Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Overtures & Suites from the Operas (Neeme Järvi)

Information

Composer: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

CD1:

• May Night, opera: Overture
• The Snow Maiden, opera suite
• Mlada, opera suite
• Christmas Eve, opera suite

CD2:

• The Tale of Tsar Saltan, opera suite
• The Flight of the Bumble-bee
• The Invisible City of Kitezh, opera suite
• The Golden Cockerel, opera suite

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Neeme Järvi, conductor

Date: 1984

Label: Chandos

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Review

Bringing together music from Rimsky-Korsakov's six best-known operas (plus the less familiar Christmas Eve, which offers some of the most beguiling writing of all) reinforces the impression that because of the composer's unique feeling for colour, his orchestral music can stand more effectively away from the voices than that from any other operatic source. One is also made aware of the essential pantheism of Rimsky's art. He loved mythology but gave it substance by his response to the visible beauty and the sounds of nature which offer an idyllic background for narrative adventures with a supernatural ambience. So the Snow maiden suite includes a delicately imagined ''Dance of the birds'', the Prelude to the Invisible city of Kitezh is described as ''A hymn to nature'', and the enchantments of Christmas Eve include portrayals of the glittering stars against a snow-covered landscape and a flight of comets. In drawing on folklore he uses plots based on stories of Gogol and Ostrovsky where the picaresque human characters may be insubstantial but have recognizable foibles. King Dodon of The golden cockerel is a real buffer, but the sensual allure of Queen Shemakha is altogether more tangible.

Throughout these three rewarding LPs the quality of invention is very high, and apart from the vividly familiar highlights (the ''Dance of the tumblers'' from Snow Maiden, the ''Procession of the nobles'' from Mlada—already a TV signature theme—and the Tsar Saltan music) the ear is continually captivated by the unquenchable flow of exotic melody and the skilful deployment of the orchestral palette. There is not space here to detail the many felicities, but the romantic apotheosis of the Invisible city of Kitezh—a miniature tone-poem in itself—is no less appealing than the better-known ''Marriage feast of King Dodon''.

Neeme Jarvi conjures the most seductive response from the SNO, especially appropriate for the feline delicacy with which Queen Shemakha seduces the King (and no wonder, with sounds so diaphonously sinuous), yet he is good with the fireworks too and the brass blazes when required, while the horns combine sumptuousness with vibrant projection. The recording offers the widest dynamic range, a convincing overall perspective and has the essential atmospheric warmth in the middle range. Occasionally there is a hint of fierceness on top at the most forceful climaxes, but that may well smooth itself out when the CDs arrive. Certainly the LPs are in the demonstration league, with textures ravishing the ear as Rimsky intended. This is in every way a distinguished set—the music wears uncommonly well on repetition and its provision can do nothing but enhance the composer's reputation.

-- Ivan March

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Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (18 March 1844 – 21 June 1908) was a prominent Russian composer and a key figure in the development of Russian classical music. He was a member of the group of composers known as "The Five" which dedicated to creating a distinctively Russian sound. Rimsky-Korsakov is best known for his orchestral works, including Scheherazade, Capriccio Espagnol, and Russian Easter Overture. His compositions often feature vibrant orchestration, exotic themes, and rich harmonic textures. He also contributed to the development of Russian opera, with notable works such as The Snow Maiden and Sadko.

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Neeme Järvi (born June 7, 1937 in Tallinn) is an Estonian conductor. He studied at the Leningrad Conservatory under Evgeny Mravinsky and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others. Järvi was Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Gothenburg Symphony (1982-2004), Royal Scottish National Orchestra (1984-1988), Detroit Symphony Orchestra (1990-2005) and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (2012-2015), among others. He made over 400 recordings for labels such as BIS, Chandos and Deutsche Grammophon and best known for his interpretations of Romantic and 20th century classical music.

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