BaL 8.10.11 Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30 a.m. on CD Review.
David Nice with a personal recommendation from the available recordings of Tchaikovsky's opera The Queen of Spades.

Available recordings:

Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper & Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Algis Shuraitis
Orchestra & Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre, Alexander Melik-Pasheyev
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Nino Sanzogno
Orchestre des Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Jacques Lacombe
Bolshoi Theatre Chorus and Orchestra, Mark Ermler
Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, Städtische Oper Berlin, Arthur Rother
Kirov Opera & Orchestra, Valery Gergiev
Tanglewood Festival Chorus & Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa
Chorus and Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, Samuel Samosud
Chœur Tchaikovsky Maîtrise de Radio France Orchestre National de France, Mstislav Rostropovich



DVD
Glyndebourne Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Davis, stage direction by Graham Vick
Svetlana Lunkina & Yan Godovsky, Dancers and Orchestra of Bolshoi Theatre, Vladimir Andropov
Vladimir Galouzine & Hasmik Papian
Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (conductor) & Lev Dodin (stage director)
Bolshoi Opera
Symphony Orchestra and chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Michael Boder (conductor) & Gilbert Deflo (director) [Also Blu Ray]
Kirov Opera Orchestra & Chorus, Valery Gergiev

[visualnickmos]

I'm looking forward to this one. A work I know only that it exists! Some very tempting items on your menu, above, AlpenS. I'd like to think a Slavonic-based performance would be a top recommendation, but there are some other wonderful 'outsiders' listed as well.... I admire you always taking the time to research available versions, etc. A veritable oracle if ever there was one!
If I was a gambler, I'd put my dosh on Gergiev, then Rostropovich, then Ermler.

[verismissimo]

Queen of Spades seems such a weird work for its time. At least that's how it strikes me.

Do its weirdness spring from the original Pushkin story? Or the libretto by Tchaikovsky's brother, Modest? Or from the music itself? Or from the various productions that I've seen over the years?

Aside from some fascinating very early recordings of arias, I have Gergiev with his St Petersburg company. Listening again today.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I saw this just once - at the Sadlers Wells threatre in the pre-ENO days. It had a profound effect on me that has never really worn off.

[NickWraight]

Probably my favourite Tchaikovsky opera that rarely fails to deliver drammatically. The Maria Bjornson sparsely designed and beautiful production at ENO that I saw twice in the 80s was a delight and somewhat more effective than the more recent 'Ice Heap' Zambello effort at the ROH.

Like Onegin the piece starts innocently enough but grows into a very effective psychological, not to say paranoid, drama.

[Brassbandmaestro]

I dont know this opera. Opera is one of those genres of music that sometimes I feel I like to let my imnagination go with the plot, but then its always also, good to watch a dvd/Ble-Ray to!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Confession time, I think. Every ime time I listen to my Decca Ace of Diamonds Grand Opera LP set of this work, I am reminded of how I never paid for it. Not that I'm a crook. I was an improverished student when I placed a mail order. There was no reply for weeks, so I assumed the order had gone astray and wrote to explain that I was stopping the cheque, which I did. The LPs arrived on the following day. I awaited further instructions, but heard nothing more. But the overwhelming sense of guilt remains.

:sadface:

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

So far, a very interesting and perceptive BaL. The sound balance on FM is very strange this morning; the presenter speaks at a normal level, but the musical excerpts sound far too mutes. For heaven's sake - this is Tchaikovsky at his greatest. Let him be heard!

[Caliban]

So far, a very interesting and perceptive BaL. The sound balance on FM is very strange this morning; the presenter speaks at a normal level, but the musical excerpts sound far too mutes. For heaven's sake - this is Tchaikovsky at his greatest. Let him be heard!

Enjoyed listening to the reviewer but I'm afraid for me the music and performances are just impenetrably awful. The two words which stuck out from David Nice's commentary were "raucous' and 'histrionic' (the latter used twice, I think). I am so far from spending money on a recording of this piece - cause for celebration there!

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-greet009.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There isn't really a satisfactory recording of this work. Either the recorded sound is dated, as is the 59 year old recommended version, or there is too much Russian wobble. Nevertheless, I'm tempted to order the 60CD Brilliant Classics Tchaikovsky edition (http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/search.php?searchString=Brilliant+classics+tchaiko vsky+edition).

[Stanley Stewart]

Worth checking the Tchaikovsky Edition (Brilliant Classics) with HMV or Amazon, EA. Both quote £69 99 for the 60CD set with free postage. In turn, Presto's asking price is £83 70 + postage.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Thanks for that. Does anyone make even the tiniest profit on these ultra-cheap bulk issues?

[reinerfan]

The Tchaikovsky set is available from Amazon España at 52,57 Euros, of which I took advantage. A most interesting set.

[mikealdren]

Does anyone make even the tiniest profit on these ultra-cheap bulk issues?
That's an interesting question. The answer must be yes or they wouldn't do it.

If you look at the cost of a new disk, there's the cost of recording which the reissue doesn't have and the costs of production, sales, advertising etc. which I suspect are not much more for a 60 disk set than a single disk. On this basis, a set at £70 may actually be very profitable compared with a single disk reissue at £6. What do others think?

Mike

[verismissimo]

Just ordered the Brilliant box - under £60 from Regis via Amazon. All those hard to get operas etc!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

That's an interesting question. The answer must be yes or they wouldn't do it.

If you look at the cost of a new disk, there's the cost of recording which the reissue doesn't have and the costs of production, sales, advertising etc. which I suspect are not much more for a 60 disk set than a single disk. On this basis, a set at £70 may actually be very profitable compared with a single disk reissue at £6. What do others think?

Mike
But at little over a pound a disc, including licensing, production, distribution, royalties. Even postage in some cases. It's amazing.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've just bought the Gergiev set. Amazing stuff, though the Kirov Orchestra sounds a little boxed-in, Bayreuth-style. I was surprised it wasn't recommended in the BaL broadcast.
I went rather silly a couple of weeks ago and bought sets of all the available Tchaikovsky operas. That's all of them apart from the destroyed Undina and Vakula the Smith, which the composer later revised as Cherevichki. Both of those unavailable ones were broadcast in the Radio 3 Tchaikovsky Experience a few years ago.