Description
Alexander Borodin: Prince Igor – Emil Tchakarov, Sofia Festival Orchestra (3-CD Sony Classical Set)
UPC: 5099704487823
MPN: S3K 44878
Brand Name: Sony Classical
Label: Sony Classical GmbH / Music Mondial Co-Production
Recording Type: DDD (Digital Recording)
Overview
This 3-CD digital edition from Sony Classical presents Alexander Borodin’s monumental opera Prince Igor (Knjaz’ Igor’), performed by the Sofia Festival Orchestra and Sofia National Opera Chorus under the inspired direction of Emil Tchakarov.
Recorded in July 1987 in Sofia’s National Palace of Culture, this acclaimed production features a stellar international cast: Boris Martinovich (Prince Igor), Stefka Evstatieva (Yaroslavna), Kaludi Kaludov (Vladimir Igoryevich), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Khan Konchak), Nicola Ghiuselev (Vladimir Yaroslavich), and Alexandrina Miltcheva (Konchakovna).
Performed in Russian and presented with trilingual booklet notes (English, German, French), this recording captures the grandeur and lyric beauty of Borodin’s unfinished masterpiece—a national epic of love, loyalty, and the struggle between Rus’ and the Polovtsian nomads. Tchakarov’s interpretation balances orchestral brilliance with vocal majesty, preserving the operatic spirit of the late Russian Romantic era.
Product Features
- Format: 3 Compact Discs (Digital Stereo)
- Work Title: Prince Igor (Knjaz’ Igor’ / Fürst Igor / Le Prince Igor)
- Composer: Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (1833–1887)
- Genre: Opera / Russian Romantic
- Language: Russian (with multilingual liner notes)
- Recording Location: Hall 1, National Palace of Culture, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Recording Dates: July 14–20, 1987
- Total Duration: Approx. 2 hours 40 minutes
- Label: Sony Classical / Music Mondial Co-Production
- Release Year: 1990
- Country of Manufacture: Holland (Imprimé en Hollande)
- Producers: Michel Glotz (Producer), Ekaterina Dotcheva (Co-Producer)
- Engineer: Wolfgang Gülich
- Cover Design: C.C. Garbers / B. Kruck
- Cover Photo: Russisches Museum, Leningrad
Principal Cast
- Prince Igor Svyatoslavich: Boris Martinovich
- Yaroslavna: Stefka Evstatieva
- Vladimir Igoryevich: Kaludi Kaludov
- Vladimir Yaroslavich: Nicola Ghiuselev
- Khan Konchak: Nicolai Ghiaurov
- Konchakovna: Alexandrina Miltcheva
Chorus: Sofia National Opera Chorus (Lyubomir Karoleev, Hristo Kazandjiev) Orchestra: Sofia Festival Orchestra Conductor: Emil Tchakarov
Interesting Facts
- A Russian Epic in Sound: Prince Igor, left incomplete at Borodin’s death, was finished by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. It remains one of the cornerstones of Russian opera, renowned for its stirring “Polovtsian Dances.”
- Rare Digital Recording: This 1987 production was one of the earliest fully digital recordings (DDD) of the opera, offering audiophile clarity while retaining the warmth of live performance.
- Bulgarian Excellence: The Sofia Festival Orchestra and Opera Chorus deliver performances of striking intensity, uniting Slavic vocal power with polished orchestral color.
- World-Class Cast: Featuring three legendary Bulgarian voices—Evstatieva, Ghiaurov, and Ghiuselev—this set exemplifies Eastern Europe’s contribution to the international opera stage.
- Collector’s Note: Part of the The Russian Opera / Die Russische Oper / L’Opéra Russe series, this Sony Classical issue is now a sought-after rarity among collectors of 20th-century opera recordings.
Publishers
© 1990 Sony Classical GmbH A co-production with Music Mondial All trademarks © Sony Corporation Printed in Holland / Imprimé en Hollande
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