Melodiya presents a rare recording of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's opera The Queen of Spades.
It seems that it is difficult to surprise a modern music lover with an unknown recording of this opera, one of the greatest masterpieces from Tchaikovsky's catalogue and opera theatre of the 19th century as it is. Today, it is a part of the repertoire of any significant music company of the world, while the classical music market showcases its various interpretations. Nevertheless, the Melodiya vaults preserve a remarkable and in many ways unusual 40-year-old recording which for a long time has not been released even on the LP.
The lead parts were performed by the up and coming stars of the USSR Bolshoi Theatre of the 1970s. Zurab Anjaparidze as Herman, Tamara Milashkina as Lisa, Valentina Levko as the Countess and Yuri Mazurok as Yeletsky – although all these performers are now world-known and took part in numerous recordings afterwards, this particular interpretation was a recording debut for many of them. On the other hand, this recording also features some of the vocalists who were by then already established masters – Irina Arkhipova as Pauline and Milovzor, Vera Firsova as Prilepa, Mikhail Kiselyov as Tomsky and Viktor Nechipailo as Zlatogor.
The Bolshoi Theatre orchestra and choir are conducted by the prominent maestro, People's Artist of the USSR, Boris Khaikin.
