The Compact Collection: Mattila the mighty
A new CD of Covent Garden's 'Jenufa' rivals Czech versions, says Rob Cowan
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Your support makes all the difference.Jealousy is the common stuff of dramatic opera, but with Janacek's Jenufa the resentment of one half-brother for another in pursuit of the heroine is underpinned by music that speaks with the rhythm of words and an almost devastating candour. Janacek's score operates at various emotional levels, and Bernard Haitink's October 2001 performances at the Royal Opera House were as gripping as any London has heard. Of course, having a strong cast helped.
For me, the main draw is Anja Silja as Jenufa's stepmother, Kostelnicka. Insistent and occasionally hag-like, Silja is also capable of singing with great tenderness – as in Act 2, where she implores Jenufa's lover, Steva, to look at his newborn son (disc 1, track 12, from 3:15). Eva Randova is credible as the grandmother, Starenka, and Karita Mattila, as Jenufa herself, is vibrant and heartrending, particularly at the point in Act 2 (disc 2, 6:10 into track 3) when she confronts the death of her infant son, music that also benefits from Haitink's deeply expressive conducting. Steva is Jerry Hadley, a forceful and gripping actor (as at disc 1, 6:08 into track 12). And there's the trumpeting tenor of Jorma Silvasti as Laca, a tremendous voice at its lyrical best 2:05 into track 8 on disc 1 where, just before slashing Jenufa's cheek, Laca implores her to realise that it's her face – and her face alone – that interests Steva.
This remarkable recording of Jenufa has the added attraction of being based on the opera's so-called Brno version 1908, with its thoughtful and intimate conclusion. This is further improved by Haitink's finely gauged handling of the score and the superb playing of the Covent Garden orchestra, which includes some exceptional contributions from concertmaster Peter Manning. Being live, there are thumps and stage noises to contend with, but such is the consistent feeling of tension and foreboding generated – you sense it right from the pensive opening bars – that the ear soon learns to filter out all non-essentials. It's a wonderful production, realistically recorded and a fair match for any Czech rival.
Pan back to 1937 at the Vienna State Opera, and Bruno Walter was leading an equally idiomatic Le Nozze de Figaro, furiously animated in his best pre-war manner and with Ezio Pinza as Figaro. Andante.com has housed a surprisingly good transfer of this legendary performance within a 380-page, CD-size hardbound book of libretto and essays. Guild has also brought out an alternative Pinza Figaro, from the 1943 Met under the worthy but less urgent baton of Paul Breisach, with a piano in the recitatives and the same feisty Cherubino (Jarmila Novotna). Not much separates the two Susannas, save that Breisach's Bidu Sayao is marginally more girlish than Walter's Esther Réthy. Both include strong supporting casts and sound better than you'd expect. But there's a big price difference – the Guild set being super-budget with some bonus Sayao tracks thrown in. Andante.com wins hands down for presentation and, marginally, for performance; Guild for offering a fine Figaro so cheaply. If you're a newcomer to historic live opera, you'll soon be hooked – and won't have broken the bank.
Janacek: Jenufa – Mattila, Silja, Silvasti, Hadley, Randova, Royal Opera House Covent Garden/Haitink (Erato 0927-45330-2, two discs)
Mozart: Le Nozze de Figaro – Pinza, Novotna, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna State Opera Chorus/Walter (Andante.com/ Independent Distributors 3982-4, three discs)
Mozart: Le Nozze de Figaro – Pinza, Novotna, Sayao, Met Orchestra & Chorus/Paul Breisach (Guild/ Priory GHCD 2203/5, three discs)
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