Search - Verdi, Vishnevskaya, Melik-Pashayev :: Aida

The Other Bolshoi Aida

postupano | Arlington VA | 08/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A disclaimer off the top: I'm a sucker for recordings of the standard rep in languages other than the original and in particular for those in Russian. A few months ago I picked up vol. 2 of the DVD "The Great Singers of Russia" on VAI and was captivated by the brief segment of Vishnevskaia performing "Rittorna vincitor," apparently one of the few surviving visual records of her stage work not destroyed after she and Rostropovich left Russia in 1974. I was thus delighted to find this newly issued record of a 1961 live performance of the whole work from the Bolshoi. It's a pleasure to hear Vishnevskaia in a major Verdi role, without much of the edge familiar in her later recordings in the Russian repertoire.



I have to revisit the 1953 Bolshoi performance currently available on Gala, but I have a feeling I am going to prefer the present one, for the extra excitement of the live performance and Arkhipova's excellent Amneris. Holdovers from the older set include Lisitsian's burnished copper Amonasro, Melik-Pashayev's conducting, and Petrov's archetypal Russian bass sound as Ramfis.



This is not going to be your reference recording of "Aida," but if the language question doesn't bother you, I recommend it highly as a thoroughly enjoyable rendition of a great opera, not just a curiosity. Detailed track listings in Italian, no libretto translated or original, notes and performance photos of the principal singers."