Rimsky-Korsakov: Le Coq d'Or (In English) - Treigle, Sills, Di Giuseppe; Rudel. 1971

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Pros:

  • For English speakers, and afficiatos of opera in English, this set is a great introduction to Rimsky-Korsakov's sardonic gem of an opera, Le Coq d'or. The entire cast recites the text with such clarity that you could get by fine without ever having to refer to the libretto.
  • Norman Treigle brings impeccable vocalism and subtle comic timing to the role of King Dodon.
  • It should come as a surprise to no one that Beverly Sills walks away with the show as the Queen of Shemakha.

Cons:

  • None to mention.

In Mono

Bonus:
Beverly Sills Sings Excerpts from Manon
Buenos Aires, 1970

OD 11957-2

Customer Reviews
5.0 Based on 7 Reviews
5 ★
100% 
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DW
10/07/2023
DAVID W.
United States

A RECORDING WORTH CROWING ABOUT = 4 stars

Le Coq d'Or (The Golden Cockerel) is Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's most familiar opera, but that doesn't make it anyway as familiar as, say, Verdi's Aida. Nevertheless, the work, designed as a mocking portrayal of Czar Nicholas II, is jam-packed with musical orientalisms (or what R-K may have conceived as orientalisms) and contains one of the all-time great coloratura soprano showpieces. “The Hymn to the Sun.“ In this English-language 1971 production of the N. Y. City Opera capably led by Julius Rudel, the star of the performance is unquestionably Beverly Sills who nails the stratospheric role of the Queen of Shemakha. As King Dodon , we have bass Norman Treigle, who is ok, but not as memorable as Boris Christoff on an Italian recording of a decade earlier. Enrico di Giuseppe as the Astrologer does as well as anybody in the vocally high-flying role. An essential for fans of the late, great, Ms. Sills.

DW
10/07/2023
DAVID W.
United States United States

A RECORDING WORTH CROWING ABOUT = 4 stars

Le Coq d'Or (The Golden Cockerel) is Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's most familiar opera, but that doesn't make it anyway as familiar as, say, Verdi's Aida. Nevertheless, the work, designed as a mocking portrayal of Czar Nicholas II, is jam-packed with musical orientalisms (or what R-K may have conceived as orientalisms) and contains one of the all-time great coloratura soprano showpieces. “The Hymn to the Sun.“ In this English-language 1971 production of the N. Y. City Opera capably led by Julius Rudel, the star of the performance is unquestionably Beverly Sills who nails the stratospheric role of the Queen of Shemakha. As King Dodon , we have bass Norman Treigle, who is ok, but not as memorable as Boris Christoff on an Italian recording of a decade earlier. Enrico di Giuseppe as the Astrologer does as well as anybody in the vocally high-flying role. An essential for fans of the late, great, Ms. Sills.

DR
03/22/2023
David R.

Fantastic Performance, Great Sound!

I agree with Andrew (review below) and have snitched his headline deliberately. This is a great performance preserved in excellent stereo sound. Sills and Treigle were in their salad days here, before all those Donizetti Queens took their toll on Sills' voice, before Treigle began to implode. Sills' Hymn to the Sun is not only stunningly sung, but has a sensuality to it that one rarely hears. Her high E towards the end of the second act is dead-on. Treigle actually makes a real person out of Dodon's silliness. Di Giuseppe hits his high Ds and E with accuracy and can be understood even when singing in this killing tessitura. In fact, the diction from all the singers is superb. Rudel shows again why he was considered such a master opera conductor. The filler Manon excerpts will make you want to hear the entire performance from Buenos Aires. Fortunately it is also available from Opera Depot. I'm not sure why Andy switched the order of the last two excerpts, but they're tracked separately so you can easily listen to them in order if you choose to do so. More Sills and Treigle, Opera Depot!!

AS
02/11/2023
Andrew S.
United States

Great performance, fantastic sound

I have been wanting to hear this opera for a long time, and was very glad to see that Opera Depot was offering it. The performances by everyone, especially Sills and the under-recorded Triegle, are excellent. The CD release of this performance available on Amazon gets low points for the sound, but this is the opposite—stunningly good broadcast stereo. If I have one complaint, it is about the nature of the English libretto translation, which consists mostly of rhyming couplets. It feels as though this is being forced on the translation, since I cannot imagine that there is a one to one correspondence between English and Russian on this score, which therefore means that the meaning must be being distorted in order to fit the scheme. Having said that, the singers’enunciation is mostly clear, and what story we do get is easily understood. Hearing Norman Triegle’s performance is particularly personally meaningful to me, as my family is from New Orleans and he is closely associated with his hometown: my cousin is the archivist for the New Orleans Opera Association and saw him in many performances, and my recently late father once performed in the chorus during a church performance behind Triegle as soloist. A truly amazing bass with a voice as deep as the earth.

AS
02/11/2023
Andrew S.
United States United States

Great performance, fantastic sound

I have been wanting to hear this opera for a long time, and was very glad to see that Opera Depot was offering it. The performances by everyone, especially Sills and the under-recorded Triegle, are excellent. The CD release of this performance available on Amazon gets low points for the sound, but this is the opposite—stunningly good broadcast stereo. If I have one complaint, it is about the nature of the English libretto translation, which consists mostly of rhyming couplets. It feels as though this is being forced on the translation, since I cannot imagine that there is a one to one correspondence between English and Russian on this score, which therefore means that the meaning must be being distorted in order to fit the scheme. Having said that, the singers’enunciation is mostly clear, and what story we do get is easily understood. Hearing Norman Triegle’s performance is particularly personally meaningful to me, as my family is from New Orleans and he is closely associated with his hometown: my cousin is the archivist for the New Orleans Opera Association and saw him in many performances, and my recently late father once performed in the chorus during a church performance behind Triegle as soloist. A truly amazing bass with a voice as deep as the earth.