Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A most remarkable achievement., 21 Jan 2007
At last, after Rostropovich's pioneering effort from the latter days of LP, this 20th century masterpiece seems to be getting wider dissemination, I presume this Shostakovich year perhaps has given it a good push. It truly is an outstanding work, perhaps amongst the composer's finest, along with the 1st violin concerto, the Michelangelo Sonnets, the 10th symphony, the preludes and fugues for piano, the late quartets or that other jewel of an opera, "The Nose". The contrast with his own watered-down version ("Katerina Ismailova") is revelatory and would explain Stalin's disgust with this original version (funny to notice how prudish dictators can be, no? no remorse from brutally having people killed or exiled to Siberia, but scandalised at Mme Ismailova's sexual frolics; it is said Hitler was quite prudish too, as is Castro, is said to have been Saddam Hussein and Kim il Sung as well as so many others of their kind) and his later satisfaction with the composer's 5th symphony.
Visually the production is stunning, a winner in all respects and I must congratulate Opus Arte for making it avaliable on DVD. I knew of Kusej only from reference, as not understanding german I have not attended any of his theatre productions. I don't know the work's EMI release on DVD of a Liceu staging, yet Gramophone's review of it is rather demolishing; I don't what they will say on this one.
Musically, there are two real "coups de foudre": one is of course the superlative playing of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the other the choosing of Mariss Jansons to conduct the work. Janson's key formative years at Leningrad under Mravinsky's wing assure us of a direct link not only to the composer via who was his most conspicuous and trusted collaborator, but also to the actual environment, politically and artistically, that hovered over the composer whilst composing this opera, which not only Mravinsky knew all too well but was a key player as he was able not only to survive it but also to excel within it. Singers-wise, top honours must go of course to Ms Westbroek, who sorts out an enormous task not only in vocal terms but also as an actress and stage presence (and she's also quite an attractive woman, if only she shedded a handful of kilos ...). She fully deserves every single bit of applause she gets in the courtain calls after the work's end. Ventris does not get an especially good comment in Gramophone's review of EMI's Liceu release, but as I haven't seen that one as I said above, I can't say if in this Amsterdam production he was better (or worse), I will only say that, from what I saw and heard in this Opus Arte release, he makes a powerful impersonation of what must be one of the most lustful characters in the history of opera, and he does so with unquestionable results; he not only does look the part, but sings it remarkably well as well. I did find the other important male singers rather low in volume, perhaps more than they should, the two Ismailovs as well as the drunken priest; they are in a league certainly different from Ms Westbroek's or Ventris. And let's not leave aside the chorus's outstanding contribution.
So in all, a most remarkable result, with the utterly realistic sound one has come to expect from the house and the very apt and interesting supplementary material that has contributed to place Opus Arte above most other publishers of opera on DVD (and miles away from US publishers such as Image or Kultur, whose in this respect very mediocre products tend to reach our shelves this side of the Atlantic more often than Europe-based ones like Opus Arte, Bel Air Classiques or Arthaus Musik).
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 20th Century Masterpiece, 30 Oct 2009
Eva Maria Westbroek and Christopher Ventris seem to be touring the world's capitals with their interpretations of Shostakovich's doomed lovers. This film dates from 2006 but I do not know whether it came before or after their appearance in this opera at ROH Covent Garden.
Although they are contemporaneous, the two productions are very different. ROH emphasised the comedy in the opera, particularly in John Tomlinson's monstrously funny father-in-law. The Keystone cops of the ROH are replaced by more sinister stazi-like figures in Amsterdam. Instead of the ROH elaborate set, covered in rat poison we have, for the most part just a simple wooden box.
This stripping down of the opera to its bare emotions works brilliantly in Martin Kusej's production. Most of the credit for this must go to the incredible musical direction of Mariss Jansens. What I thought was a brutal and vulgar score becomes, under his baton, a work of aching beauty.
So a fundamental reappraisal is due. I thought the ROH production was a brilliant rendition of a dreadful opera. After seeing this Amsterdam production, it appears to be a crude production of a brilliant opera. Thanks to Mariss Jansens, and director Martin Kusej, it is clear that this work is a 20th century masterpiece.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent production, 13 Sep 2009
This is an excellent production that can be thoroughly recommended to anyone wanting to watch Lady Macbeth of Mtensk.
Fantastic cast and setting.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk [DVD] [2006]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TufUFctYL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Lady Macbeth Of Mtsensk - Shostakovich [DVD] [2003] [NTSC]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51a7xMyi27L._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk [DVD] [1992] [US Import]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QMG02V4QL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Berg: Lulu - Glyndebourne Festival Opera [DVD] [1996]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41E7SA3F44L._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
![Leos Janacek - From the House of the Dead / Chereau, Boulez (Festival d'Aix-en-Provence 2007) [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41rbmOaZUWL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
![Schoenberg: Moses Und Aron [DVD] [2006]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41tjCNlzrmL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Reto Nickler
![Berg: Lulu - Glyndebourne Festival Opera [DVD] [1996]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41E7SA3F44L._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Christine Schafer
![Strauss; Salome [DVD] [2008]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51k5NltcKuL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Nadja Michael
![Giulio Cesare - Handel (Glyndebourne Festival) [DVD] [2006]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZMAbXQoFL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ William Christie
