NOSEDA conducts RACHMANINOFF ALEKO

Sometimes referred to as Rachmaninoff’s answer to Carmen, Aleko adapted from “The Gypsies” by Pushkin, was written in 1892 as a graduation work for the Moscow Conservatory; it won all the prizes, needless to say. The Opera perfectly demonstrates the emergence of Rachaninoff’s own individual style ‘Aleko’ has effortless melodies with an oriental feel. Gianandrea Noseda was appointed Music Director at the Teatro Regio in Turin in September 2009 and this recording was produced from a live performance at the Stresa Festival with the Teatro Regio Chorus, the BBC Philharmonic and an all-Russian cast including Serguey Murzaev, Evgheny Akimov, and Nadezhda Vassilieva, Gennady Bezzubenkov and Svetla Vassileva. Chandos has previously released Rachmaninoff’s Francesca da Rimini and The Miserly Knight with Noseda conducting the BBC Philharmonic.

Opera is one of the great musical passions of Gianandrea Noseda, who has explored it to stunning effect with the BBC Philharmonic. In September 2009 he became Music Director at Teatro Regio in Turin, one of Europe’s leading opera houses. Here he presents Aleko, recorded live at the Stresa Festival with the Coro del Teatro Regio di Torino and the BBC Philharmonic. The ‘all-Russian’ cast of soloists are Sergey Murzaev (soloist with the Bolshoy Theatre), Evgeny Akimov and Nadezhda Vasilieva (both soloists with the Mariinsky Theatre Company), Gennady Bezzubenkov and the world-renowned soprano Svetla Vassileva. Chandos has previously released The Miserly Knight and Francesca da Rimini.
Sometimes referred to as Rachmaninoff’s answer to Carmen, Aleko (adapted from The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin) was written in 1892 as a graduation work at the Moscow Conservatory and won the highest prizes from the judges that year. The rhapsodic Orientalism and effortless melodies in particular appeal. As a companion to his two later operas, Aleko illustrates Rachmaninoff early finding his own individual style.