There are numerous reasons to account for the rarity of performances of Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmila in the West: the demands of the music on soloists, chorus, and orchestra; the opera's outrageous scenic requirements; and a sprawling, episodic plot that gives scant attention to character development. The opera is loaded, though, with gorgeous music that's recognizably Russian but with a distinctly Italianate flavor and delicacy, deft, and lyrical vocal writing and exotically inventive orchestration. As a whole, this ...
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There are numerous reasons to account for the rarity of performances of Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmila in the West: the demands of the music on soloists, chorus, and orchestra; the opera's outrageous scenic requirements; and a sprawling, episodic plot that gives scant attention to character development. The opera is loaded, though, with gorgeous music that's recognizably Russian but with a distinctly Italianate flavor and delicacy, deft, and lyrical vocal writing and exotically inventive orchestration. As a whole, this recording, made with the forces of the Bolshoi Theatre in 1978, does an excellent job conveying the opera's strengths, but the listener is left longing to hear this music with consistently first-rate soloists. The orchestra is the strongest element here, playing with assurance and supple responsiveness to conductor Juri Simonov. The familiar overture, taken at breakneck speed, is thrillingly urgent. The chorus sings with fine tone, but has a few ragged moments. The low men's chorus that...
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