About us / Contact

The Classical Music Network

Geneva

Europe : Paris, Londn, Zurich, Geneva, Strasbourg, Bruxelles, Gent
America : New York, San Francisco, Montreal                       WORLD


Newsletter
Your email :

 

Back

An ironing Jenufa

Geneva
Grand Théâtre
03/02/2001 -  and 4, 7, 9, 12*, 14 March 2001
Leos Janácek: Jenufa
Anne Bolstad (Jenufa), Suzanne Murphy (Kostelnicka), Elisabeth Bainbridge (The Grand Mother), Anne-Catherine Gillet (Karolka), Mireille Capelle (Wife of the Judge), Ethel Guéret (Jano), John Horton Murray (Laca Klemen), Gordon Gietz (Steva), Jozsef Gregor (The Bailiff).
Jirí Kout (conductor), Orchestre de la Suisse romande, Guillaume Tournaire (choir master) Choir of the Grand Théâtre, Guy Joosten (producer).


Janacek's intense and moving opera Jenufa opens us to a sort Cavaliera Rusticana but in the Moravian Style. Janacek is rarely played in the French world and we had the delight of hearing it in Geneva with the Czech conductor Jirí Kout, who gave this performance the authentic touch from Janacek's fatherland. With its ostinatos (deliberatly recurent motives), and the usage of the xylophone in the 1st Act giving the scene a suspense and underligning the drama that is ready to unfold. In Jenufa it is often it is the text gives the rhythm to the music and not the other way round. The whole work is full of originalities that makes Janacek work unique.

If the direction of Guy Joosten is successful and gives of right proportion of drama and even tragedy into the game of the actors, the set is somewhat odd and brings us into a contemporary industrial zone: container sort of building and a metallic bridge in the background, the kind you see in a factory, where almost all the actors pass when they arrive and leave the scene. All this with ugly costumes, usually greyish that recall a socialist uniforms, but also colourful for some singers, depending on their character, like Steva with his light green suit. In the first Act Jenufa appears ironing clothes and this ironing board is always there and till the last scene. A pity that no one took it out...

The voice of Jenufa interpreted by the Norwegian singer Ann Bolstad was delightful. The intensity of her feelings translated into notes and a clear and bright voice. Though Suzanne Murphy was also intense, broken by anger and sadness, she was a bit less clear. The grand mother with her troubled babushka voice was authentic. Among the men Stava's performance, the first fiancé of Jenufa, presenting the materialist, womanising and drunken young man was convincing as well as his tenor voice. The plain but sincere Laca (J H Murray) gave a bright tenor interpretation. The world famous bass Jozsef Gregor from Hungary -who performs Verdian tragedies and Don Pasquale with same ease- had a very discrete role as the bailiff. Too bad for such a great artist who is certainly one of the best buffo-bass' of our time. We hope to see him again soon in Geneva in a role that will be a tribute to his great voice and acting. It was certainly a great cast.





Zoltan Bécsi

 

 

Copyright ©ConcertoNet.com