Customer Reviews

Great Singers of Russia, Volume 1 [VHS]

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This is a gem of a series, presenting the panoply of great Russian opera singers from Chaliapin to today. In this first volume, host Lyuba Kazarnovskaya acquaints us with the astounding voices of Fyodor Chaliapin, Leonid Sobinov, Alexander Pirogov and others from the Golden Age of the early 20th century. Footage from theatrical and private archives is complemented by delightful live interviews with singer Ivan Petrov. There is a good mix of Russian songs in here too, including a lovely duet by Nadezhda Obukhova (her only filmed performance, alas) and Ivan Kozlovsky, and a wacky troika ride with Sergei Lemeshev. Valeria Basova and Natalya Shpiller, relatively unknown in the West, confirm their reputations in virtuoso excerpts; Maxim Mikhailov, Pavel Lisitsian (singing "Di Provenza" from Traviata in Russian!), Georgy Nelepp and Mark Reizen appear in some of their greatest roles. A smattering of excerpts of some of these singers in non-Russian repertory (for example, Chaliapin as Don Quichotte in a clip from the old film of the Ibert opera) rounds out the video. There's even a guest appearance by American bass Paul Robeson in a duet with Kozlovsky. In short, this is a treat not to be missed by opera lovers!