishment given the number of times they've been beaten to death before. Although this is a "live" performance, the noise interference from the stage and the audience is lesser here than on many of the other Kirov sets. This is an excellent recommendation for the opera fan who wants to branch out from the standard repertory.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent version of this opera, May 5, 2000

By 

M. Tietjen "tietj" (Syracuse, NY, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alexander Borodin: Prince Igor (Audio CD)

Valery Gergiev's new re-working of Prince Igor does indeed make much more sense than the conventional version, dramatically and musically, and, beyond that, it is an excellent performance. There may be some parts "missing" from this version, but there are also some new parts which have been excluded from most performances. Most notable is Igor's Monologue, which takes place in the final Polovstvian act. Also, there are two additions to the finale of the Yaroslavna act.

The principals in the opera are universally excellent. Galina Gorchakova has often been unjustly criticized, but she truly has one of the most beautiful voices in the modern opera world. One of the most touching moments in this recording is the end of her arioso, which she performs beautifully in one breath--and ON PITCH, which is something she is often criticized for, particularly when she is singing softly as she is here. True, she can have pitch problems, as in her lament in the last act, but it's a small price to pay for her voice itself, and she always manages to get back on pitch when she goes flat. She is a standout in the cast, as are Olga Borodina as Konchakovna and the singers who portray Igor and Yaroslavna's brother Vladimir.

As for the sound quality, someone earlier said that it sounded very good for being recorded live, and I agree. Actually, I didn't know it WAS recorded live until I read that review, and I'm still not sure. It certainly doesn't sound like it, and I can't find anything in the booklet that says that it was. Either way, the recording quality is excellent.

The conducting is also admirable, although Gergiev tends to rush at points. For example, during Yaroslavna's lament, there is a very beautiful section in the middle ("Ach, ty veter, veter bunyi") that Gergiev flies through.