Synopsis
Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908): Opera *Christmas Eve*
[CD1]
1-7…Act 1
8-14…Act 2
[CD2]
1…Act 2 (continued)
2-8…Act 3
9-14…Act 4
Vakula… Georgy Vasiliev (Tenor)
Oksana… Yulia Mzichenko (Soprano)
Soloha/Woman with the Purple Nose… Enkeleida Shkoza (Mezzo-Soprano)
Tub… Alexei Tikhomirov (Bass)
The Devil… Andrei Popov (Tenor)
Panas… Anthony Robin Schneider (Bass)
The Village Head… Sebastian Geier (Baritone)
The Deacon… Peter Marsh (Tenor)
The Empress… Bianca Andrew (Mezzo-soprano)
Patzuck… Thomas Faulkner (Bass)
Woman with an Ordinary Nose… Barbara Zechmeister (Soprano) et al.
Frankfurt Opera Chorus
(Chorus Master: Tilman Michael)
Frankfurt Opera Orchestra
Sebastian Weigle (Conductor)
Recording: December 17-19, 2021, January 8, 2022 (Live)
Frankfurt Opera (Germany)
Total Running Time: 147 minutes
[Video of the same content]
NAXOS
DVD…2.110738
Blu-ray…NYDX-50256 (Domestic version) / NBD0154V (Import version)
Oksana, a Cossack girl, believes herself to be the most beautiful and gives Vakula, who has confessed his love for her, an impossible request: "I want the Empress's shoes." Meanwhile, Vakula's mother, Soroha, is a witch who is in love with the devil. Vakula captures the devil and, in order to obtain the "Empress's Shoes," uses the power of the cross to make him his minion... Based on "Christmas Eve," one of the stories from Nikolai Gogol's 1832 collection of folk tales, "Nights Near Dikanka," Rimsky-Korsakov composed the music using his original harmonic orchestration. While the music was highly acclaimed at its premiere, the difficulty of stage production meant that the work was rarely performed. This CD contains the audio from a video recording of a previous performance with the same cast.
The singing cast features the beautiful tenor Georgy Vasiliev as the lead role of Vakula, the expressive rising soprano Yulia Musichenko as Oksana, veteran Enkeleida Shkoza as Soroha, and Andrei Popov as the Devil. The Frankfurt Opera's chorus and orchestra, led by the renowned conductor Sebastian Weigle (familiar in Japan), vividly perform Rimsky-Korsakov's rich music.
Media Reviews and Other Information
Oksana, the Cossack girl, believes herself to be the most beautiful and, after Vakula confesses his love for her, makes the impossible demand: "I want the Empress's shoes." Meanwhile, Vakula's mother, Soroha, is a witch who is in love with the Devil. Having captured the demon, Vakula uses the power of the cross to make the demon his minion in order to obtain "The Empress's Shoes"... Based on "Christmas Eve," one of the stories from Nikolai Gogol's collection of folk tales, "Nights Near Dikanka," published in 1832, Rimsky-Korsakov composed the music using his original harmonic orchestration. Although the music was highly acclaimed from its premiere, the work has been rarely performed due to the difficulty of stage production. This CD contains the audio from a video recording of a preceding performance with the same cast. (C)RS
CD
