NIKOLAI KARETNIKOV (1930-1994): Till Eulenspigel.

Description: Karetnikov's style is wildly eclectic in a highly personal way: five centuries of styles and genres pass by in a collage like procession, from Minnesänger songs, burlesque mass scenes, modal scales, dance rhythms to twelve-tone structures. His Till Eulenspiegel (completed in 1983 but not premiered until ten years later, in Germany) has been described as "the finest Russian opera since Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth" (Gramophone). The product of almost 20 years' work, a true fusion of many types of opera, thanks to the buffa elements of Till's trickster personality, the drama of Klaas' death, and the opéra engagé nature that introduces the characters of Charles V, Philip II and the Count of Egmont. 2 CDs. No libretto (synopsis included). 2 CDs. No libretto. Boris Kudryavstev (baritone), Yekaterina Mazo (soprano), Alexei Martinov (tenor), Lina Mkrtchian (contralto), USSR Cinema Symphony Orchestra; Emin Khachaturian, Valery Poliansky. Original 1993 Russian Season release.