Tchaikovsky – Eugene Onegin (Orlov) [2002]

CD1
1. Act I – Scene 1 – Introduction
2. Act I – Scene 1 – Slyhali I Vy
3. Act I – Scene 1 – Bolyat Moi Skory
4. Act I _ Scene 1 – Kak Ya Lublu
5. Act I – Scene 1 – Nu Ty Moya Vostrushka
6. Act I – Scene 1 -  Mesdames!
7. Act I – Scene 1 – Kak Schastliv		play
8. Act I – Scene 1 – A, Vot I Vy!
9. Act I – Scene 2 – Nu Zaboltalas Ya
10. Act I – Scene 2 – Puskai Pogibnu Ya
11. Act I – Scene 2 - Ah, Noch Minula
12. Act I – Scene 3 – Devitsy
13. Act I – Scene 3 – Zdes On!

CD2
1. Act II – Scene 1 – Vot Tak
2. Act II – Scene 1 – Uzhel Ya
3. Act II – Scene 1 -  Messieurs Mesdames
4. Act II – Scene 1 – V Vashem Dome
5. Act II – Scene 2 – Nu Shto Zhe
6. Act II – Scene 2 – A Vot Oni
7. Act III – Scene 1 – Polonaise		play
8. Act III – Scene 1 – I Zdes Mne Skuchno
9. Act III – Scene 1 -  Lubvi Vse
10. Act III – Scene 1 – I Tak, Poidem
11. Act III – Scene 2 – O! Kak Mne Tyazhelo

Lensky 		- Ivan Koslovsky
Onegin 		- Andrei Ivanov
Prince Gremin 	- Mark Reizen
Olga 		- Maksakova
Tatyana 	- Yelena Kruglikova
Fist singer 	- Anatole Orfenov
Larina 		- Bronislawa Amborskaya
Filippyevna 	- Faina Petrova

Orchestra of the Bolshoi Opera
Aleksandr Orlov - conductor, 1948

This is the second Onegin ever recorded, a Soviet production from 1937. Ward Marston has done wonders with the sound, though, and while today's competition is stiff, the set's strong points are worth the while of any opera lover. The strengths begin with Ivan Kozlovsky's lyrical Lensky. The great tenor is caught here at the peak of his powers, and his poetic rendition is full of delicate vocal touches that enchant. Kruglikova is an excellent Tatiana, her Letter Scene encompassing all the character's confusion and emotions. Nortsov's Onegin is worthy as well, and you can't beat a cast and chorus of native speakers for atmosphere. Oddly, there are two conductors. Orlov did several scenes, Melik-Pashaev most of the opera--the notes tell who led what. They also give a detailed track-by-track synopsis. --Dan Davis

The Amazon editorial review here by Dan Davis is a good description of his performance's merits. To my taste, it is one of the two great recordings of Eugene Onegin. I used to own this account in its original American LP release (Period 507, 3 discs), and this Naxos transfer is superior in every way (the LPs were pitched at least a half-tone high, which made episodes like the reapers' chorus sound like Munchkins saluting Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz"). On the original LPs, the conducting was attributed to Melik-Pashayev - there was no mention of Orlov. The stand-out singer here for me is the Lensky of Ivan Kozlovsky, probably my favorite Russian tenor. His Simpleton in Mussorgsky's "Boris" was also virtually definitive, as was his Hindu Guest's "Song of India" in Rimsky-Korsakov's "Sadko" (in the complete recordings of both operas, conducted by Nikolai Golovanov - see my reviews).

My other favorite "Eugene Onegin" is the 1955 Bolshoi Theatre recording conducted by Boris Khaikin. It was formerly available in an excellent transfer on the defunct Legato Classics CD label, which replicated the beautiful sound of my old LP set (MK 204). This performance is now available on Opera d'Oro in a mediocre transfer (I heard parts of it at a used CD store recently). I think the Khaikin performance over-all is better than this earlier Bolshoi account, with one important exception. The young Galina Vishnevskaya gives what I feel is the finest Tatiana of any complete recording, and the Onegin of Yevgeny Belov has never been bettered. Likewise Ivan Petrov's superb Gremin. Khaikin's conducting captures the diverse moods of this opera better than anyone else I have heard. And the recorded sound is vastly superior, at least as heard on my Legato Classics CDs and the original LPs.

Unfortunately, the exception to all this excellence is Sergei Lemeshev's Lensky, which I feel was recorded when the great Russian tenor was a little past his prime. Lemeshev's lower range sounds quite weak, and much of his soft singing is nearly inaudible. While Lemeshev still has lots of style, I think Kozlovsky's Lensky is unquestionably better - in fact, the greatest-ever. These two recordings of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece are now the only ones in my collection. Hopefully Melodiya will make available a well-mastered edition of its classic 1955 Khaikin reading. Meanwhile, be sure to avail yourself of this splendid Naxos CD set - it has the finest-ever Lensky and wonderful performances by such Russian vocal greats as Mikhailov, Nortzov, and Kruglikova. The conducting is also excellent, if just a little short of Khaikin's.

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