Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Sadko

Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov is a sturdy Sadko, scarcely ever off the stage…Rightly, the solo for the Varangian Merchant (Dmitry Ulianov) who will accompany Sadko on his voyages stops the show. But it’s... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2022, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 12th Nov 2021
Catalogue No: BAC188
Label: Bel Air Classiques

Rimsky Korsakov: Sadko (opera)

Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov (Sadko), Aida Garifullina (Volkhova), Ekaterina Semenchuk (Lubava Buslaevna), Stanislav Trofimov (Ocean-Sea, The Sea Tsar), Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, Timur Zangiev, Dmitri Tcherniakov

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In the 13th century, the rich merchants of Novgorod mock the dreams of far-away journeys and of commercial conquests brought forth by Sadko, a musician and singer. But Volkhova, the Sea King’s daughter, is enchanted by Sadko’s voice, and promises to help him fulfill his dreams... Sadko is a decisive work in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s aesthetic evolution. As in many operas, the composer draws his artistic material from Russian folk and fairytales, but also from old musical and poetic forms. The result is a prodigious opera, whose modernity - both dramatic and musical - erupts from the fabulous resources of traditional Russian epics, but also from the wonders of the marine universe, close to his former navigator self’s heart. A subtle analyst of the slavic soul, stage director Dmitri Tcherniakov comes back to the great stage of the Bolshoi Theater and devises a surprising production that perfectly underlines the ambiguities of this paradoxical opera, between past and present, fantasy and reality. He surrounds himself with magnificent Russian soprano Aida Garifullina, but also some of his favorite singers : Mikhail Petrenko, Ekaterina Semenchuk... In the pit and at the head of the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, young Russian conductor Timur Zangiev breathes in this little-know masterpiece all the energy, all the poetry, and all the passion it requires.

Reviews

January 2022

Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov is a sturdy Sadko, scarcely ever off the stage…Rightly, the solo for the Varangian Merchant (Dmitry Ulianov) who will accompany Sadko on his voyages stops the show. But it’s Rimsky’s sparkling score that really shines and the luxuriant tone painting of a master orchestrator with the Bolshoi orchestra under Timur Zangiev give it their best best.

January 2022

Garifullina as the erotically charged Volkhova is never less than impressive...Semenchuk as Lyubava is vocally irresistible throughout and creates the only truly sympathetic character.

April 2022

Tcherniakov’s warm tribute to traditional operatic spectacle combines seamlessly with his cool critique of modern Russian despair, to gripping effect. Moscow’s musical excellence matches the staging...It’s normal to expect some longueurs in Sadko, but here conductor, cast and director between them give the lie to any such perception of Rimsky’s magnificent epic.

18th November 2021

This treatment preserves the opera’s world of fairytale enchantment, adding an extra layer of seriousness, even if it still can’t disguise some of the dramatic longueurs. It’s all very decently sung, too – Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov is tireless in the title role – though there’s probably a bit more lustre in Rimsky’s scoring than the Bolshoi orchestra finds under Timur Zangiev.

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