Mussorgsky: Sorochintsï Fair & Salammbô Suite (2CD)

Modest Mussorgsky’s operatic output is dominated by the epic Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina, but of his notable unfinished works Sorochintsï Fair is the most prominent example. Based on a story by Gogol, this is a comic opera in which amorous encounters intermingle with a devil’s curse. This chamber orchestra version by Fabrice Bollon uses only original music by Mussorgsky unlike other completions. Potentially a compelling and original drama, Salammbô was Mussorgsky’s first attempt at an opera, praised by Rimsky-Korsakov for the ‘beauty of its themes and ideas’.