Great Singers of Russia 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)In volume 2 of this edition we enjoy wonderful performances by renowned Russian opera singers of the mid- to late 20th century. While Part 2 doesn't quite measure up to the excellence of Part 1, there are still some astounding voices to be discovered! The young Irina Arkhipova is stupendous, bass Ivan Petrov is brilliant, Yevgeni Nesterenko thrilling. Little-known Georgian singers such as tenor Zurab Andzhaparidze and soprano Makvala Kasrashvili reveal their huge talents, as does Ukrainian soprano Bella Rudenko; there are also lovely early clips of Galina Vishnevskaya, Yuri Mazurok, Vladimir Atlantov and Elena Obrastsova. An interesting feature of this video is the Italian repertoire mastered by the Russians; some discussion of their affinity for the style would have added to the overall quality of the series. There are also several interesting bilingual performances (particulary a really dramatic Act 4 Carmen duet, with Arkhipova singing in Russian and a young Mario del Monaco singing in Italian!) The video ends with portrayals of some newer Russian singers: Olga Borodina, Dmitri Hvorostovsky (in a poor "Largo al factotum" from The Barber of Seville - was there no other clip available?), and hostess Lyuba Kazarnovskaya, and it is here that one wishes for a fairer overview. The facile disclaimer that decent video footage of other Russian singers was not available for inclusion does not justify omission of some truly phenomenal voices, such as those of Paata Burchuladze, Anatoly Kotscherga, Elena Zaremba, and Vladimir Chernov; more believable perhaps is the lack of such footage for earlier singers from the middle of the century. And surely, notwithstanding her talent, the four final excerpts of series hostess soprano Kazarnovskaya are a little much. As in the first volume, there are lively interviews with the marvelous Ivan Petrov; American coach Joan Dornemann was selected to speak towards the end of this tape about some of the more recent Russian vocal stars. Perhaps not the most worthy companion volume, but it does include enough good singing and riveting performance to merit attention.

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