Leoš Janáček (1854-1928)
Jenůfa (Její pastorykyňa) (1894-1903, rev. 1906)
Jenůfa – Camilla Nylund (soprano)
Kostelnička Buryjovka – Evelyn Herlitzius (soprano)
Laca Klemeň – Stuart Skelton (tenor)
Števa Buryja – Ladislav Elgr (tenor)
Grandmother Buryjovka – Hanna Schwarz (mezzo-soprano)
Staatsopernchor/Martin Wright (chorus master)
Staatskapelle Berlin/Sir Simon Rattle
Stage Director: Damiano Michieletto
rec. live, February 2021, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin, Germany
C MAJOR 760504 Blu-ray [126]
In 2012 I reviewed a DVD of Jenůfa in a worthy production by the Teatro Real under Ivor Bolton. There the minimalist staging was stark and the symbolism of the windmill blades and large cross was appropriate to the opera’s action, emphasizing the claustrophobic atmosphere of the Moravian village. Here the staging by Damiano Michieletto is even more simplistic with water and ice, including an icy boulder suspended above, evoking the “icy atmosphere of a society that despises women,” according to a rather brief note in the accompanying booklet. Where the stage is quite dark for the Spanish production, here it is bright in shades of silvery and gray, plastic boxes and wooden benches giving everything a modernistic look. There is a table with a cross and candles that represents the role of the Kostelnička as sacristan. The one positive is that it encourages the viewer to focus on the characters and their voices, which I guess in the long run is a good thing. At the same time, one gets used to the watery setting especially in such admirable performances by the principals and the Staatskapelle Berlin under Simon Rattle. The most unusual thing about this production, though, was that it was filmed during the pandemic and the chorus was stationed in the stalls, as there was no audience present. This proved a disappointment in at least one scene.
I have nothing but praise for Camilla Nylund’s Jenůfa. Vocally, she is fresh-voiced and visually more appealing than Amanda Roocroft for Bolton. She is mesmerizing and inhabits her role as well as any I have heard. The Kostelnička, Evelyn Herlitzius, on the other hand, is a bit smaller in stature than what I have become accustomed to for this role. The contrast with the commanding Deborah Polaski in the other production is telling. However, a photo of the Kostelnička from the original production of the play is evidence that Herlitzius physically suits the role better than the imposing Polaski. Vocally, though, there is little to choose between them. Both also show the human side of the character and not just some domineering stereotype. Herlitzius’s acting with her facial expressions capturing every emotion is very moving. Both male leads, Števa and Laca, handle their parts well. Stuart Skelton’s Laca wears a bulky jumper and physically resembles a photo of the character from the 1916 production, but is more self-effacing than Miroslav Dvorský for Bolton; and Ladislav Elgr is the tall, recruit in military fatigues who is swaggering, but less a dandy than Nikolai Schukoff in the Spanish production. The other characters, including Hanna Schwarz’s Grandmother still in fine voice, are taken well.
Simon Rattle has become a fine Janáček conductor, as witnessed here and elsewhere in recent years. While I was perfectly content with Bolton’s interpretation, Rattle is even better in bringing out orchestral details, especially from the woodwinds, which are not as apparent from the former’s account. In many places Rattle recalls Charles Mackerras in his yet-to-be-bettered reference version of the opera in any format. There is the same incisiveness and power and no undue lingering over the lyrical passages that could have turned maudlin. One place that disappoints, however, is the chorus of the recruits in Act I. Part of the problem, surely, is the chorus’s placement offstage, but there is little boisterousness or involvement in this soldiers’ chorus both from the orchestra and the chorus. A comparison here with Bolton is revealing. His recruits sound drunk and their ebullience is what one expects from this scene. Mackerras’ Vienna production on CD really lets loose here, including loud whistling that is totally absent from Rattle’s account. Also, for some reason, Rattle rushes the very closing measures of the score, which detracts from a fully satisfying conclusion to the opera.
Highlights of this production, of course, include the scene where the Kostelnička plans the murder of the baby in Act II and then her final scene in Act III where she expresses remorse and asks for forgiveness. Herlitzius does not disappoint in either, demonstrating utter coldness in the former and her more human side in the latter. In that last scene Michieletto has her sinking in a hole in the ice while water rains down upon her, and she remains there through the end of the opera. This is effective enough, but can seem overdone similarly as when Števa demolishes a huge block of ice after his conscription in the army has failed. What redeems this iciness, though is the very last scene—a kind of epilogue—where Jenůfa and Laca declare their love and go off together. Everything warms up with the sun coming out and gives the viewer a sense of hope. Just before that scene after the orchestra plays its loud and long major chord, the wooden benches fall making a loud crash. I found this totally unnecessary and distracting. Was the director just making sure the viewer knew that there was still more to come? No such thing happens in the Bolton DVD recording or on Mackerras’s CD.
The bottom line is that while I find much that is heart-rending and distinctive in this new production, it does not supplant the earlier one by Teatro Real. That DVD also contains a separate video synopsis, but neither video has a commentary by their respective stage director that would have been particularly helpful in this new production. The clarity and presence on the Blu-ray, however, compensate a great deal for the viewer’s enjoyment. Either of these accounts can serve as a viable supplement to the Mackerras audio-only version, which for me musically and dramatically is in a class of its own.
Leslie Wright
Other Cast & Staff
Foreman of the Mill – Jan Martiník (bass)
Barena – Adriane Queiroz (soprano)
Mayor – David Oštrek (bass-baritone)
Mayor’s Wife – Natalia Skrycka (mezzo-soprano)
Karolka – Evelin Novak (soprano)
Herdswoman – Aytaj Shikhalizada (mezzo-soprano)
Jano – Victoria Randem (soprano)
Auntie – Anna Kissjudit (contralto)
First Voice – Olga Vilenskaia (soprano)
Second Voice – Ben Bloomfield (bass-baritone)
Set Designer: Paolo Fantin; Costume Designer: Carla Teti; Co-Costume Designers: Giulia Giannino, Carsta Köhler; Lighting Designer: Alessandro Carletti; Choreographer: Thomas Wilhelm; Dramatic Advisor: Benjamin Wäntig; Video Director: Beatrix Conrad
Technical Details
sung in Czech with subtitles in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Korean, and Japanese. Filmed in HD, mastered from an HD source; Picture format: 1080i, 16:9; Sound formats: PCM Stereo; DTS-HD MA 5.1
