H. Mayboroda. "Mylana", opera for 4 acts. (2CD).

Heorhy Mayboroda (1913-1992) is not a name audiences in the West will be familiar with. His compositional style (at least on the evidence of Mylana) is conservative to the extent that it must be called anachronistic. There are few passages here that would sound out of place in a Rimsky opera, for instance - the tonal and harmonic language is romantic through and through. Still, how could that be used as a criticism when Mayboroda does it so well? Mylana is a hugely enjoyable, thoroughly attractive opera, with lots of orchestral color, memorable themes, rousing choral scenes and real dramatic impact, and is strongly recommended to anyone with an interest in romantic opera - I count it as one of the most enjoyable discoveries I have made in quite a while.

One major drawback is, of course, the lack of documentation accompanying this release. No libretto, not even a synopsis, no information on the composer or the work, or even the performers. You'll just have to live with that. It is hence somewhat hard to follow the story (fortunately the sheer resourcefulness of Mayboroda's writing will keep the listener engaged all the same).

On a more positive note, the performances are excellent. To be honest I was a little wary when purchasing this release - I was unfamiliar with the composer, had never heard of most of the performers, was unfamiliar with the label, and only really knew that it was a recording from the seventies. No need to worry about any of that. The performances are uniformly good, often excellent, both from singers, orchestra and chorus (this is a first-rate, well-prepared performance). The sound is really good as well, and certainly much better than one could have feared. It is clear, warm and well-balanced - you won't mistake it for a contemporary studio recording, true, but it is absolutely no obstacle.

In short, and despite the absence of a libretto, I'll give this one a hearty recommendation, and I sincerely hope that more music by this composer will be made available (Melodiya recorded at least some back in the day).