This disc, worthy yet variable in quality, is a compilation of Evgeny Svetlanov recordings from 1963 to 1990. The sets of orchestral operatic excerpts begin with the respective overture, followed by four to six ballet numbers. Svetlanov’s interpretations are always exciting, his remarkably steady beat perilously close to but never quite crossing the line into rigidity. Almost without exception the orchestra responds with exemplary precision. Although the recordings do not always do it justice, Svetlanov draws from these musicians an instantly recognizable, idiomatic Russian sound, a quality that is being lost as orchestras world-wide are adopting a homogenized international style.
And speaking of sound, the program begins with its least impressive offering. In the 1968 Susanin Overture the engineering casts the blaring Russian brass with a coarse, hard-edged quality. The oldest recording, 1963’s Ruslan Overture, never sounds as harsh but does have the characteristic studio-bound Soviet-era dryness. While the piece has sounded prettier, it rarely has been as exciting as here. Svetlanov, conducting the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, takes a tempo that is truly dangerous as the strings traverse their lightning-fast figurations. The Bolshoi musicians, who surely can play the overture in their sleep, conquer it with breathtaking results–a must-hear version.
Five excerpts from Ruslan, dating from 1970s sessions, feature improved sound and similarly exciting renditions as Svetlanov revels in the exotic woodwind colors of these often-seductive dances. Sonic improvement continues into the 1980s for three dances from Susanin. Svetlanov’s interpretations are crisp and driven as ever, though the playing is marginally inferior.
Finally, a 1990 recording of the early Andante cantabile and rondo is presented in natural, vibrant sound. But Svetlanov is uninspired by this early bit of bel-canto era fluff. His pulse seems cast in concrete, defeating all efforts at meaningful phrasing. It is perhaps the least “singing” performance I’ve ever heard of something a composer marked “cantabile”. However, there is enough on the disc in good sound and decent performances that I can recommend it both to serious collectors interested in this major conducting figure, or to those looking for authentic renditions of Russian orchestral music. I only wish the producers had included an earlier recording of the Kamarinskaya or a Spanish Overture in place of the Andante cantablie.
