5/5 Stunning Rimsky Film
  by V. Stasov
This is a gorgeous film of a gorgeous opera. Listening to the overture, we get the sense that something exciting is about to happen - and it does! The Tsar's Bride, one of Rimsky's most beautiful and thrilling operas, has unfortunately been short-changed in the West.

Tsar's Bride is an echt Russian story of a lovely and innocent young girl who is engaged to her equally lovely young beau. The evil Ivan The Terrible spots her languidly lying in the grass with a girlfriend in one of the film's most chilling moments. He chooses her for his bride, ruining her life and her family's, even though great wealth and power subsequently become available to them.

The famed Russian actor, Pyotr Glebov (Quiet Flows the Don), plays a silent but terrifying Ivan. With not one note of music written for him he dominates every scene he is in with a shudderingly demonic presence.

This film is an ideal example of a highly successful transfer of opera from stage to screen. Beautifully filmed in black and white, the actors play out the drama of this doomed young girl with convincing impact. Sets are exquisite, directing and acting are astonishingly effective.

The soundtrack is one of the finest performances of Tsar's Bride that I've heard. Fast paced and exciting conducting from Evgeny Svetlanov of Bolshoi fame is partnered with wonderful singing. I wish the soundtrack would be released on CD. Valerie Gergiev has conducted another marvelous performance of this opera, available on the Philips label. There is a fabulous older version that is currently out of print, conducted by Fuat Mansurov with Galina Vishnevskaya and Irina Arkhipova, which will hopefully reincarnate one day.

Filmic opera is a genre unique to itself. It incorporates cinematography and (hopefully) superior acting into the production, adding a new artistic dimension to an operatic performance. This film is one of my favorites. I've watched it compulsively in a poor format for years. I'm happy it's finally being released on DVD.

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tsar's Bride
Quiet Flows the Don