Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873 – 1943)
Monna Vanna, unfinished opera (1908) Act I (orch. Gennady Belov (b.1939)) [38:06]
Songs
By my window (U moyego okna) Op. 26 No. 10 [1:58]
Sad night (Noch’ pechal’na) Op. 26 No. 12 [2:05]
The lilacs (Siren’) Op. 21 No. 5 [1:32]
The rat-catcher (Krisolov) Op. 38 No. 4 [2:24]
Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14 [5:40]
How nice this place is (Zdes’ khorosho) Op. 21 No. 7 [1:46]
Dream (Son) Op. 38 No. 5 [3:01]
Moscow Conservatory Opera Soloists: Evgeniya Dushina (soprano) – Monna Vanna; Vladimir Avtomonov (baritone) – Guido Colonna; Dmitry Ivanchey (tenor) – Marco Colonna; Edward Arutyunyan (tenor) – Borso; Mikhail Golovushkin (bass) – Torello
Moscow Conservatory Students Choir and Symphony Orchestra/Vladimir Ashkenazy
Soile Isokoski (soprano), Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano)
rec. live, Grand Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Russia, 17 June 2009 (Monna Vanna); Järvenpää Hall, Finland, September 2013 (songs)
ONDINE ODE1249-2 [57:18]
Maurice Maeterlinck was one of the great playwrights around the turn
of the last century. Many of his works inspired composers to write music
of various kinds. Pelléas et Mélisande is probably
his most famous creation, which besides Debussy’s opera also tempted
Fauré, Sibelius and Schönberg. In Monna Vanna, published
in 1902, he more or less abandoned the mysterious and vague settings of
previous works and focused on more explicit historical backgrounds. This,
obviously was what triggered Rachmaninov to tackle this play as an opera.
He set the first act before he asked the author for permission but soon
realised that Henry Février had already been granted the rights.
Then Rachmaninov relinquished the idea and what remained was a first act
in piano score, from which Igor Buketoff prepared a performing edition
which was premiered in New York in 1984 and recorded by Chandos on CHAN8987.
The orchestration heard on this CD was made by Gennady Belov. We need
not go into details about the story; suffice to say that Rachmaninov,
in spite of several attempts, never managed to write an opera that has
been acknowledged and become part of the standard repertoire.
This doesn’t mean that this act from an unfinished opera lacks interest.
His orchestral output has dramatic ingredients and he worked on Monna
Vanna while staying in Dresden in 1907 when he also created his Second
Symphony. This is one of his greatest creations and there are hints at
greatness also in Monna Vanna. Principally speaking it is a kind
of continuous melodious recitative that occasionally intensifies in arioso-like
sections. The orchestra is rather active with comments on the proceedings.
The choral opening to scene III is a musical highlight and it is followed
by Guido’s long solo to Monna Vanna which is touchingly sung. He
is portrayed with great warmth, both by Rachmaninov and by the admirable
Vladimir Avtomonov. The act ends in a question mark: “We will see
…” No dramatic outburst, just a fading out.
The solo singing is generally good and so is the singing and playing of
the forces from the Moscow Conservatory. Lovers of Rachmaninov’s
music shouldn’t hesitate. Go and buy and in the bargain you get
a substantial bonus: seven of Rachmaninov’s best songs sung by Soile
Isokoski with Ashkenazy at the piano. Ashkenazy’s capacity as a
Rachmaninov interpreter is well known, not least from his collaboration
with Elisabeth Söderström more than thirty years ago (Decca
London 436 920-2, 1974-75). I have treasured those recordings since they
were new and still find them irresistible but I have to admit that Soile
Isokoski challenges her. She is wonderfully lyrical and sensitive in Sad
night (tr. 6), even more so in The lilacs (tr. 7), which
is one of Rachmaninov’s best known songs. The rat-catcher
(tr. 8) is unusually humorous for a composer whose music often is on the
melancholy side. The evergreen Vocalise (tr. 9) is here, sung
with endearing shadings. The remaining two songs are also lovely with
Dream being possibly the most hauntingly atmospheric of all his
songs. Isokoski’s reading makes me hope for more Rachmaninov from
her and Ashkenazy. The recordings are excellent.
Göran Forsling
Previous review: Stephen
Greenbank
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