Glinka - A Life for the Tsar / Nesterenko, Mescheriakova, Lomonosov, Zaremba, Bezhko, Lazarev, Bolshoi Opera

A Life for the Tsar - or Ivan Susanin, as known originally and later during the Soviet era - is an opera in four acts and an epilogue, and the first of Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka's (1804 -1857) two masterworks, Ruslan and Lyudmila being the other.As the first officially recognized Russian composer of classical music, Glinka, incidentally, is considered the father of Russian music. As such, he has influenced all Russian composers, particularly so the members of The Mighty Five or the Mighty Handful, Alexander Borodin (1833-1887), César Cui (1835-1918), Mily Balakirev (1837-1910), Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908).A Life for the Tsar is considered the first true opera displaying a musical idiom which - although remaining consistent with the Western traditions - is genuinely Russian. The opera describes the heroic adventures of peasant and patriotic champion Ivan Susanin who loses his life after distracting the Poles and leading them astray in order to prevent them from capturing Tsar Mikhail I (the original member of the Romanov family. Set in 1612 Russia, it was inspired by a work on the same subject by Italian composer Catterino Cavos who, in fact, directed the orchestra during the premiere on December 9 1836.The present interpretation was recorded at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow in 1992, that is one year following the fall of the Soviet Union. It is sung in Russian, with the choice of English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish subtitles. Bass Evgeny Nesterenko plays the lead role of Ivan Susanin (supposedly a peasant, but looking onstage more like a member of the Russian aristocracy) with the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Alexander Lazarev.The music - without recitative sections - is beautiful throughout the entire 175 minutes of its duration. That means it remains moving, whether: (1)accompanying happy events, such as the victory celebrations by the Poles, or the wedding preparations by Susanin`s daughter Antonida; or (2) depicting agonizing emotions, for example, those of Susanin who - immediately after saving the Tsar`s life - expresses his anxiety about the coming of the dawn and, with it, his final moments on earth.Anxiety and death, incidentally, are unusual occurrences for us westerners, used to believe that successful heroism is naturally followed by triumph and happiness.Beautiful and entirely fitting is also the staging, bright and colorful when the background to happy events; dark and daunting,when taking us in the dense gloomy forest, where Susanin sings his very last lines.Loyal to the Russian tradition, Glinka did not forget to include some classical ballet in his work. In fact, he dedicated a substantial portion of the second act to ballet dancing - an uncommon practice in the operatic world. The dancing is part of the victory celebrations by the Poles, and includes three full length dances, a "krakowiak", a waltz, and a mazurka. As a ballet lover myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this unusually long inclusion by members of the Bolshoi Ballet on the Bolshoi Theater stage - the largest stage in the world - specifically built to accommodate ballet performances. The dances, interpreted by one of the two most famous Russian companies (the other being the Kirov in St. Petersburg), make this opera more precious, not just to the opera lovers, to the ballet enthusiasts as well. What a treat!!!!! An opera which I was very glad to discover.

This is a very good opera recording. Fine music-making, from the principles to the chorus to the orchestra. The staging is straightforward but effective. The camera work leaves nothing to be desired. Sound is very good, picture quality is what you would expect for the format. Older DVDs like this are always a bit of a risk, but this production delivers on all fronts. Highly recommended!

Excellent product and service.

Glinka's A Life for the Tsar, the first of the two operas by the composer, and considered to be the very first truly Russian opera, has obviously played a very significant role in the world of Russian music since its 1836 premier. Commissioned by Tsar Nicholas I, the opera was composed by Glinka under his full supervision, and it fit the Russian political agenda of the time perfectly; which largely contributed to its initial success. During the Russian Revolution, the opera was banned for many years because of its pro-tsar message, until it was unearthed by Stalin, who commissioned a new "soviet-friendly" libretto. Even though the "Ivan Susanin" (the new title given) was one of the most popular operas in Russia, the new libretto had plenty of logistical problems, and was simply not as fluent. Plus, much music had to be cut from the score in the Soviet version, such as the majestic coronation scene at the end.So, with the fall of the Soviet Union, the Bolshoi was quick to restore the original score and original libretto by Baron Rozen. To get an idea of just how fast, the USSR fell in 1991, and this performance is from 1992. Up until now, there was no single all around excellent recording of this opera, especially in the West. This new DVD by Kultur is everything that I wanted and more; a truly superb performance from everyone.The role of Ivan Susanin is considered to be the quintessential Russian bass role (even more so than Boris Godunov). The role requires volume, a commanding presence, but it also requires an excellent actor who can be fatherly and sympathetic. Evgeny Nesterenko meets all those requirements, and proves to be one of the best Susanin's ever, right up there with Mikhailov and Reizen. True, Nesterenko maybe a little past his former stentorian prime, but at this point in his career, his voice was just the right color for Susanin. Nesterenko is also a tremendous actor who knows this role inside-out; you can actually sense the pain in eyes during his big aria and recitative, when Susanin sees that his death is inevitable; absolutely convincing. This portrayal is a tremendous accomplishment; one for the ages.The other big star here is the tenor Alexander Lomonosov. Sobinin is one of those unsingable grand opera tenor roles, much like Arnoldo in Guglielmo Tell, where the singer needs to sound very dramatic but also be able to hit a high C every few minutes. Lomonosov makes it seem like there is nothing to it.Elena Zaremba, a real contralto, is excellent as Vanya, Susanin's adopted son, managing to get across much boyish charm. She also comes up big in her Act 3 aria. Marina Mescheriakova starts off a bit shrill, but manages to finish off successfully. She too, is convincing in her role. All of the charming ensembles come off very well coordinated.This also happens to be the most chorus heavy opera I have ever heard. The chorus has more music than any of the soloists, and the music requires a real virtuoso choir to pull it off. The Bolshoi chorus is tremendous with unbelievable pitch precision the whole way through. The Bolshoi orchestra under Alexander Lazarev know what they are doing. The orchestra sound is very "authentic" and they leave plenty of excitement to spare.The production is done in the "risk-free" old Bolshoi style; very traditional. The direction can static at times, but you can be sure that there aren't going to be any unpleasant surprises. This is good, because most people have never seen a production of "A Life for the Tsar" before, it is best to introduce it the traditional way. A long ballet sequence is given in the Polish court; pleasant dance music, but it overstays its welcome. A minor quirk is that they cut out a very beautiful, but long ensemble number in the first act that I remember as being a high point in other recordings. However, I'm no musicology expert, but I am pretty sure that there is some music in here that I've never heard before. Nevertheless, they could have cut a section of the ballet to make room for that number. Furthermore, if you are easily annoyed by audience noise, it's your lucky day, because there isn't any whatsoever. This also means that all of the applause is cut out, and there are no curtain calls. Not to make a big deal about it, but I would have liked to see hear some of the audience reactions to this wonderful performance; just feels like something is missing.Yes, this opera showcases much of Glinka's bel canto influence, but it doesn't overwhelm it like he does in his second opera: Ruslan and Lyudmila. And, if you are familiar with Ruslan, you might agree that there a few parts of that which are rather sleep inducing. None of that here, every moment brings you something fresh and exciting. Even the ridiculously long ballet gets old, but never gets dull or looses energy. Now with this being released, and the Kirov's wonderful Ruslan and Lyudmila out there, all of the Glinka's operatic output is available on DVD. I highly recommend this DVD to everyone interested in Russian opera, or any opera in general.

A

A gift for my wife and she thuroughly enjoyed it. It was great!!

Excellent production. Has subtitles.

The DVD is a stunning production. I only regret that the Russian operas are not more readily available. The idiom of the music is Russian, but still very enjoyable.BIG MOE