DVD Review: Barn Dance of Death

Jenůfa from the Teatro de Liceu

Tenor Jorma Silvasti as Laca in Act I of the Olivier Tambosi production of Jenůfa.
Photo by Robert Millard © 2007 Los Angeles Opera.

This live DVD (filmed in 2005 at the Teatro de Liceu) of Leos Janaček's rustic tragedy Jenůfa brings together two generations of fine dramatic sopranos: Nina Stemme in the title role and Eva Marton in the key role of the Kostelnička. And yes, Met-goers, this DVD preserves the same production that graced the stage of that house in 2007.


Jenůfa premiered in 1904, and was the opera that "broke" Janaček, elevating him to the realm of the most important opera composers to come from what was then Bohemia, and is now the Czech Republic. Based on a play by Gabriella Pressiová, it is a searing tale of love, jealousy and mayhem in a Moravian village: an Eastern European answer to Cavalleria Rusticana

Janaček's opera is about surviving and withstanding tragedy. The power of love overcomes seemingly insurmountable obstacles, achieving, if not happiness, at least a kind of stability. This sturdy production (by Olivier Tambosi) keeps things simple with a triangular acting surface, symbolizing the complex relationships at the heart of the opera. The outer acts take place in a rustic barn structure, evoking the world of the Moravian peasants. The dark central act is staged in the dark, with a large stone inexplicably dropped in the middle of the stage.


The titular Jenůfa is a young girl with a complex family relationship. A series of tragic events ensues. Her face is slashed by a jealous lover. Her stepmother, the Kostelnička, takes it upon herself to drown Jenůfa's illegitimate baby. In the third act, the corpse is discovered. Jenůfa is nearly killed by a mob of villagers, until the Kostelnička steps forward and takes the blame for the tragedy.

Nina Stemme tracks Jenůfa's journey with a soaring performance, that takes her from a shallow, romantically obsessed girl, to victim, to a transcendent figure capable of forgiving the Kostelnička. Ms. Stemme displays a powerful soprano voice, rising to the occasion for the final duet with Laca that ends the opera.

As the Kostelnička, Eva Marton shows that there is life after Brunnhilde. Her voice still has the power that enabled her to sing Brunnhilde and Turandot. However she has acquired a powerful vibrato that flirts with wobble but never goes over the edge. She is also a fine actress, bringing weight and dignity to the character despite her horrific deed.

Finnish tenor Jorma Silvasti is simply terrific as Laca, the frustrated suitor who attacks Jenůfa, only to wind up with her at the end of the opera. Mr. Silvasti has good command of Czech and a fine, dramatic tenor. Baritone Pär Lindskog gives a strong performance as Steva, the callow stud whose rejection of Jenůfa sets the plot in motion. Peter Schneider conducts a rchly textured performance that makes the most of Janaček's unique tonaltites and folk rhythms.

Dusting off the Haitink Ring

Signed Photo of Eva Marton as Brunnhilde.
Photo owned by Andrew Howe.

There's been a lot of Wagner and Strauss-related content in the blog lately. These two great German composers number among my favorites, whether for the power of Wagner's mighty orchestral developments or the shimmering diversity of voices that Strauss wrung from the orchestra.

In the interest of continuing our summer program along the same vein, here's a look at Bernard Hairink's underrated version of Wagner's mega-mythological cycle.

When the Haitink Ring hit the market, it faced a lot of stiff competition. Georg Solti and Herbert von Karajan had made classic cycles (in the '60s and '70s, respectfully). James Levine had unleashed his Metropolitan Opera forces on a set of audio and video readings of the four operas. And live recordings from Fürtwangler, Böhm, and Boulez peppered the already-overstocked shelves of the big classical music stores--Tower, HMV and (later) the Virgin Megastore.

All of those are now gone, and the classical music industry has reduced its output to a trickle of CDs and a flood of reissues. So it's time to re-assess Bernard Haitink's durable version of the Ring. Assets of the recording include a fine Siegfried sung by ex-bassoonist Siegfried Jerusalem, tenor-that-never-was Reiner Goldberg as his daddy Siegmund, and Matti Salminen as an impressive Hunding.

Theo Adam, who recorded Wotan for Karl Böhm, here shifts to Alberich. He was much older when this recording was made, but his snarls suit the dwarf. Waltraud Meier is an excellent, bitchy Fricka (only in Walküre) Marjana Lipovsek sings the role in Das Rheingold opposite the Wotan of James Morris. Morris, in turn sounds better on this set than on the Levine cycle. Finally, Götterdämmerung features a superb trio of Gibichungs. Thomas Hampson is an heroic, yet appropriately wimpy Gunther, Cheryl Studer as Gutrune, and John Tomlinson, is in fine, gruff voice as the treacherous Hagen.

Unfortunately, there is one big negative in this set, the stentorian Brunnhilde of Eva Marton. She sings most of the role without inflection, keeping her big, laser-like soprano on full blast even in the most lyrical passages. The decision to have her sing all three phrases of "Heil dir Sonne" (from Siegfried) at full fortissimo destroys Wagner's intentions and robs the Awakening scene of its beauty. However, she gets better in the later pages of Götterdämmerung, particularly the confrontation in Act II and the radiant finale. She is aided by the underrated Munich orchestra, in superb, shimmering form, led by a conductor who appreciates textures and nuances found in the more obscure corners of the score.