RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Pan Voyevoda, Sadko, May Night

Golovschin, Igor, Moscow Symphony Orchestra

8.553858

The international reputation of Rimsky-Korsakov rests largely on his colourful orchestral works such as the Capriccio espagnol and Sheherazade. His principal achievement, however, must be seen to rest on his sixteen or so operas, major contributions to a relatively new repertoire.

The score of Pan Voyevodo includes a number of colourful episodes, while the opera as a whole, with an uninspired libretto. is unsuccessful.

The composer revised Sadko two years later, publishing it as Musical picture — Sadko and made a final revision for further publication in 1892, before the composition of his opera on the same subject, completed in 1896.

It was in 1866 that Rimsky-Korsakov had the idea of writing his Overture on Russian Themes. As with all his earlier works, this was later revised, reaching its final form in 1880. Modelled on Balakirev's Overture on Three Russian Themes, Rimsky-Korsakov's work starts with a slow introduction followed by an Allegro using the two folk-songs. Slava, familiar both from Beethoven's Razumovsky Quartet, Op. 59, No. 2 and from Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, heard in the introduction, returns in the coda.

May Night, Rimsky-Korsakov's second opera, completed in 1879, was based on a story by Gogol. The opera makes extensive use of folk- material and this s reflected in the Overture which makes full use of themes that are later to be heard, including the water-nymph music of the third act, Levko's song about Hanna, sung by the take in the same act, something of Levko and Hanna's duet in the first act and music from the opera's finale.

CD x 1

Naxos

08.03.99

730099485821