What are you listening to? (Vol VII)

Just stumbled across this Three Blind Mice recording in my collection, amazing sound and great music.  

Abbado's recording of Boris Godunov is well cast but essential for Abbado's masterful grip on the long score (based on Mussorgsky's own 1872 revision with elements of the 1868 original, in an arrangement unique to this recording as far as I can tell). Abbado downplays the hysteria in favor of a rich orchestral tapestry of sound, and has in Kotcherga a Boris that meets his vision. Boris' death scene is one of opera's Great Moments, and it's a pity that this scene in particular suffers from the coolness that works so well for the rest of the work. 

Cheers,

EJ

Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London

Recorded in Co-production with Polish Radio and TV

(p) 1977 Original sound recording made by EMI Records Ltd.

This Complilation © 1983 EMI Records Ltd.

Boris is one of the few operas that work exceptionally well in English translation, and John Tomlinson makes an excellent Boris. A great pity that of all the operas that EMI and Chandos issued under the Opera in English banner, this one never received a full recording. Highly recommended.

EJ

The Band, Music from the Big Pink, 2000 remaster

This and then this........

Cheers

Flettster

On CD:-

Jono

Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon in a live recording from concert performances in Munich. Audio quality is outstanding, but (inevitably) based on close-up miking - and no applause to spoil the show. The performance is good, if slightly superficial compared to the very best (Karajan, Pappano, Davis). Both Villazon (captured just before his vocal crisis) and Netrebko deliver on their star status.

EJ

Anna Calvi