Mark Reizen- Song of the Viking Guest from Sadko

Mark Reizen (1895-1992) The ’Song of the Viking Guest’ comes from the 4th kartina (tableau) of Rimsky-Korsakoff’s 1897 opera “Sadko“. The people of Novgorod gather at a pier on Lake Ilmen, thronging around the overseas traders (Varangian, Indian, and Venetian, among others) and inspecting their merchandise. The Viking merchant tells of the sea and cliffs of his homeland (“Against the fearsome rocks the waves break with a roar...“), while Rimsky-Korsakoff’s ascending and descending scales, framed by massive chords, provide a turbulent musical backdrop. Mark Reizen’s singing needs little comment. His account is magisterial, expansive, and bears a grave nobility quite suited to the Viking Merchant. Nicolai Golovanov leads the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra in this 1952 recording, my favorite of the aria (and the opera as a whole).