Customer Reviews

Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex / Les Noces

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The great glory of this new Mariinsky release is a stunning performance of Les Noces. I had seen a video of the company's staged ballet, itself a marvel of precision and rhythmic dynamism. Usually Les Noces works best with visuals, because the percussive effect of four pianos can become wearing on its own. There is also the problem of the high-lying vocal parts, modeled on Russian folk singing, that almost always comes across as abrasive, on the verge of screaming. All such considerations can now be put in the past. Gergiev's new version sounds as naturally Russian and accessible as Boris Godunov. The solo singers are to the manner born -- there is no screaming. Indeed, a new dimension of human warmth has been revealed. Moment by moment one marvels at how enjoyable this wedding is, how full of emotions that were concealed in performances where the performers were struggling just to avoid mistakes. The propulsive ostinato rhythms are unforgiving of even one misplaced eighth note. Gergiev's singers and musicians are undaunted and come through with a soaring, exhilarating reading.

I already had high expectation for Les Noces, but in concert and at the Met Gergiev's Oedipus Rex, a favorite work of his, had been rather coarse, and the main characters in Sophocles' tragedy sounded lumpen in the typical Soviet vein (no aristocrats, please, we're Communists). For this recording the whole conception has risen. We get one f the most riveting accounts on disc, fronted by superb orchestral playing and a compelling, at times lusty men's chorus. The narrator delivers Jean Cocteau's arch French narration with real conviction. Thus a powerful framework has been set up for the entry of the two most important elements -- Oedipus himself and his queen, Jocasta.

I doubt that I will ever hear an Oedipus sung as tragically as that of Peter Pears, but tenor Sergei Semishkur is first rate. His voice is strong without being too beefy and operatic; the tone is firm and appealing; his dramatic involvement is impressive, even if he can't quite find a wrenching catharsis. The Jocasta of Ekaterina Semenchuk won't be so immediately appealing to everyone. The voice is full, mature, and plummy (try not to think of Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore), giving the impression of a contralto instead of the usual coloratura mezzo. There's no doubt that she is powerful, even marmoreal. Stravinsky might even have preferred such archetypal immobility. As far as the treacherous runs and intervals in Jocasta's great aria (often compared to early Verdi; one thinks of Abigaille in Nabucco), Semenchuk is spectacularly successful. I would compare her favorably to the equally powerful Martha Modl in Stravinsky's old mono recording, which also features Pears's best portrayal. As for the secondary characters, the Creon of Evgeny Nikitin could hardly be improved upon, and we get star casting for Tiresias (doubling the Messenger) with Mikhail Petrenko. But these are Mariinsky standouts all around.

In short, Gergiev has achieved an outright triumph, aided by first-rate sonics, which I heard in two-channel stereo rather than the SACD layer. A must listen for anyone who loves these two masterpieces.

Here's the complete lineup of performers:


Les Noces

--sung in Russian

Mlada Khudoley (soprano), Olga Savova (mezzo), Alexander Timchenko (tenor), Andrei Serov (bass), Svetlana Smolina, Yulia Zaichkina, Alexander Mogilevsky, Maxim Mogilevsky (pianos)

Oedipus Rex

--sung in latin, with narration in French

Sergei Semishkur (Oedipus), Ekaterina Semenchuk (Jocasta), Evgeny Nikitin (Creon & Messenger), Mikhail Petrenko (Tiresias), Alexander Timchenko (shepherd) & Gérard Depardieu (narrator)

Valery Gergiev and his Mariinsky Orchestra, Chorus and Soloists have created one of the most exciting recordings of the works of Igor Stravinsky in all the recorded repertoire. These two works - LES NOCES and OEDIPUS REX - are works we too seldom hear, so demanding are they on not only the conductor but on all the forces involves. Gergiev has managed to capture all of the passion and theatricality of these works and the result is a recording that will startle the listener form beginning to end.

LES NOCES is a ballet created for Diaghilev and is base on a Russian wedding. The stark, driving rhythms are intoxicating as is the scoring for four pianos and ten percussionists, chorus and four soloists. Gergiev grabs us by the throat and doesn't let go until the piece is complete. His instrumentalists are thrilling and the soloists and chorus finally show us how the Russian sound is so important to the success of this work. Mlada Khudoley, soprano, Olga Savova, mezzo, Alexander Timchenko, tenor, and Andrei Serov, bass are exceptional.

OEDIPUS REX is an opera in two acts, but is too often performed in this country as an oratorio. With the approach Gergiev and his Mariinsky forces take to this magnificent, moving retelling of the Oedipus legend, the work must now be truly considered OPERA! The important role of the Narrator (the Greek Chorus) is the impressive Gérard Depardieu who transforms Jean Cocteau French text into a terrifying tale. One could not imagine an actor better suited to this assignment. The vocally demanding role of Oedipus is performed majestically by Sergei Semishkur, a tenor about whom we should be hearing a lot more. Jocasta is the imperial Ekaterina Semenchuk, the roles of Creon and Messenger are sung by Evgeny Nikitin, Tiresias by Mikhail Petrenko and the Shepherd by Alexander Timchenko. All of the work is sung in Latin, the only French role is that of the narrator. The orchestra is stunningly brilliant as is the chorus.

The sound on this recording is as fine as this listener has heard. The recording was made in the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia: it makes us want to travel there to capture this amazing acoustic! A brilliant success by all standards. Definitely a candidate for the 2011 Classical Grammy Award. Grady Harp, September 10

Les Noces is now a 100 years old, but this recording makes it young and fresh and raw again. Valery Gergiev and the Marinsky Orchestra have something that almost no one has anymore. Style. These russians know how this music goes- It's in their blood.
Oedipus Rex, the best version. Energy.