I didn’t have high expectations of this DVD but in the
event found it thrilling. It gives us a thoroughly traditional
production from the Liceu but it works because it tells the
story so compellingly and because the singing and playing is
excellent from everyone.
The production takes place squarely in the St Petersburg of
Catherine the Great, and she herself makes her famous appearance
in Act 2, though her incarnation here is much thinner than the
real thing! Gilbert Deflo has spared no expense in evoking the
atmosphere, from the outdoor setting of the opening scene through
to the seedy card-den of the dénouement. The interiors
are all pleasingly lavish too, as are the costumes which not
only place the piece historically but lend an insight into each
character, especially the Countess’s ludicrously outdated
hoop dress and wig. The soldiers all look suitably dashing,
and Hermann’s red uniform marks him out as distinctive
from the off. Only the Act 2 ballet sequence drags a little,
but there is little that any director can do about that!
Far from turning the opera into a museum piece, however, this
merely serves as the dressing for a most compelling musical
performance. The most striking, and refreshing, thing, is how
well the Liceu band impersonates a Russian orchestra. There
is plenty of Mediterranean warmth, but more striking is the
brooding darkness of the string tone, notable from the outset
in the “fate” theme of the prelude. These same strings
then pour down benediction on Hermann’s body in the wonderfully
moving final bars. Michael Boder’s direction is excellent
throughout, pacing each scene with a sure ear for dramatic impetus:
witness the nervy energy of the scene in the Countess’s
bedroom and, later, the middle scene of Act 3 which seems to
be permeated with doom right from the outset.
Each of the singers is excellent too. It seems to be the norm
now to give Hermann to a tenor with a low-lying voice. The same
is true here: Misha Didyk’s baritonal timbre makes Hermann
seem heroic but confounded right from the off, and he sings
like a titan throughout. The darkness of his tone comes into
its own in the second half of the opera, but even in his first
love duet with Lisa he comes across as dangerously unhinged,
a character whose inevitable doom is written in his fate from
the very start. Emily Magee is a poignant Lisa, singing with
a lovely bright tone, though acting more as a passive victim
than anything else. She is seldom vulnerable until her final
appearance when she evokes the character’s pity very effectively.
Ewa Podleś hams it up brilliantly as the Countess, relishing
the acting possibilities of the role even more than the vocal
ones, though her Grétry aria in the bedroom scene still
sounds great. Ludovic Tézier is also very compelling
as Yeletsky, again evoking pity as the viewer’s primary
response to the character. His great Act 2 aria is wonderfully
sung, even if it is nearly ruined by a clarinet fluff from the
pit. In the smaller roles, Lado Atanelli has a whale of a time
as Tomsky, loving every minute of his two big scenes, and Elena
Zaremba gives us a strong, if rather hooty, Pauline.
Watching this DVD reawakened me to the dramatic and musical
treasures of what must surely be Tchaikovsky’s greatest
opera (with apologies to Onegin fans). This is an ideal
way to introduce the opera to someone for the first time, and
a great way for established Tchaikovskians to remind themselves
just how great it is.
Simon Thompson
Hermann - Misha Didyk (tenor) 
[2 DVDs: 180:00] 
