Ya lyublyu (I like) Valery Gergiev!

This case (11 CD) is a treat for those who like Rimsky-Korsakov.
It includes five of his 14 operas, all led by Valery Gergiev at the head of the orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, not so registered before and therefore not always known.

In chronological order of composition:
- The Maid of Pskov (the girl Pskov - 1893), CD 5 and 6.
- Sadko (Sadko - 1896) CD 7 to 9. There are two versions on DVD including one led by Gergiev.
- The Tsar's Bride (Bride of the Tsar - 1898), CD 10 and 11 with excellent Marina Shaguch.
- Kashchey the immortal (Kashchey immortal - 1902) 1 CD so short, all the performers are outstanding including Marina Shaguch (the princessse) and Konstantin Pluzhnikov (Kashchey). And it seemed that the song of the princess in the first table foreshadows quite well that of the Queen in the 2nd act of the Golden Rooster.
- The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh (The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and maiden Fevronia - 1907), CD 2 to 4. I also know the very interesting version by Svetlanov and the version filmed in Cagliari available DVD, musically less but with the very best Fevronia in the person of Tatiana Monogarova.

Valery Gergiev is of course a great specialist of this repertoire he knows perfectly.
It is visible when you see him directing with great concentration and precision. I think of the DVD Mazeppa (Tchaikovsky) where we see him lead without partition before him. I guess it could be the same here for some of these operas.

Each of them is a journey into the eternal Russia, to meet the Russian people. I personally have appreciated a little more The Maid of Pskov, and Kashchey Kitezh. Sadko is for me a little harder at first, perhaps in part by what is good throughout.

So certainly in this edition there is no booklet, but you can not always have everything and this probably helped to edit this set at a very affordable price.
This set is very complementary of Rimsky-Korsakov's Edition box (CD 25), which includes operas (to those of earlier registrations Gergiev) but also other orchestral works.

Of course it would be nice if Gergiev came back to this directory to save the other operas like the golden rooster, Mlada or the Tale of Tsar Saltan. Hopefully ...