Search - Mikhail Glinka, Ivan Marinov, Cristina Angelakova :: Glinka: Ivan Susanin

The best "Life for the Tsar" that we can get

Eric S. Kim | Southern California | 02/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There are basically three recordings of Glinka's classic opera "A Life for the Tsar". They are:



*Conductor Alexander Melik-Pashayev's mono recording with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra & Chorus

*Conductor Alfredo Simonetto's live mono recording with the Italian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

*Conductor Ivan Marinov's studio recording with the Sofia National Opera Orchestra & Chorus



This recording by Marinov is the best that we can get. It's uncut, and it has decent stereo sound. But the downside here is that the orchestra and singers don't give out very excellent performances: they don't sound very passionate enough. Plus, there is no libretto whatsoever (I can't seem to find any "Life for the Tsar" libretto anywhere!). But conductor Marinov doesn't miss a step, and the orchestral & choral sound are truly Russian-like.



I'm hoping there will be a brand new recording with a better orchestra, better singers, and a perfect digital sound. Either that or a re-release of the Sony recording with Emil Tchakarov and the Sofia Festival Orchestra. But in the meantime, I can only wait."