Who owns the rights to the recording of Maid of Orleans featuring Irina Arkhipova—and why don't they release a CD? To put it
mildly, the dearth of recordings of this opera is reprehensible. My search
is turning up nothing worth purchasing, when I can find anything at all.
Are there plans for a good modern recording anytime soon? Does anyone
know?
David M. Perkins
Director of Marketing
The Bloomsbury Review
Denver, Colorado 80202–1167 USA
I too find it timely to get a modern recording of The Maid of Orleans. Long
time one of my favorite operas—despite its obvious shortcomings (too bad
Tchaikovsky did not live to fulfill his plans about revising the work)—I
still enjoy the old one with Preobrazhenskaya from 1946!, but imagine a
new version with e.g. Gergiev and a good orchestra in good sound!
Erling Eliasson
Here is a dvd on the opera, if this is of interest.
www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Gavrilowa-Mikhajlov-Mishenkin-Pochapsky/dp/B000BP86QO
Amazon.com: Tchaikovsky—The Maid of Orleans / Rautio, Kulko,
Gavrilowa, Gluboky, Krutikov, Mikhajlov, Mishenkin, Nikolsky, .
Al Gasparo
I'ld like to add, that this recording is the only new one, which is
available Recording is very good but there are major cuts of the score!
Several numbers of the ballett were left out and also scenes of the
coronation were shortened. Instead of the oprichnik any revise of the
Orleanskaya deva is not necessary for a successful performance.
Indeed: Gergiev already introduced western europe (Germany) in the last
few years with Mazepa and the Entchantress.
The Orleanskaya deva should be the next ...........
Rüdiger Herpich
The Melodiya recording of ORLEANSKAYA DEVA was available in the US on a
CBS LP for a short time. I managed to get it transfered to a CD by a very
clumsy set of moves. I, too, wanted it in a more convenient format than
the LP provided. The sound of the original recording is not the best.
Typical of Soviet recordings of that period. And some of the singing was
not stellar.
It would be good to have a post-Soviet recording of the work, and
obviously Gergiev is the one to do it.
Another work Gergiev should record for posterity is TALE OF TSAR
SALTAN. Again, there is only a gritty-sounding Melodiya recording out
there. I have a broadcast recording of the opera in Czech (!), made
sometime in the 1950s. It was recently rebroadcast by Czech Radio.
Ed Gordon
I agree with Ed Gordon that Valeliy Gergiev possesses an impeccable
musical and artistic taste, which we all can trust. His involvement in any
new recordings would have been a welcome addition to his artistic
achievements. That fully applies to "The Maiden of Orlean", "Oprichnik"
(The Henchman), "Enchantress", Cherevichki" (The Shoes) and other less
performed operas by P. Thaikovsky.
The House of Opera offers a DVD recording of "Cherevichki" (The Shoes),
staged in 2002 in Cagliari (Sardinia), conducted by G. Rozhdestvnskii. The
recording is however of a sub-standard technical quality and although I am
keen to give a full credit to singers, dancers, stage directors and
designers, they made one significant cut (eliminated the character of the
Empress). This cut had distorted the very zest of the entire plot. I would
welcome a new and more authentic production of this masterpiece by P.
Tchaikovsky.
Briefly on the subject of operas by Rimsky-Korsakov, that Ed Gordon
mentioned in his contribution. "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" is a treat for a
music lover, the same as his "The Snow Maiden". I hope V. Gergiev would be
able to stage them in The Metropolitan, as he had staged recently
"Mazepa".
To my knowledge, the only good DVD recording of Rimskii-Korsakov music,
available on the Internet, is his "Le Coq d'Or" (Золотой Петушок). It was
staged in 2002 in Paris by Mariinsky Theatre. The stage and costume design
is in a style of Japanese Kabuki. It was sung quite admirably by Albert
Shagiddullin (King Dodon) and Olga Trifonova (The Queen of Shemakhah).
A. Geidelberg