Cheap Janacek - Jenufa / Davis, Alexander, Silja, Glyndebourne Opera (DVD) (Derek Bailey) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Janacek - Jenufa / Davis, Alexander, Silja, Glyndebourne Opera

SIMPLE, EFFECTIVE AND RIGHT
If you have never been to Glyndebourne but would like to get the feel of the place from a recorded performance, I promise you that you will get none of it from this one. It is very good indeed but it might be from anywhere. Apart from Strauss and Puccini, there is probably no serious 20th-century opera that is easier to come to terms with than Jenufa. The story is harrowing, but all in a very operatic way as that term might be applied to Verdi. The narrative line is simple and direct and does not strain our credulity, at least not by operatic standards, the characters are few and strongly identifiable, and the pace of the action is very well calculated. Clarity has obviously been a major objective in this production, and the simplicity of the sets seems designed to focus attention on the action and the music. The musical style is highly rational in the best sense - free from hyperbole, the vocal parts reasonably pitched, lyrical up to a point and not afraid of word-repetition but avoiding formal arias and 'numbers' except for the choruses towards the end and even cleverly steering clear of cadences in the interests of continuity, the orchestral parts interesting in their own right but always subordinate to the voices.

There is everything to be said for DVD as the medium for bringing opera into the home. In sound alone the very greatest performances inevitably lose something - they were simply not written just to be heard. That said, this is not just ordinary drama, but music-drama, and within reason I for one am quite happy to suspend disbelief up to a point if the music is well enough done. For me Roberta Alexander as Jenufa does not look the part in the least, and I do not care in the least given her fine acting and superlative singing. She shares the spotlight with the Kostelnicka and in this role the tall and imposing Anja Silja is totally convincing in every respect - stagy in the right way at her first entrance, casting the shadow of doubt and misgiving everywhere about her, thrilling when left alone with her inward torment, and dominating the scene in her final confession. The male roles - the thoughtless Steva and the confused Laca - are admirably sung, acted and directed, and there is nothing that I feel like trying to criticise when the whole concept of the work is as well realised as it is here. Congratulations to Glyndebourne, but 5 minutes into the production I had forgotten all about them, which is as it should be.

---

A nicest introduction to Janacek operas
I had the nicest experience of introducing a group of friends to Janacek operas with this videos and all of them were enthusiastic about it in the end. This most characteristic of operas, with its amazing orchestration, also counts with moments of utmost lyricism such as Jenufa's prayer in act 2 and holds the attention of the audience to the very end.
This performance from Glyndenbourne is most successful. The staging is beautiful, creative and effective. All the singers are very good actors and are wonderfully directed. Sometimes it looks like a film. Also, the recorded sound is very good and has the right balance between voices and orchestra, conducted with perfect dramatic sense. Roberta Alexander is not as young and immediately pretty as the libretto suggests, but she sings the role from the depth of her soul, more than once moving in the sheer naturality of her singing and acting. In the other hand, Anja Silja is tragedy itself and her singing is very very intense. Both tenors sing very well and are beautifully contrasted - Alison Hagley is also charming in the tiny role of Karolka. I cannot comment on the pronunciation of those singers, since I have no knowledge of the language, but, with the help of subtitles, all of them sound convincing enough.

---

Brilliant performances in an incredible opera!!!
The influences of veristic opera abound in Janacek's powerful music drama. Roberta Alexander's performance in the title role is riveting. The other singer/actors are just as compelling. Abundant melodies, rich harmonies, and masterful orchestration make for an experience which will hold you spellbound from it's beginning to it's tragic end.