Rachmaninoff: The Miserly Knight Opera Russian Chandos

Rachmaninoff: The Miserly Knight

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CHAN 10544

Rachmaninoff: The Miserly Knight

Running Time: 58:48

CD UPC: 0095115154427

Release Date: September 2009
Originally recorded in 2008

Composer (1873-1943)
Sergei Rachmaninoff

Solo bass - The Baron
Ildar Abdrazakov

Solo tenor - Albert
Misha Didyk

Solo baritone - The Duke
Sergey Murzaev

Solo tenor - The Jew
Peter Bronder

Solo bass - Servant
Gennady Bezzubenkov

Orchestra
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor
Gianandrea Noseda

Venue
Studio 7, New Broadcasting House, Manchester

Producer
Brian Pidgeon

Producer
Mike George

Engineer
Stephen Rinker

Engineer (Assistant: 23 and 24 November 2008)
Celia Hutchison

Engineer (Assistant: 21 April 2009)
Chris Hardman

Genre:
Opera
Russian

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SERGEI RACHMANINOFF

(1873-1943)

The Miserly Knight, Op. 24

59:06

An opera in three scenes

Libretto from the 'Little Tragedy' by Alexander Pushkin

Prelude

6:06

Scene One: 17:50

Albert: 'Whatever happens, I shall appear at the tournament' –

4:46

Albert, Servant

Albert: 'What has that Idler Solomon to say?' –

1:32

Albert, Servant

Jew: 'Your humble servant' –

5:39

Jew, Albert

Jew: 'Yes, at the Baron's funeral more money will flow than tears' –

2:49

Jew, Albert

Albert: 'What? Poison my father!'

3:03

Albert, Jew

Scene Two: 22:18

Baron: 'Like the young libertine awaiting a meeting with some wily harlot' –

6:01

Baron

Baron: 'Like some demon, from here I can rule the world!' –

1:54

Baron

Baron: 'It doesn't seem much, but of how many human cares' –

4:06

Baron

10.

Baron: 'Every time I start to open a chest' –

5:18

Baron

11.

Baron: 'But after me who will have possession of it?'

4:58

Baron

Scene Three: 12:36

12.

Albert: 'Believe me, Sire, I have long suffered the shame of bitter poverty' –

1:40

Albert, Duke

13.

Duke: 'Baron, I'm pleased to see you so hale and hearty' –

6:52

Duke, Baron, Albert

14.

Baron: 'You, here? You, here?'

4:04

Baron, Albert, Duke

Solo: Ildar Abdrazakov bass - The Baron

Solo: Misha Didyk tenor - Albert

Solo: Sergey Murzaev baritone - The Duke

Solo: Peter Bronder tenor - The Jew

Solo: Gennady Bezzubenkov bass - Servant

Orchestra: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Gianandrea Noseda

23 and 24 November 2008 and 21 April 2009

About

Following their acclaimed recording of Francesca da Rimini, the BBC Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor Gianandrea Noseda continue their exploration of Rachmaninoff’s three one-act operas.

The Miserly Knight is arguably the finest of Rachmaninoff’s operas. If circumstances had been more favourable he would have composed far more for the stage, but the three short operas he did complete show that he had all the makings of a great opera composer.

It is quite possible that The Miserly Knight was inspired by Rachmaninoff’s spendthrift father who frittered away the family’s fortune and, following his sister’s death from diphtheria, separated from Sergei’s mother. The financial incompetence of Rachmaninoff’s father may have drawn the composer to Pushkin’s ‘little tragedy’ The Miserly Knight, that Pushkin wrote in the autumn of 1830 in which the rich Baron’s destitute son is forced to consider murdering his father in order to access his inheritance. Pushkin’s drama makes an excellent opera text, full of striking phrases and images, and almost ideal for musical setting in its sequence of episodes and ideas.

Opera is one of Gianandrea Noseda’s great musical passions and it is a genre he has explored very effectively with the BBC Philharmonic. In September he became Music Director at Teatro Regio in Turin, one of Europe’s leading opera houses, and he also appeared with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and La Scala, Turin.

RACHMANINOFF: THE MISERLY KNIGHT

Following the successful launch of the Rachmaninoff opera series last year with Francesca da Rimini the BBC Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor, Gianandrea Noseda, turn their attention to The Miserly Knight. This is arguably the finest of Rachmaninoff’s operatic output; Pushkin’s drama makes an excellent operatic text, full of striking phrases and images. Opera is of course one of Noseda’s great musical passions and it is a genre he has explored very effectively with the BBC Philharmonic. Last September Noseda was appointed Music Director of Teatro Regio in Turin and he has also appeared at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Teatro alla Scala, Milan. This sparkling new recording features the tenor Peter Bronder as well as four talented Russian singers: the bass Ildar Abdrazakov, tenor Misha Didyk, baritone Sergey Murzaev and bass Gennady Bezzubenkov.

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Reviews

“… the recording is remarkably accurate and richly detailed… Abdrazakov is the blackest of dark-voiced Russian basses. Muraev and Bezzubenkov are not far behind. Even the two tenors, Didyk and Bronder, are darkish sounding. Noseda is Italian, but he has made quite a reputation conducting Russian music… Here he draws the most beautiful sounds from the BBC Philharmonic – lush and broad – at an easy gait that supports the singers….”

Charles H Parsons - American Record Guide - January/February 2010

“Rachmaninov decided in The Miserly Knight to set almost exactly word-for-word a prose poem-cum-play by Pushkin, one of his so-called ‘little tragedies’ , Its central panel is a long monologue for the Baron (the Miserly Knight of the title), … here sung with commanding presence and rich, malleable tone my Ildar Abdrazakov as he drools over his wealth and the cruel ways in which it has been amassed. He is well matched by, and contrasted with, the passionate tenor of Misha Didyk as his resentful son, Albert, and by the sly, ingratiating characterisation of the Moneylender by tenor Peter Bronder. Orchestral atmosphere, backed by a spectrum of colour comparable to that of the Second Symphony, is compellingly established by Noseda, whose theatrical instincts also reflect and enhance the opera’s dramatic thrust.”

Geoffrey Norris - Gramophone magazine - December 2009

“The strongest of Rachmaninov’s three operas comes over with a sense of musical urgency and pure dramatic malevolence in this new recording, with the BBC Philharmonic exploring its wide yet consistently dark set of orchestral colours under the motivating baton of Gianandrea Noseda. All four characters are wonderfully presented here… An unforgiving and troubling piece, the opera registers potently here.”

George Hall - Opera Now - November/December 2009

Performance **** Recording ****

“The strengths of this carefully recorded, well-cast set are above all its non-Russian conductor, Gianandrea Noseda, masterly at pacing and responsive to orchestral colour, and its leading singer, Ildar Abdrazakov, certainly the finest bass voice to emerge from Russia in decades. This disc comes strongly recommended."

Max Leppert - BBC Music Magazine - November 2009

"Noseda conducts with his trademark mixture of intensity and intelligence, and there are some fine insights into the way Rachmaninov creates a mood of oppressive malignancy. Ildar Abdrazakov as the baron is sinister and sexual … The great performance comes from Misha Didyk as his son, Albert – a man as selfish as his father, but who is nevertheless pushed to despair and eventual violence by the latter’s unspeakable behaviour."

Tim Ashley - The Guardian - 9 October 2009

“The central panel of the opera is a monologue for the avaricious Baron, sung with terrific intensity by Ildar Abdrazakov. The impetuosity of his cash-strapped son, Albert, blazes from the singing of Misha Didyk, with Peter Bronder and Sergey Murzaev bringing astuteness of characterisation to the smaller but crucial roles of the Moneylender and the Duke. Noseda conducts the BBC Philharmonic with a sure feel for impetus and colour, etching in nuances of timbre and making the thematic fabric lucid while at the same time ensuring that the overall theatrical picture is vivid and emotionally telling. This is a richly rewarding disc.”

Geoffrey Norris - The Telegraph - 4 September 2009

Disc of the Month

“Noseda brings a verisimo-like passion to the music, compellingly building and releasing all the dramatic tension of Pushkin’s tragedy. But special credit should go to the depth of characterisation offered by all of his chosen singers. His two central protagonists sustain their respective monologues with pace and conviction. Tenor Peter Bronder, reveals the dignity and honesty that Rachmaninov invests in the character of the moneylender – while Sergey Muraev’s Duke is statuesque. So there it is whole hearted endorsement. Listening to a performance as committed as this, I simply can’t see how any music enthusiast could fail to be moved and engaged by such a neat and thrilling piece of musical storytelling.”

Andrew Mellor - Classic FM Magazine - September 2009

I only purchased the prelude from this offering.Whilst I had to download it in 24/96 as the wav converion did not work and then three times in the end and finally when I converted the files I was pleasantly suprised at this nice introduction UNTILL Horror of Horrors..Chandos seem to have ended the download right in the middle of a great crecendo? This makes it an absolutly ridiculous download and even though Im sure the next track concludes this crecendo ? but the integration would sound silly with a 2 second track gap.Im not sure Chandos are taking this download situation very seriously.

D Raffells

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