DVD reviews
Lady Macbeth of Mtensk, Shostakovich
Eva-Maria Westbroek (Katerina), Carole Wilson (Aksinya & Female Convict), Lani Poulson (Sonyetka), Christopher Ventris (Sergey), Ludovit Ludha (Zinovy), Alexandre Kravets (Shabby Peasant), Nikita Storojev (Chief of Police), Alexander Vassiliev (Priest & Guard), Valentin Jar (Teacher), Vladimir Vaneev (Boris Timofeyevich & Old Convict)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera c. Mariss Jansons, p. Martin Kusej d. Martin Zehetgruber & Heide Kastler video director Thomas Grimm
Opus Arte 0965 D (2 discs 236 minutes)
Katerina Ismailova, Shostakovich
Galina Vishnevskaya (Katerina), Tatiana Gavrilova (sung by V.Reka) (Sonyetka), Artem Inotemstev (sung by V.Tretyak) (Sergey), Nikolai Boyarsky (sung by V.Radziyevsky) (Zinovy), Roman Tkachuk (sung by S.Strezhnev) (Shabby Peasant), Alexander Sokolov (sung by A.Vedernikov) (Boris), Chorus and Orchestra of the Shevchenko Opera and Ballet Theatre c. Konstantin Simeonov. A Lenfilm production d. Mikhail Shapiro
Decca 074 3137 (112 minutes)
The Gambler, Prokofiev
A.Evdokimova (acted) Irina Poliakowa (sung) (Paulina), L.Yudina (acted) A.Matiushina (sung) (Mademoiselle Blanche), S.Fadeieva (acted) T.Antipova (sung) Babushka), V.Babatinski (acted) V.Makhov (sung) Alexei, N.Afanasiev (acted) A.Sokolov (sung) (Marquis), A.Grusinskiy (acted) V.Zarskiy (sung) (Prince Nilski), A.Larionov (acted) B.Dobrin (sung) (Mr. Astley), G.Avramov (acted) G.Troitsky (sung) (General), N.Svetlovidov (acted) I.Budrin (sung) (Potapych)
Chorus and Orchestra of the USSR National Radio and Television c. Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Gostelradiofond Moscow d. Y.Bogatirenko Capriccio 93 510 (84 minutes)
Director Thomas Grimm tells us (in a tedious DVD extra) that the message of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth is ‘orgasm and death’. Well, obviously an opera with the most celebrated orchestrally depicted sex act in opera (the pornophony bit in Act 1) must reflect this, but it is not the whole story of this multi-faceted, ambiguous theatrical masterpiece. That scene, in this production is in fact very successfully dealt with, a strobe lighting effect enhances the manic insanity and shields the performers from anything too compromising and indeed suggests much athletic jiggery-pokery, if only such ingenuity informed the rest of this flawed production. Orgasm and death seems to equate with underpants – we see rather a lot of Katerina and Sergei, Aksynya is gang-raped in Act 1, the Shabby Peasant pulls down his pants to reveal battered briefs, the entire police force in their scene seem outfilled in Calvin Kleins, the factory workers surrounding the drunken priest at Boris Timofeyich’s last rites and finally all of the convicts in the final progress through Siberia scene. The hyper pictorial quality, even cartoonishness of much of the music doesn’t function when realities are fudged: why does the Shabby Peasant tell the police chief there is a body in the cellar, when he is carrying it on his back, why does Katerina have to bribe the prison guard to see Sergei, when all sexes are mingled in their underwear – why is he cold and requires stockings, and so on. The shame is that there is a powerhouse cast, in particular Vladimir Vaneev as ageing lothario, Christopher Ventris who is truly callous and slimy, and Eva Marie Westbroek who produces voluminous tone and sensitive phrasing, even if the production requires her to wear one expression all the time. The score is conducted with great impact by Mariss Jansons, but the video direction is at fault here, instead of filming nothing (as required by the director – in the theatre the interludes were unstaged) we get a fixed camera on the conductor, which further lowers the dramatic voltage – even unbelievably during the magical postlude to Act 2 on harps and trumpets, after the murder of Zinovy, we cut to Mariss Jansons conducting. And why is the opera spread over 2 DVDs with the break in the middle of Act 3?
Turning to the Soviet film of Shostakovich’s revision Katerina Ismailova, the priorities are somewhat different, the sex has to be suggested rather than poured in. This is a historical document, the filming of which is compellingly told in Galina, the prima donnas memoirs and it has never before been released in the west. Though the revision has been discredited and the original version now holds the stage, this is compelling viewing, if you can get over the extremely forward recording of the voices, which does Vishnevskaya’s committed no-holds barred brand of vocalism some disservice. Admittedly the seduction scene, shorn of its orchestral rudery is ….., and there are extensive cuts, notably the whole scene in the police station. Vishnevskaya is the only cast member who both sings and acts, arguably Boris looks a little too decrepit. But how well and slyly the director captures those moments when the music undermines and sends up characters and situations, Vishnevskaya’s sly smile to herself when Sergei’s posturing ‘I’m bored’ speaks volumes, Sonyetka’s tolerating Sergei in the last act and her very misguided attempt at rapprochement with Katerina which results in her murder, the shabby peasant is genuinely funny and that whole sequence matches the keystone cops lunacy of the music, with a brilliant split scene montage of wedding party and advancing policemen’s feet. The last act, which is a real progress through Siberia, seasons and venues is particularly successful. Highly recommended. Extras include a tantalizing taster from a 1960’s film version of S’s housing estate operetta ‘Moscow, Cheryomushki’, complete with Soviet Danny Kaye look-a-like tenorino, which is promised a release from Decca in the future.
Even though the film of ‘The Gambler’ dates from the same year as Katerina Ismailova, its black and white photography and oppressive use of close up dates from a previous era. Interestingly, the film predates the landmark 1971 production at the Bolshoi that marked the rehabilitation of this piece. Like Katerina, it is dubbed, with actors miming to playback. Aficionados of those fish-glue smelling Melodiya box sets of LPs from the ‘70’s will recognize a vintage cast here. Unfortunately the soundtrack is very crudely recorded, recessed and distorted and the whole enterprise is not very involving. The direction is enigmatic to a fault, close-ups on actors just looking blank, and crucial roles seem underplayed, in particular the Baron, whose mini mad-scene is underwhelming, and the larger than life Babulenka, the supposedly half-dead granny who appears and squanders all on the gaming tables, does not quite have the presence. Underplaying these grotesques means that too much weight is put on the music, which is fleeting, mostly parlando and really not very memorable, and often none too audible. Lip-synching and subtitles are crude. A curiosity.
[first published in OPERA magazine]
© JULIAN GRANT 2007