PROKOFIEV The Gambler
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Valery Gergiev conductor
Mariinsky OrchestraSergei Aleksashkin The General
Tatiana Pavlovskaya Pauline
Vladimir Galuzin Alexei
Larissa Dyadkova Babulenka
Nikolai Gassiev Marquis
Alexander Gergalov Mr Astley
Nadezhda Serdyuk Mlle Blanche
Andrei Popov Prince Nilsky
Oleg Sychev Baron Wurmerhelm
Andrei Spekhov PotapychRunning Time 126m
A production by the State Academic Mariinsky Theatre, in arrangement with Euroarts Music International.
Filmed June 2010 at the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg.
Laurent Gentot TV Director
MAR0536 DVD
UPC 822231853626
DVD9 (Region 0 - Worldwide)
NTSC 16:9
2.0 PCM stereo
5.1 Dolby Surround
5.1 DTSMAR0540 Blu-ray
UPC 82223854029
BD50 (All regions)
HD 1080i60 (NTSC)
2.0 PCM stereo
5.1 DTS-HD Master AudioNotes in English / en Français / auf Deutsch / на русском языке
2013 Best DVD - Stage and Drama
51st Record Academy Awards
Record Geijutsu (Japan)ICMA Winner 2014 DVD Performance
**** 'The direction is sensible and, happily for those of us watching it on screen, the acting is first class…The singing is marvellous… The orchestra under Gergiev is also superb.' Limelight
**** 'The cast is one of passionate Russian/ex-Soviet specialists.' Auditorium
'Musically, this performance is very strong. Gergiev is on his home territory here, and he has the orchestra and singers eating out of his hand. The orchestra, in particular, play brilliantly for him, illustrating every nuance of Prokofiev's endlessly pictorial score with delicacy and virtuosity, and the conductor controls the opera's unfolding structure with security and strength.'
Music Web International'It's a fine work, too little known outside Russia; perhaps its lack of prettiness skews theatres against it. But the Mariinsky presents it with a world-class cast which gives it its very best chance of success, as does the excellent quality of picture and sound in this release… Terrific singing and acting.'
Sinfini Music'All in all, the production is excellent.' Classical.net
£15.99
Filmed at the historic Mariinsky Theatre in 2010, Prokofiev's The Gambler stars celebrated Russian tenor Vladimir Galuzin, bass Sergei Aleksashkin, and is conducted by Valery Gergiev. It is of fundamental significance that under Gergiev's baton the Mariinsky Orchestra and opera company have performed all of Prokofiev's symphonies, concerti and operas on numerous occasions.
Georgian stage director Temur Chkheidze, who also presented the Mariinsky's last production in 1996 and directed the opera with critical success at the Metropolitan Opera in 2001, gives a fresh look to Prokofiev's first opera. Set in the fictional town of Roulettenburg in the mid-19th Century, The Gambler is a four-act opera that displays the dramatic highs and lows involved in the game of chance. At the centre of the story is Alexei, who is in love with The General's step-daughter, Pauline. All of the characters fall victim to the temptation of gambling, each one consumed by the obsession and greed that drives them.
Vladimir Galuzin, who plays the role of Alexei, is indisputably one of the world's leading dramatic tenors, known for his unrivaled stentorious voice and extremely vivid characterizations of some of the most demanding roles. A Mariinsky soloist since 1990, he is much in demand internationally, performing regularly during the last two decades as a guest of most of the world's most prominent opera houses, concert halls and festivals.
The role of The General is played by Russian bass Sergei Aleksashkin. Three-time recipient of the Golden Sofit, St Petersburg's most prestigious theatre prize, Sergei has been a Mariinsky Theatre soloist since 1989, singing title roles in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov and Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila.
We are grateful to Yoko Ceschina for her generous support
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