Comparison audio recording.
Neeme Järvi, Aleksashkin, Larin,
Chernov, Caley, Kotscherga, Gothenburg
SO [58.34] DG 453 454-2
The "Interviews"
feature is actually a cinema essay on
the opera with contributions by the
conductor, the star singer, and the
director, including excerpts from the
opera. Director Arden explains how and
why she added the non-singing role of
Greed personified, played by aerialist
Leyser, who hovers above the action
like a huge grasping spider, then crawls
up and down the walls of the set. Conductor
Jurowski explains why this work was
not well received in Russia. Rachmaninov
did not follow the path laid out by
Dargomyzhsky in Stone Guest,
essentially an accompanied recitative
where the words of the poetry were all-important,
but instead followed the Tchaikovsky
("German") idea of music first,
then the words. This was also the reason
Chaliapin at first declined to sing
the role. As a result this opera listens
very well, even if you don’t follow
the story. Only Rachmaninov’s opera
Aleko attained popularity in
Russia because it is more in the Dargomyzhsky
mould.
In the preview of Gianni
Schicchi, conductor and director
explain why they made them a double
bill, a single evening of opera, in
that the Rachmaninov ends with the death
of a miser while Gianni Schicchi begins
with the death of one — on the same
set! However, you only get one opera
per DVD, which on the one hand means
you have to buy them separately, and
on the other hand means you may buy
them separately if you want one opera
and don’t want the other.
This production was
recorded in high definition video, and
hence should be available on high definition
DVD in a year or so. If you have not
seen high definition television you
are in for a jaw-dropping experience.
It is clearer than motion picture film!
For opera productions like this it means
much more expensive sets and costumes,
more realistic acting and makeup, because
of the extremely fine detail which is
now visible. If you plan to upgrade
to high definition television, you may
want to wait and purchase this DVD in
the HD mode. However, for the rest of
us, there is plenty of detail on this
exquisitely clear disk, it is difficult
to imagine wanting more.
The Järvi performance
is every bit as good a performance as
the Jurowski, somewhat quicker in tempo
and a little brighter in tone; the voices
have a more Italian quality to them.
Or maybe it’s just the heavy gloom of
the dark sets on the video affecting
one’s perception of the music.
Depending on how you
look at it this is a fine vocal tone
poem; either that or a morbid verismo
opera. You choose. Leiferkus gives a
great performance. Innovative staging.
Paul Shoemaker
Sung in Russian. Subtitles in English, French,
Deutsch, Castellano, Italiano. 
OPUS
ARTE DVD OA 0919 D [95.00]
