Search - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari :: Tchaikovsky: Cherevicki [The Little Shoes]

A fairytale opera

Earl | Copenhagen | 01/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At last there is a chance to hear the magical opera, Cherevichki, in a modern recording. And an excellent one. I warmly recommend every operafan and operadirector! to get acquainted with this seldomly performed but most theatrical and surprisingly beautiful opera.
The lyrical Eugen Onegin and the dramatic Pique Dame are well-known to most people, and many also appreciates the elegical, almost flegmatic Yolanta and the more robust but still beautiful Mazeppa. But Cherevichki, which is musically related to the fresh and spirited Nutcracker though more grotesque than the ballet, is still comparetively unknown in the west. It is, however, probably only a matter of a short time before it will be played in any adventurious operahouse anywhere in the world.
The opera consists of many individual scenes with lots of appeal. After the brillant ouverture there is a wonderful parlando-scene between an imp and Vakula, the smith's mother, apperently a witch. Tchaikovsky at his most humourous! Consequently there are beautiful arias for the obligatory tenor and soprano, splendid chorus-scenes and marvellous stagemusic describing a fairytale landscape full of snow and undines.
This live-recording is ravishingly conducted by Rozhdestvensky and all the roles are splendidly sung and performed by the russian cast, though I find the first scene more charmingly grotesque on the older recording conducted by A. Melik-Pashayev.
This opera adds another, lively!, facet to Tchaikovsky's works, while we are waiting for a new recording of his more problematic, The maid of Orleans."

A revelation, indeed!

B. Cathey | Wendell, NC United States | 03/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tchaikovsky's CHEREVICHKI comes as something of a revelation to me. Like many in the West, I knew well EUGENE ONEGIN and QUEEN OF SPADES. A few years back I discovered MAZEPPA (there are two fine recordings of that work, one with Jarvi and another with Gergiev, I believe). Of CHEREVICHKI, I had heard years back the the re-issued older recording on Preiser, but nothing prepared me for this magnificent recording! This recording of a live performance in Cagliari, Italy, is one the finest releases that Dynamic has given us; everything works, and works well. The vocalists, mostly native Russians---particularly Ekaterina Morosova and Valeri Popov--account themselves extremely well, but everyone does well in this performance. And then there is the sparkling conducting and leadership of Gennady Rozhdestvensky, who seems to adore the work as I now do. And what a marvelous orchestra those Sardinians have in Cagliari! They SOUND like the Bolshoi! I couldn't believe my ears.



The work, itself, is based on the same fairy tale that inspired Rimsky-Korsakov in CHRISTMAS EVE (the translation of the title is variously "The Little Shoes" or "The slippers"). The music is a delight, chock full of rustic Russian melody. Here, then, is the "nationalist" Tchaikovsky at work, inspired to write a "folk" opera that will keep your feet tapping and bring a smile to your face.



Oh, and yes, a full libretto in Russian-Italian-English, with good notes on the history of the opera, as well as a decent plot summary. Very handsome presentation. Very little stage noise for a live recording.



In short, five stars is too little for this gem. Highly recommended; search it out, and enjoy"