As with all Rimsky-Korsakov’s operas May Night only
has a handful of recordings, among them a Capriccio release under Alexander
Lazarev. That’s available as part of a four-opera set – review
– which looks very tempting if you can get it at a good price. Brilliant certainly
has a reputation for producing discs on a tight budget and, as Naxos and other
lower-price labels have proved, quality needn’t be compromised in the process.
Thankfully there’s no trace of old, Soviet-era sonics here, but Russian vocal
traditions take a little longer to adapt. But even if you’re allergic to excessive
vibrato May Night has enough good tunes to keep you listening to the
end.
It certainly starts well enough, with all the sparkle one expects of this
composer. As for the Bolshoi band, what they lack in refinement they make
up for in animation. The recording is somewhat recessed – veiled, even – the
chorus of villagers sounding a tad fierce in the climaxes. Vitaly Taraschenko’s
love-sick Levko is pleasing, if plaintive, his serenade to Hanna sung with
more ardour than charm. In the ensuing duet, Natalia Erasova’s Hanna sounds
girlish enough, but there’s no disguising her wide vibrato. It’s all rather
underpowered, Taraschenko struggling under even the slightest pressure; moreover,
he delivers his tale of the drowned maiden as an unvarying monologue, quite
without life or feeling.
Oh dear, not the most encouraging start. Nikolai Reshetniak’s Kaleni the village
drunk and Vyacheslav Pochapsky’s Mayor are adequate although, as with Levko
and Hanna, they’re apt to sound monochromatic. And just sample the end of
Act I, where Levko tries to enlist the village lads’ help against his rival
in love; really, it’s hard to imagine a less vital performance than this.
Even Rimsky’s score is drained of its usual piquancy, making one long for
the energy and thrust of a Gergiev. As for Act II, the broad comedy of the
Mayor’s dinner with his sister-in-law and the Distiller – interrupted by the
hapless drunk – is painfully short on humour, the band chugging along dutifully
in the background. Inexplicably, the trio and village lads’ song is split
between discs one and two, which is both annoying and unnecessary.
May Night isn’t Rimsky’s most inspired opera by any stretch of the
imagination, but it deserves a livelier, more committed performance than it
gets here. And although Elena Okolycheva’s sister-in-law breathes some life
into the performance it’s not enough to stop it from flat-lining at times.
Yes, the ethereal opening of Act III is atmospherically done – how much better
it would sound if the orchestra weren’t so distant – and Levko seems much
more comfortable at low volume. There is some lovely music here, but it’s
only hinted at, thanks to Chistiakov’s workmanlike conducting and a lacklustre
recording. Matters improve slightly with the appearance of Pannochka and the
dances that follow. That said, rhythms are generally flaccid and, as a whole,
the performance never rises much above mediocrity. It certainly doesn’t do
justice to Rimsky’s colourful score.
Listening to this May Night on a wet November one makes the experience
all the more dispiriting. Indeed, I can’t remember an opera recording that
fails so miserably – and on so many levels – as this one. Avoid.
Dan Morgan
I can’t remember an opera recording that fails so miserably – and on so many levels – as this one.