None of Rimsky-Korsakov's operas have held the stage in the West, but happily for fans of Russian opera, there are numerous recordings. Any lover of the distinctive genre is likely to be intrigued by (and may even become enamored of) The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronya (1905). It has everything: royal pageantry, comic peasant shenanigans, Orthodox piety blended with pre-Christian pantheistic folklore, a saintly heroine, a suffering hero, supernatural spectacle, fervent nationalism, and ...
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None of Rimsky-Korsakov's operas have held the stage in the West, but happily for fans of Russian opera, there are numerous recordings. Any lover of the distinctive genre is likely to be intrigued by (and may even become enamored of) The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronya (1905). It has everything: royal pageantry, comic peasant shenanigans, Orthodox piety blended with pre-Christian pantheistic folklore, a saintly heroine, a suffering hero, supernatural spectacle, fervent nationalism, and invading Tartar hordes. It doesn't matter much that the jumble of a plot assembled from a variety of folk tales and literature strains all credulity because the opera includes some of Rimsky-Korsakov's most luxuriantly colorful and expressive music. A recording may be the most satisfying way to experience it. The 1999 Philips recording featuring Valery Gergiev and the orchestra, chorus, and soloists of the Mariinsky Theater remains the gold standard by which other recordings are certainly...
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