There are major problems with all the current sets of The Queen of Spades, but Valery Gergiev, one of the outstanding Tchaikovskians of the day, here coaxes from a thoroughly Western-sounding Kirov Theatre Orchestra what's surely the most refined account of the score yet recorded, and one that's never lacking energy or full-blooded attack. His isn't so much a compromise approach as one which stresses fatalism and underlying sadness. The recording was made in the Kirov Theatre itself, and there's admittedly some constriction to the orchestral sound picture; but for many the atmosphere of a real stage-venue will be a plus, and the all-important balance between voices and orchestra is just right. If the spine still fails to tingle as often as it should, that's mainly a reflection of the respectable but unexciting singing.

The very opening, refined and purposeful, sets the pattern, with Gergiev controlling this episodic work with fine concern for atmosphere and dramatic impact...Gergiev's chosen team offers characterful Slavonic voices that are yet well focused and unstrained