Gustav Styger writes:

>The second part was the one act opera by Rimsky-Korsakov, sung in Russian.
>I assume Rimsky- Korsakov used the Pushkin play, as is for the libretto,
>because the action of both are almost identical.
>
>The opera is for chamber orchestra and tenor and baritone and consists
>of two operatic scenes in recitative-arioso style.  The music is (to my
>ears) a strange mix of Russian romanticism and a deliberate attempt at a
>pseudo-classical style.  I don't mean this negatively and enjoyed both the
>play and the opera.
>
>Does anyone know if this opera has been recorded on CD? Anybody familiar
>with this work?

It's a typical experiment of Rimsky-Korsakov, who was often kicking at
the boundaries of formalistic Western classical structures (just as his
favorite pupil, Alexander Glazunov, did years later).

The opera is indeed based upon the Pushkin play, which was one of a trilogy
Pushkin did to illustrate a series of vices.  Thus, Mozart and Salieri was
supposed to represent Envy, while The Covetous Knight showed Avarice, and
Aleko put Hate on display.  The last two plays became operas by
Rachmaninoff.

I am not aware of which specific versions of Mozart and Salieri have been
transferred to CD, but the opera has had a very happy recorded history.
I've got three performances, and the Mozart in each case was a worldbeater:
Sergei Lemeshev, Ivan Kozlovsky, and Constantin Ignevnoi.  The basses were
no slouches either:  Reizen, Gmyrya, and Pirogov.  That's casting from
strength.  If you can find any of these, you'll be haering some fine
singing in a most unusual work.

Barry Brenesal