This Kirov Opera, recorded live from the Mariinsky Theatre provides a rare opportunity to see Glinka's magical masterpiece in its entirety, in a magnificent production which brought together the formidable talents of conductor Valéry Gergiev, producer Lotfi Mansouri and stage designer Thierry Bosquet. The staging, though new, is in fact a meticulous recreation of an historic original, a spectacular piece of stagecraft from the height of Russia's pre-Revolutionary Golden Age. The cast features some of Russia's finest singers, including Galina Gorchakova, Larissa Diadkova, Yuri Marusin and Anna Netrebko. The internationally acclaimed Kirov Ballet performs the ballet contained in the opera.
