Does anyone remember this 1984 recording? It’s not bad: the Cleveland Orchestra naturally plays very well. Chailly knows how to pace the work, turning in an exciting Battle on the Ice, though the chorus could sound darker and more weighty, and there’s a certain lack of sheer guts and impact elsewhere (The Crusaders in Pskov especially), perhaps due to the somewhat shallow early digital sonics. Irina Arkhipova, though, does lend a touch of Slavic authenticity to the Field of the Dead. But a full CD that offers only this 35-minute work is not competitive at any price, plain and simple. It’s nice that Arkivmusic.com offers so many deleted major-label titles “on-demand”, and there’s certainly no harm in making it available to anyone who wants it; but unless you’re a Nevsky, Cleveland, Chailly, or even an Arkhipova completist, you aren’t going to want it.
