Firma Melodiya presents a recording of Sergei Taneyev’s opera Oresteia, a revived masterpiece of Russian music.
The author worked on the opera for twelve years (1882-1894), in a period when Prince Igor, the Queen of Spades, Iolanta and Mlada were created. However, Oresteia remained a unique phenomenon in history of Russian opera. Sergei Taneyev was the best and favourite pupil of Tchaikovsky and Nikolai Rubinstein, a prominent educator and music theorist who brought up Rachmaninoff, Scriabin and many other famous pupils. Unexpectedly for his friends and peers, he was inspired with the ancient story (Aeschylus’s tetralogy) which met his aesthetic ideals of harmony and perfection.
Taneyev masterfully used a broad arsenal of music and dramatic techniques of the late 19th century – an intricate system of leitmotifs, evolving dramaturgy of operatic scenes, and a combination of freely recitative and arioso fragments. The special part of the chorus reflects the spirit of ancient theatre with bright orchestral bits frequently becoming culminations (the famous entr’acte The Temple of Apollo at Delphi). The opera is full of tragic anticipation of Fate, which makes it close to Tchaikovsky’s symphonism, but a heartwarming finale resolving the conflict is typical for Taneyev’s views thus deviating from Aeschylus’s fatalism. Wisdom and Love conquer the dark forces of revenge, insidiousness and malice – that is the bottom line of this monumental operatic interpretation.
Oresteia did not have a lucky stage life – it has been staged on a small number of occasions. The version of the State Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belarus realized and recorded in the 1960’s is one of the best productions of the opera. That recording is featured in this set. The main parts are performed by the soloists of the Belorussian theatre V. Chernobayev, L. Galushkina, A. Bokov, T. Shimko, I. Dubrovkin and N. Tkachenko. The choir and orchestra are conducted by the People’s Artist of the Belorussian SSR Tatiana Kolomiytseva.

“Taneyev's only completed opera sounds closer to Brahms than to Richard Strauss. A fine performance reveals the music's strengths and occasional beauty.” BBC Music Magazine