Igra Prijestolja

Igra Staklenih Perli, the ultimate ex-Yugoslavian space/psychedelic rock band, was formed in 1976 in Belgrade, Serbia, having been named after the famous novel by Hermann Hesse - "Das Glasperlenspiel" (The Glass Beads Game). Igra Staklenih Perli labelled their music style as "stream of consciousness music". Their both studio albums, the first eponymous "Igra Staklenih Perli" from 1979 and the second "Vrt Svetlosti" from 1980, are pretty similar in sound and resemble the style from early Pink Floyd and Hawkwind psychedelia, to German krautrock (notably Can and Tangerine Dream), to Hillage-era Gong among many. Interesting music effort especially considering the fact it was the new wave boom period when they tried to pursue a quite different music philosophy.

In contrast to Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky s other operas have led something of a shadowy existence in the repertoire. Only his penultimate music drama The Queen of Spades (also after Alexander Pushkin) can claim to look back on a continuous performing tradition in recent decades. In 1984 the Bavarian State Opera gave a production that was musically exemplary in many ways, starting with the role of Lisa, sung by Julia Varady.

This version of The Queen of Spades was originally recorded in 1974 and made available as a special import; it was then generally released by Philips in 1988. Reviewing it at the time, AB gave a level account of its strengths, but had little difficulty in preferring the Tchakarov set when it was issued in 1990. Deleted by Philips, the Ermler performance has now been restored to the Melodiya catalogue. I cannot see anyone dissenting from AB's view: certainly I do not, except perhaps to regard him as being over-generous in his account of Atlantov's Herman in calling it ''loud and unsubtle''. Stronger words would also be appropriate, especially when Atlantov is compared with the sensitive Wieslaw Ochman on the Tchakarov set. Valentina Levko is a good Countess in what is a well-established Russian tradition of responses to the role: AB thought the old lady's reminiscences not so pointedly delivered as by some other singers, and I would add that she would certainly have acquired a better French accent during her long sojourn as the Venus of Paris.