Search - Edwards Serov Odense Symphony Orchestra :: Opera Suites, Vol. 2

Russian conductor/Danish Orchestra

bonerfly | NY | 03/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First thing you can't help but notice about this obscure CD is THE SOUND quality.

I own over 1000 classical CDs and none comes close to the clean, detailed, glittering transparency of this Kontrapunkt(Steeplechase) recording.

You can literally step inside this music. Recorded sound can not possibly sound better than on this CD. A joyous feast for the ears.



Now about the music and performance.

I am a great fan of anything Rimsky. I have many versions of all his compositions.

In my opinion this is the most beautiful, vivid, SPARKLING, compelling and idiomatic account of Le'Coq d'Or (Golden Cockerel) ever put on CD. Serov and the Odense Symphony outdistance the competition by miles.

Every note is distinct and literally glitter in space.

The imaging and transparency are luxuriant and amazingly clear while still retaining all their rich warmth. A GORGEOUS performance. This also goes for the lesser known Maid From Pskov and Pan Voyevoda.

I can't imagine a better performance or sound stage for any of these pieces.

You have to hear this to believe it.

A Glorious CD for lovers of any kind of music.

VERY highly recommended.

Everything I have written also applies to Vol. 1 and 3 Opera Suites of the Serov/Odense Rimsky Korsakov Cycle.

Way at the top of the list of all that I have heard in the last 40 years."

A mixed selection

Red Stick Reviewer | 08/06/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Rimsky-Korsakov wrote music for 15 operas, from at least eight of which he (or Glazunov) extracted orchestral suites. This CD is the second of three in which Edward Serov and the Odense Symphony Orchestra perform these eight suites. The conducting, playing, and recording are all first-class.



This second CD in the series includes three suites. The best known is "The Golden Cockerel" (Le coq d'or), with four selections from the opera. The fourth selection, a musical portrayal of Tsar Dodon's bridal procession, is the most frequently recorded, but all four numbers are worth having.



The other two suites,"Maid from Pskov" and "Pan Voyevoda," are less well-known, for good reason. The music in neither has the same intrinsic interest as that in "The Golden Cockerel." Neither will make a contribution to any list of Rimsky's greatest hits. Perhaps the greatest interest attaches to the last two selections from "Pan Voyevoda": two Polish dances, a Mazurka and a Polonaise, both in 3/4 time. Both sound like Viennese waltzes, something that we do not normally expect to hear from Rimsky.



Aficionados of Rimsky-Korsakov (like myself) will be glad to have all three suites in these first-class performances. Others may not wish to invest in this CD if they already have a good performance of "The Golden Cockerel.""