We
tend to regard Rachmaninov mainly as a composer of instrumental
music, but his oeuvre also includes a not inconsiderable
amount of vocal music. He composed seventy songs for voice
and piano, the wonderful Vespers and Liturgy of
St John Chrysostom for unaccompanied choir, the large
cantata The Bells for soloists, choir and orchestra
and some other occasional pieces and, in his youth, he also
wrote the three operas, from which we have extracts on this
well-filled disc. None of them has been incorporated in the
standard repertoire, at least not outside Russia, even though
they can sometimes be encountered in some adventurous opera
houses. They are definitely worth getting to know and there
are several interesting features in them, most of all perhaps Aleko,
which was composed while Rachmaninov was still in his teens
but in many ways it the most inspired of the three.
The
orchestral introduction, for instance, has an almost Verdian
build-up of tension and Todorov, assisted by his excellent
orchestra, handles the ebb and flow of the music impressively.
The first class recording also lets us hear the expert scoring.
Not bad by a 19-year-old. The two ballet sequences are also
splendid creations, Women’s Dance mild and gracious, Men’s
Dance dark and bold, towards the end even wild. There
is also some powerful choral music, especially in the finale,
splendidly sung by the National Opera Chorus.
The
fairly short scene from The Miserly Knight, the finale
of this one-acter, involves a lot of histrionics and none
too subtle shouting and the orchestra seems to be Rachmaninov’s
main concern. In Francesca da Rimini, based on Dante,
there is again an attractive introduction to scene 2 with
nervous strings and woodwind creating atmosphere. The long
duet between Paolo and Francesca is full of passion which
inspired the composer to write some truly sensual music deliciously
scored. The storm music is powerfully threatening and the
wild chorus in the epilogue shows that Rachmaninov might
have been an important opera composer if he had chosen that
direction. All through the programme the orchestra and chorus
are on their toes and Nayden Todorov is definitely an opera
conductor to reckon with.
I
was less impressed by the solo singing. It is true that all
the soloists are deeply involved in their characters and
also manage to create believable portraits. Also there is
no denying the authenticity of tone, the full-bloodedness
and the conviction. But there is also a large amount of Slavonic
wobble, of hard, penetrating tenor tone, of shrill soprano
sounds and a certain wooliness in the deeper voices. Quite
the best singer of the bunch is the bass-baritone Alexander
Tekeliev as Aleko. His cavatina (track 5) is impressively
sung and his large voice rings out thrillingly, while at
the same time he is able to colour his voice with softer
nuances. The bass Peter Naydenov sounds his age as the Old
Gypsy, until one realises that this aged voice belongs to
a 26-year-old. There is true dramatic feeling in his narrative
(track 2) however, and he is a powerful and intense actor.
I was less enticed by the tenor Boiko Zvetanov, who is the
most internationally well-known of the singers. Not in the
first flush of youth, he is sorely strained in both Aleko and The
Miserly Knight, while in Francesca da Rimini the
tessitura is considerably lower, which makes him sound more
comfortable. Soprano Mariana Zvetkova, rather shrill and
unsteady, has some fine lyrical moments and in the exalted
love duet in Francesca she surprises with some clarion
dramatic top notes.
This
issue is valuable for giving the opportunity to hear some
substantial chunks from little played operas and at a very
affordable price. The orchestra and chorus are excellent
and Nayden Todorov exerts a truly inspired and inspiring
leadership. The singing is serviceable and in some cases
more than that. The conviction and involvement redeem some
lack of sophistication. Keith Anderson’s track-related synopsis
is a good substitute for the sung texts and translations
that, as is the norm nowadays from this source, can be
downloaded.
Göran Forsling
see also review by Ian Lace
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Mariana
Zvetkova (soprano) – Zemfira; Andreana Nikolova
(mezzo) – Old Woman; Boiko Zvetanov (tenor) – Young Gypsy;
Alexander Tekeliev (bass-baritone) – Aleko; Peter Naydenov
(bass) – Old Gypsy 
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