This recording was originally released in 2011, but has lost none of its currency. It remains a powerfully realized conception of the work, with intense, sharp-edged playing by MusicAeterna, and bracing, highly-emotive singing by Piotr Migunov and Julia Korpacheva. However, the recent Naxos recording by Vasily Petrenko and associates has upped the ante, even challenging the classic Rostropovich version. Still, Currentzis’ chamber ensemble produces an exceptionally lean and incisive rendition, while the recorded sound–vivid and brightly colored–is superior to the Naxos. You might not think you’d want more than one recording of this gripping, and at times gloomy work, but there are now three compelling alternatives to choose from. Still recommended.
