first (and last?) mireille on dvd

Mireille. DVD. Paris Opera Bastille 2009. Production: Nicolas Joel, Conductor: Marc Minkowski. Cast: Inva Mula (Mireille), Charles Castronovo (Vincent), Alain Vernhes (Ramon), Sylvie Brunet (Taven), Franck Ferrari (Qurrias).

For this, the first production for Nicolas Joel after taking over the Paris Opera, he chose a largely unknown work by Gounod: Mireille. Based on Mistral´s poem and composed in 1864, 5 years after Faust and 3 years before Roméo et Juliette, Mireille had never before performed at the Paris Opera.

This is the story of a rich girl (Mireille) who loves a poor boy (Vincent). She is also loved by a villain (Qurrias) who injures the poor boy, but later drowns. While Vincent does not die, Mireille does, from sun stroke (!) when she exhausted joins him at the end of the opera after obtaining forgiveness of her father.

A quick look in the opera performance register shows that of Gounod's 13 operas, only Faust and Roméo and Juliette has been performed anywhere in the last three seasons. This production of Mireille will not change that, I believe, not even in France.

Nicolas Joel has opted for a largely traditional mise-en-scene, where I was transported back to the operatic productions of the 1970´s. Had the personenregie only been interesting, but here also Nicolas Joel seems to add nothing even remotely new or exciting.

The original setting is Provence, and Nicolas Joel has kept it like this showing us ripe fields, dark medieval cities and moonlit rivers. There is, however, beautiful music to be found here, even work as a whole lacks drama. Competing with a Devil (Faust) and a story by Shakespeare (Roméo), some peasants in Provence does not quite seem to do it.

As the protagonists Charles Castronovo is both naive and sympathetic as the poor Vincent and while Inva Mula was overacting, she still turned in a convincing performance.  

This is a first on DVD, so do you want to see Mireille, this is it as I doubt there will be competition in the immediate future.

Inva Mula as Mireille:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Inva Mula: 3-4

Charles Castronovo: 4

Alain Vernhes: 4

Franck Ferrari: 4

Nicolas Joel: 2

Marc Minkowski: 4

Overall impression: 3

alcina: splendid harteros, odd kasarova in duchess of devonshire ballroom performance

Alcina, DVD. Vienna State Opera 2010. Production: Adrian Noble. Conductor: Marc Minkowski with Les Musiciens du Louvre. Cast: Anja Harteros (Alcina), Vesselina Kasarova (Ruggiero), Kristina Hammarström (Bradamante), Veronica Cangemi (Morgana), Benjamin Bruns (Oronte), Adam Plachetka (Melisso), Alois Mühlbacher (Oberto).

Well-educated British readers (I know there are some out there) will need no explanation as to who was Georgiana Cavendish (1757-1806), the Duchess of Devonshire, famous for her soirées in the Devonshire House in London. Some may know her from Keira Knightly´s portrait in The Duchess, 

And we are, in fact, witness to such a soirée in The Duchess´ ballroom in London Piccadilly, where she is staging a performance by Händel´s Alcina (written in 1735 it could well have been performed here) performed by herself (as Alcina obviously) and her friends.

An intimate dining-room atmosphere, which suits the piece well, especially as it opens up into a field of almost neon-green grass and a clear blue sky (see above), which contrasts with the dark dining room atmosphere complete with servants and (perhaps?) her dissatisfied husband, the Duke, who seems to pop up a couple of times.

The director is Adrian Noble, British and former director of Royal Shakespeare company, also responsible for the staging of Macbeth at theMetropolitan opera in 2008.

Would it not have been obvious to make Ruggiero into Charles Grey, 2^nd Earl of Grey, the gentleman with whom The Duchess has an illegitimate child after he had courted her in her saloon for some time? But no, this seems not to have been Adrian Nobles errand, as Ruggiero, as played by Vesselina Kasarova, in the beginning of the opera, clearly is a female friend of the Duchess.

To begin with Vesselina Kasarova: This woman´s singing is downright strange and peculiar. In fact, it is one of the most peculiar things I have heard on stage for a long time. When I heard her live in this part five years ago I found her “absolutely brilliant”. Now she is absolutely bizarre. Did these, almost yodling peculiarities really develop within the latest five years or did I just not have the ear for them then? 

Her Alcina five years ago as well as now is Anja Harteros, who is a splendid Alcina, and an elegant Duchess of Devonshire, adapting to baroque style with an almost vibratoless top. Probably not the kind of role she will continue singing if she also wants to move into the heavier Wagner, as she has said (Senta).

While Veronica Cangemi was  far too thin-voiced, especially in the top as Morgana, Kristina Hammarström was a solid Bradamante. Most impressive, though was boy soprano Alois Mühlbacher as Oberto, with spot-on coloratura and solid intonation. He is 15..

Baroque operas are not plat du jour in Vienna. Before this production the latest one being L´incoronazione di Poppea in the 1060´s. Accordingly, it is not the Vienna State Opera Orchestra in the pit but the baroque specialists Les Musiciens du Louvre effectively conducted by Marc Minkowski.

Vesselina Kasarova with Mi lusinga il dolce affetto, judge for yourself:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Anja Harteros: 4-5

Vesselina Kasarova: 2-3, perhaps to be re-evaluated

Veronica Cangemi: 3

Kristina Hammarström: 4

Adrian Noble´s production: 4

Marc Minkowski: 4-5

Overall impression: 4

Natalie Dessay and Laurent Pelly disappoints in Pelleas and Melisande

Pélleas and Mélisande. DVD, 2009. Theater an der Wien. Production: Laurent Pelly. Conductor: Bertrand de Billy.Cast: Natalie Dessay (Melisande), Stephane Degout (Pelleas), Laurent Naouri (Golaud), Philip Ens (Arkel), Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Genevieve).

How does one evoke the otherworldly ambiance of Pélleas and Mélisande? Not easily and I have yet to see a staging which does full justice to the work, though a few do come close.

The french director Laurent Pelly is well-known for straightforward and fast-paced productions such as  Donizetti´s Filledu Regiment and Hänsel und Gretel, both released on DVD. Not an obvious choice to stage an understated, introspective work such as Pélleas and Melisande. Thus, it is not unsurprising that Laurent Pelly seems a bit at loss with this opera that thrives on understating rather than the opposite. By Pelly´s usual high-paced standards, however, the production really is very tranquil. Departing from realism, he has created a rotating stage containing a mix of columns, rocks and the occasional chamber, in effort to create an alluring, ambiguous environment. However, for me, the allure remains absent throughout not the least due to Nathalie Dessay´s Mélisande.

No wonder Laurent Pelly is Nathalie Dessay´s favourite opera director, as they share a lot of qualities: She is a straight-forward, face-paced singing-actress and the role of Mélisande lies relatively well for her with much beautiful singing in the middle section,of her voice. But she cannot hide that her upper register is in ruins and whatever her qualities, understatement and allure are not her strong points. Just in recent years I have heard much superior Mélisandes in both Copenhagen (Elisabeth Jansson), Berlin (Magdalena Kozena) and Paris (Elena Tsallagova). And then there are the ones on CD such as Frederica von Stade, just to mention one.

Stéphane Degout with his rich voice and wonderful introspective way is the ideal Pélleas, but he is not helped by Laurent Pelly´s production.

Best is Laurent Naouri Native French-speakers in major parts. Best are Laurent Naouri (real life husband of Natalie Dessay) in excellent voice with an sufficient underlying menacing air of both menace but also desperation to him that one feels with him and the unfortunate choices that he makes.

Bertrand de Billy captures the moods well but again I have both heard and seen far better in recent years (Simon Rattle, Philippe Jordan and Pierre Boulez on DVD).

I don´t believe the market for Pélleas DVDs has been exhausted with this release. In fact, one of the best stagings I have seen was that of Robert Wilson in Paris a couple of years ago – a static, beautiful staging capturing the moods almost to perfection and with the wonderful Elena Tsallagova as an otherworldly Mélisande matched by Stéphane Degout as Pélleas. Hopefully this will be released on DVD at some point.

Nous sommes venus ici il y a bien longtemps:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Natalie Dessay: 3

Stephane Degout: 4

Laurent Naouri: 4-5

Marie-Nicole Lemieux: 4

Philip Ens: 4

Laurent Pelly´s production: 3

Betrand de Billy: 3-4

Overall impression: 3

malena ernman and christopher maltman shine in superb dido and aeneas

Dido and Aeneas, DVD, Opéra Comique 2008. Production: Deborah Warner. Conductor: William Christie with Les Arts Florissants. Cast: Malena Ernman (Dido), Christopher Maltman (Aeneas), Judith van Wanroij (Belinda), Hilary Sumnners (Sorceress).

The first known performance of Dido and Aeneas took place at a girls´school in London around 1688. In a superb production combining 17^th century with present day, Deborah Warner takes advantage of this fact in an innovative way without loosing scope of the story. A production first seen in Vienna in 2005, later in Amsterdam before being filmed in Paris in 2008.

Not much is left from Virgil´s poem Aeneid  in Purcells version (based on Marlowe´s The Tragedie of Dido), apart from the frame of Dido and Aeneas love story including Dido´s death. Is the idea that Aeneas is tricked to leave Dido by some witches (instead of by the command of Jupiter), perhaps an attempt by Marlowe and Purcell to make his character less noble?

In this case, Christopher Maltman is perfect, as his portrayal is sufficiently ambiguous with more than a hint of uncertainty to give real depth to Aeneas.

However, the real highlight in this production, where school-children enter and exit the stage in various capacities and where past and present is mixed, is the interaction between Malena Ernman and Christopher Maltman. It simply has to seen to be believed and they make one of the most moving couples I have yet seen on DVD. Furthermore, Malena Ernman´s portrayal of Dido is unforgettable and the images rest with you long times after the DVD is back on the shelf.

Veteran conductor William Christie never fails with Les Art Florissants in a production of Dido and Aeneas, which will be hard to surpass.

Dido´s Lament:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Malena Ernman: 5

Christopher Maltman: 5

The rest: 5

Deborah Warner´s staging: 5

William Christie: 5

Overall impression: 5

poppea: surrealistic, bizarre, magnificent

L´Incoronazione di Poppea. DVD. 2009. Barcelona Liceu. Production: David Alden. Conductor: Harry Bicket with Baroque Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Cast: Miah Persson (Poppea), Sarah Connolly (Nerone), Jordi Domènech (Ottone), Maite Beaumont (Ottavia), Ruth Rusique (Drusilla), Franz-Josef Selig (Seneca).

Finally available on DVD: David Alden´s deservedly acclaimed staging of L´Incoronazione di Poppea previously seen in Munich, Paris, Welsh National Opera, New Israeli Opera and now filmed in Barcelona.

I have often heard this staging referred to as the “chess-board” production. However, I find this hard to justify as only during the last 20 minutes do we see quadrants of black and white, which in any care to me were more reminiscent of a kitchen floor than a chess-board. That Poppea and Nero are somehow pieces in a game of chess, is something I do not read into this production at all, in fact.

The superb libretto is relatively straight-forward: Poppea, previously married to Ottone, schemes to become Nero´s Empress. First, however, she has to get rid of his present wife (Ottavia), whom Nero expels from Rome after a failed attempt on Poppea´s life ordered by Ottavia and executed by Ottone. Thus a happy end where Nero marries Poppea. And in real-life a less than happy end, as Nero allegedly kicked the pregnant Poppea to death a couple of years later.

I find this staging more intuitive than intellectual, set in no specific time, presenting a mix between the authentically modern and the surrealistic, the serious and the comic/grotesque, the elegant and the tasteless. Often these ambiguities may be seen in the same scene. In one of the best scenes, we see Seneca (Nero´s adviser, whom he has ordered to commit suicide), just before his death, surrounded is surrounded by grotesquely clad pupils, who in the end play yo-yo. The empress Ottavia´s nurse is a parody of a Red Cross nurse, while Poppea´s nurse is in tasteless drag. Decors are simple, often red or purple with a single chair or sofa. Not to mention the Goddesses of Fortune and Virtue in tasteless party dress with plateau heels.

It is a truly remarkable staging in which David Alden succeeds in striking the exact right chord between the grotesque and the serious. I do believe he has a valid: There is much grotesqueness an excessiveness to be found in the plot amid all the seriousness. I found the personenregie is exciting as well. Here Nero is clearly a disturbed, narcissistic character with virtually no physical interaction between him and Poppea, who on the other hand is less a manipulator than seen with  Carsen in his Glyndebourne production.

I have been told that Nero´s part lies vastly better for a mezzo-soprano than for the counter-tenor, which, for dramatical reasons I normally prefer in these parts. In any case, Sarah Connelly is just as convincing as a Roman Emperor here as she was as Giulio Cesare. Miah Persson is a wonderful Poppea with excellent vocal characterization and then she is very beautiful as well, which obviously does not detract from he performance. Of the others I especially found Franz-Josef Selig´s Seneca imposing, with the appropriate sonorous ring to his low notes.

Of the alternatives on DVD I would recommend Robert Carsen´s production from Glyndebourne as well, more elegant perhaps, though this is the most challenging production of the two.

Death of Seneca, one of the best scenes where Alden strikes the right balance between the grotesque and the deadly (no pun intended) serious:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Miah Persson: 5

Sarah Connelly: 5

Maite Beaumont: 3-4

Franz-Josef Selig: 5

Jordi Deménech: 3

Ruth Rusique: 3-4

David Alden´s production: 5

Harry Bicket: 4

Overall impression: 5

DVD: Glyndebourne Hänsel und Gretel

Hänsel und Gretel. DVD, Glyndebourne 2009. Production: Laurent Pelly. Conductor: Kazushi Ono with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Cast: Jennifer Holloway (Hänsel), Adriana Kucerova (Gretel), Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke (witch), Klaus Kuttler (father), Irmgard Vilsmaier (mother).

As you press “play” on the DVD, a cardboard box is brought to the Glyndebourne Festival House during the Vorspiel and eventually passes through the hands of all the singers, thus presenting them for the viewer. For the audience present in the auditorium all they see is the front cover of the cardboard box. So what is inside the box? Well, the house of Hänsel and Gretel in fact. As Act 1 opens we are introduced to their poor home inside a humid, degrading card-board box. As a matter of fact there is a lot of trash in this production, quite literally speaking. Laurent Pelly, most well-known for fast-paced productions like Fille du Regiment, has created another fast-paced production, this time emphasizing consumerism and excess.

Everything is connected to the witch gingerbread house, the central image of the production, here a supermarket, full of candy. In the dying, naked wood into which Hänsel and Gretel are sent by their desperate mother, we see plenty of trash (from the supermarket). Even Hänsel and Gretel´s cardboard box home could easily be left-overs from the supermarket.

The siblings are the most authentic I believe I have seen, constant at play, jumping around the set. The transformation of Jennifer Holloway, a quite feminine singer into Hänsel is impressive. Equally impressive that Adriana Kucerova manages to look a 10-year old.

Tenor Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke in ghastly pink drag is a fantastic storekeeper cum witch, with a somewhat vague ending to this existence though: He is simply pushed down in the depths of the supermarket.. according to Laurent Pelly this represents a cooking factory, again representing the root of consumerism but apart from some smoking chimneys in the background it did not seem that obvious.

Laurent Pelly explicitly wished to expel all signs of religion from the production and in the end when God is praised, instead the parents take plenty of goods from the supermarket. An ironic ending, a submission toconsumerism, Pelly  says, but somehow I miss the point: If they are a poor family, constantly hungry, why is it ironic that they take food from the supermarket when they can? Never mind, the production is both funny and lively and I was excellently entertained throughout.

There is plenty of Wagner in the score, I was reminded of both Rhinemaidens, Giants and Parsifal, and Kazushi Ono brings all this out in a convincing reading.

Not to be missed: Watch the impressive Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke as the witch:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Adriana Kucerova: 5

Jennifer Holloway: 5

Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke: 5

Laurent Pelly´s production: 5

Kazushi Oni: 5

Overall impression: 5

Robert Carsen

ROBERT CARSEN

Born 1954 in Toronto, Canada. Education: Old Vic Theatre School (Bristol). Biographical details here: Very detailed (in French), less detailed (in English).

Directorial approach: Simplistic, aesthetic stagings, relatively true to the overall written libretto, though often with a twist.

Major achievements in opera: After his breakthrough in 1986 with La Finta Giardinera in Camden, Carsen has appeared in all major opera houses, especially in Paris (more than 10 productions with highlights including Rusalka and Capriccio) and Glyndebourne (L´incoronazione di Poppea), Metropolitan (Eugene Onegin) and La Scala (Dialogues des Carmelites, Don Giovanni).

ROBERT CARSEN - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS

Candide, Paris Chatelet 2007, the controversial production in which Bush, Putin, Blair, Berlusconi and Chirac dance semi-naked on stage, a must-see as it is really funny:

Falstaff, La Scala 2013:

Don Giovanni, the 2011 Scala season opening:

My Fair Lady at the Mariinsky Theatre 2012:

Rheingold, Liceu Barcelona 2013:

ROBERT CARSEN ON DVD

Mefistofele, San Francisco 1988
Manon Lescaut, Flemish Opera 1991
Les contes d´Hoffmann, Paris Bastille 2002
Rusalka, Paris Bastille 2002
Les Boreades, Paris 2003
Capriccio, Paris Palais Garnier 2004
Dialogues des Carmelites, La Scala 2004
La Traviata, Venice La Fenice, 2004
Rosenkavalier, Salzburg 2004
Il trovatore, Bregenz 2005
Eugene Onegin, Metropolitan Opera 2007
L´Incoronazione di Poppea, Glyndebourne 2008
Tannhäuser, Barcelona 2008
Armide, Paris Chatelet 2008
Katia Kabanova, Madrid Teatro Real 2008
Tosca, Zürich Opera 2008
Semele, Zürich Opera 2009
Rinaldo, Glyndebourne 2011

Don Giovanni, La Scala 2010 (not yet on DVD, but perhaps?)

ROBERT CARSEN - LIVE PERFORMANCES REVIEWED BY MOSTLY OPERA

Lohengrin, Paris Bastille 2007
Ariadne auf Naxos, Copenhagen 2009 (not reviewed, but the production is this one)
Tosca, Zurich 2009
Capriccio, Paris Garnier 2012
La Traviata, Venice La Fenice 2012
Les Contes d´Hoffmann, Paris Bastille 2012

CARSEN - LINKS

Current productions by Robert Carsen
Interview with Robert Carsen on his background, approach etc.

julia lezhneva with decca solo cd - next superstar or forgotten next year?

Julia Lezhneva. Alleluia. CD. 2013. Motets by Vivaldi, Händel, Porpora and Mozart. Giovanni Antonini conduct Il Giardino Armonico.

Born in Russia in 1989, from 2008 a student at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice, winner of several competitions and a protegé of Kiri Te Kanawa. Hyped as few other young singers and now releasing her first solo CD under her new contract with Decca after her 2011 disc of Rossini arias released on Naïve.

On stage, she appears mostly in concert versions of the likes of La Cenerentola, a well-paced, reasonable programme for a 23-year old, who needs time to grow. When I heard her a couple of years ago in Salzburg in Il Rossignol as the cook, I thought she was superb.


Soprano or mezzo-soprano? Decca markets her as a soprano. Wikipedia says "soprano and coloratura mezzo-soprano". Probably in-between, with a small preponderance towards mezzo, I´d say, however at her age anything may happen. This present disc contains motets by Vivaldi, Händel, Porpora and Mozart.

The positive aspects first: She is 23. How many singers that age can perform like she does? Not many.Her coloratura technique is impressive and especially her middle register is beautiful.

The remaining slightly negative aspects: Whether she is 23 or 86 really is of no importance. This is a CD, and thus she compares with the likes of Sandrine Piau, Arleen Auger, Kiri Te Kanawa and Barbara Bonney, who all have recorded at least parts of the same repertoire, especially the Exultate Jubilate (Mozart K165). And while Julia Lezhneva´s voice is more than pleasant, I find no individuality whatsoever in neither characterization or delivery.

Julia Lezhneva is barely 23 and "one of the youngest artists to be celebrated like this", I read somewhere. Obviously that was meant as a compliment, but what now? She needs (like everyone her age) to grow into an adult, mature artist and that, inevitably takes time. And with initial high-exposure like this, it may not be too easy for her to manage. Really, she does look like a sweet young child on that cover.As always, however, we shall have to wait and see.

However, Cecilia Bartoli was 23 when she released her debut solo CD with Rossini arias in 1989 - also on Decca. The difference between these two at the same age is staggering. Bartoli was clearly an individual performer at 23, while Lezhneva is not.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average): 3

la scala: superb peter mattei, disappointing netrebko in elegant barenboim don giovanni

Don Giovanni, La Scala, December 2011. Production: Robert Carsen. Conductor: Daniel Barenboim. Cast: Peter Mattei (Don G), Bryn Terfel (Leporello), Anna Netrebko (Donna Anna), Barbara Frittoli (Donna Elvira), Kwangchoul Yun (Commendatore), Giuseppe Filianoti (Don Ottavio), Anna Prohaska (Zerlina), Stefan Kocan (Masetto).

The opening is entirely stunning: As the initial two chords of the ouverture fill the auditorium, Peter Mattei runs up the middle aisle and onto the stage where he pulls town the red velvety curtain to reveal a gigantic mirror, reflecting the entire audience: We are (again I am tempted to say), spectators to our own lives.

Robert Carsen clearly loves this sort of theatre-within-theatre concept, which he has previously used in several productions such as Tosca, Contes d´Hoffmann and L´incoronazione di Poppea, just to mention a few. A concept often more exciting on paper than in reality, it does not seem too imposing here where the production, nevertheless, is very elegant, kept mostly in black, gold and dark velvety red colours.

Don Giovanni is a free spirit. Neither malign nor cunning. Just a man, who lives every moment to the fullest. Perhaps this is why he is the last one standing on stage, while the others characters descend into hell in the end. Live life to its fullest! This Don Giovanni certainly has Robert Carsen´s sympathy. And ours as well, not least due to Peter Mattei, who is, in my opinion, quite simply the best Don Giovanni on stage today, with his smooth, direct approach, his beautiful,  beautiful voice as well as his lofty, charming and ultimately very captivating stage manners.

In general, all the singers are from the A-list and probably the best Don Giovanni cast name-per-name one could dream of assembling. Not all live up to expectations, though. However, the two mail protagonists certainly do and Bryn Terfel equals Peter Mattei in what is in one of his best roles. Terfel has always been a much better Leporello than Don Giovanni, Leporello being his own favourite as well. A rather rough, clumsy character, never failing to catch the eye and his bass-barytone contrasts well with Peter Mattei´s barytone.
This time, the ungrateful part of Don Ottavio is left with Giuseppe Filianoti, who does well without exactly distinguishing himself, though Mozart did not help him much by giving him two entirely placid arias to sing as well as some uninteresting recitatives.

Donna Anna is one of the roles that launches the international career of Anna Netrebko. In this production, she clearly loves Don Giovanni but feels obliged to hide her relation with him after the murder of her father. However, she disappoints, mostly vocally, being frequently off tune and sounding murky. I very much doubt we will see much more Mozart from here in the future.

Barbara Frittoli, replacing  Elina Garanca, was a fluttery, nervous Donna Elvira and though she wasn´t exactly a weak link, and definitely better than recently heard at the Metropolitan Opera, the role does not seem to lie well for her.

Up-and-coming Anna Prohaska and Stefan Kocan were sufficiently engaging as Zerlina/Masetto while I would have preferred a much blacker sound for the Commendatore than what Kwangchoul Yun possesses.

Daniel Barenboim´s relationship with Don Giovanni began in 1953 when he assisted the cembalist in a run of Furtwängler-conducted performances. Thus it should comes as no surprise that Barenboim conducts in the style of Furtwängler and Klemperer, lightyears from the period-specific approaches some may prefer today. Not me, though.  About 5 years ago in Berlin, Daniel Barenboim conducted the best Don Giovanni I have ever heard live and again here at La Scala his broad, slow tempi and his unfailing sense of the contrapunctual elements of the score was thrilling. 

Final scene (beginning):

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Peter Mattei: 5

Bryn Terfel: 5

Anna Netrebko: 3

Barbara Frittoli: 4

Giuseppe Filianoti: 4

Anna Prohaska: 4

Stefan Kocan: 4

Daniel Barenboim: 5

Robert Carsen´s production: 5

Overall impression: 4-5

classic production of rakes progress

Rake´s Progress. DVD. Glyndebourne Festival 2010. Director: John Cox, designs: David Hockney. Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski with London Philharmonic Orchestra. Cast: Miah Persson (Anne Trulove), Topi Lehtipuu (Tom Rakewell, Matthew Rose (Nick Shadow), Elena Manistina (Baba The Turk), Clive Bayley (Anne´s father).

This production has in many ways become a benchmark for The Rake´s Progress. First seen at Glyndebourne in 1975, it has undergone numerous revivals and has even been released on DVD in 1997 featuring Samuel Ramey and Felicity Lott. While the present version looks a bit fresher, I don´t see any compelling reason to acquire this present DVD if you already own the previous one.

No doubt the reason for the popularity and longevity of this production is the extraordinary accordance between the production and Stravinsky´s original work. 

Stravinsky was originally inspired by 1) Mozart and 2) William Hogarth´s 1735 series of eight paintings (later engravings) depicting the life of Tom Rakewell. As most will know, the composition style is neoclassical - Mozart, but not quite Mozart. As for the story line - Don Giovanni but not quite Don Giovanni.

The director is John Cox, but the trademark of the production are the designs by David Hockney. Hockney is a British multi-artist, born in 1937 and famous for his pop art installations in the 1960´s.

He was equally inspired by William Hogarth in creating the sets, which are quite often print-like black and white, with multiple stripes and crosshatching. Complete with period costumes, it is a set evocative of Mozart – but then, just like the music, not quite Mozart. And always with a certain irony and distance, to be found in Stravinsky´s score and the libretto as well.

The “new” singers are all excellent: From Miah Persson´s Anne Trulove, which is both beautifully sung and acted, to Topi Lehtipuu´s convincing portrait of the lazy Tom always seeking the easy way and Matthew Rose as a somewhat ironic Nick Shadow and finally Elena Manistina´s tour de force as Baba The Turk.

Vladimir Jurowski is effective conducting a score, that I find it easy to admire but hard to love.

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

Miah Persson: 5

Topi Lehtipuu: 5

Matthew Rose: 4

Elena Manistina: 4-5

John Cox´ production: 5

Vladimir Jurowski: 5

Overall impression: 5