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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Recorded live at the Teatro Real, October 2009
Amanda Roocroft (Jenufa), Deborah Polaski (Kostelnicka Buryja), Mette Ejsing (Grandmother Buryja), Miroslav Dvorský (Laca Klemen), Nikolai Schukoff (Števa Buryja), Károly Szemerédy (Foreman), Miguel Sola (Mayor), Marta Mathéu (Mayor’s wife), Marta Ubieta (Karolka), María José Suárez (Shepherdess), Sandra Ferrández (Barena), Elena Poesina (Jano) & Marina Makhmoutova (Aunt) Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real, Ivor Bolton (conductor) & Stéphane Braunschweig (director) The vulnerable young woman at the heart of Janacek's breakthrough opera is a signature role for the English soprano Amanda Roocroft. Here, in Stéphane Braunschweig's clear but deeply affecting production, she is partnered by the Slovak tenor Miroslav Dvorsky, as the man through whom she finds redemption, love and hope. The complex figure of the Kostelnicka becomes both tormentor and tormented in this fearless interpretation by the great dramatic soprano Deborah Polaski. Extra features: Cast gallery Illustrated synopsis Running time 136 mins Region Code All regions Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS Menu languages EN Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES “Something in the composer's writing brings out the best in [Roocroft's] creamy voice and committed acting, and here she's superb as a young woman who forgives her stepmother for committing a terrible crime. Deborah Polaski, as the stepmother, sings with fierce power” Classic FM Magazine, November 2011 *** “Braunschweig gives us Jenufa stark and simple, the stage almost bare, the opera's emotions stripped to the bone...Nothing is allowed to deflect concentration from the central human drama. Amanda Roocroft has won laurels as Jenufa in various stage productions and comes across as a deeply sincere performer here, even if the voice is apt to turn shrill at the top...[Polaski's] very understatement is moving in its own way.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2011 “Roocroft plays a Jenufa who moves believably from innocent girl to disillusioned woman...Only very occasionally do the musical care and dramatic restraint of Polaski's Kostelnicka not go quite far enough, but rather that than over-the-top histrionics...Schukoff exudes unmistakable sexual allure in his caddish role.” International Record Review, October 2011 “[Roocroft's] voice seems perfect for the role and she sings it superbly, as does Polaski as the Kostelnicka. Both characters come off as multi-dimensional, but Roocroft seems older than what one would expect...[Bolton]has the measure of the score and the orchestra plays very well for him. He balances the powerful sections where the timpani pound and the brass are given the lead, with the more lyrical passages” MusicWeb International, August 2012 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Libuse Domaninská (Jenufa), Ivo Zidek (Steva), Vilém Pribyl (Laca), Nadezda Kniplova (Kostelnicka), Jindrich Jindrák (Mill Foreman), Zdenek Kroupa (Mayor), Slavka Prochazkova (Mayor's Wife), Marta Bohácová (Karolka), Eva Hlobilová (Herdswoman), Bozena Effenberková (Barena), Helena Tattermuschková (Jano) Prague National Theatre Orchestra and Chorus, Gregor Bohumil Recording Country: Czech Republic Recording Location: 6-13 June 1969 / Zofin Hall, Prague Mix Date: 13 Jun 1969 Producer: Ronald Kinloch Anderson. Engineer: unknown (Supraphon) Digitally remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Simon Gibson Source matrix nos.: 2YEA 3813-16 (HMV SLS 946) Co-production with Supraphon, Prague | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Elisabeth Söderström (Jenufa), Wieslav Ochman (Laca), Eva Randová (Kostelnicka), Petr Dvorsky (Steva), Lucia Popp (Karolka), Marie Mrázová (Stařenka Buryjovka), Václav Zitek (Mill Foreman), Dalibor Jedlicka (Mayor), Ivana Mixová (Mayor's Wife), Vera Soukupová (Herdswoman), Jindra Pokorná (Barena), Jana Jonásová (Jano) Wiener Philharmoniker & Wiener Staatsopernchor, Sir Charles Mackerras Recorded: Sofiensaal, Vienna, April 1982 “Despite stiff competition this vividly dramatic reading of the original score, the superb playing and Söderström's heart-breaking heroine confirm this is still the finest incarnation of Janácek's pastoral tragedy.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2007 ***** “Janácek's first operatic masterpiece is a towering work, blending searing intensity with heart-stopping lyricism.
It tells of Jenufa and the appalling treatment she receives as she's caught between the man she loves and another who finally comes to love her. But dominating the story is the Kostelnicka, a figure of enormous strength, pride and inner resource who rules Jenufa's life and ultimately kills her baby. Randová's characterisation of the role of the Kostelnicka is frightening in its intensity yet has a very human core. The two men are well cast and act as fine foils to Söderström's deeply impressive Jenufa. The Vienna Philharmonic plays beautifully and Mackerras directs magnificently. The recording is all one could wish for and the booklet is a mine of informed scholarship.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Stepanka Jelinkova (Jenufa), Marta Krasova (Kostelnicka), Beno Blachut (Laca), Ivo Zidek (Steva), Milada Cadikovicova (Grandmother Buryjovka), Vladimir Jedenactik (Mayor), Ludmila Hanzalikova (Herdswoman), Miloslava Fidlerova (Barena), Marie Vesela (Mayor's Wife), Karel Kalas (Mill Foreman), Milada Musilova (Karolka), Milada Subrtova (Jano/Shepherd ) Prague National Theatre Chorus, Prague National Theatre Orchestra, Jaroslav Vogel | 
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| |  | Live Recording from The Malmö Opera, Sweden, 2011
Gitta-Maria Sjöberg (Kostelnicka), Erika Sunnegårdh (Jenufa), Daniel Frank (Laca), Ingrid Tobiasson (Grandmother Buryjovka), Joachim Bäckström (Steva), Per Høyer (Foreman) Orchestra and Chorus of The Malmö Opera, Marko Ivanovic (conductor) & Orpha Phelan (stage director) Set and Costume Design by LESLIE TRAVERS WHY JENUFA? We can talk about a moving drama set to wonderful music, or constantly recall the tragic realities of our own time, honour killings being among them. Not long ago this was a controversial work by a composer from the European margin. Today this opera about strong yet vulnerable women, seemingly bearers of their own repression, is recognized as one of the great masterpieces in the opera repertoire. It was created by a radical young female playwright, who preferred to write about other peoples‘ lives rather than her own, and a male composer, passionate up to old age about new aspects of man and human existence. Why does one want others to be hit by Jenufa – a tragedy of “ordinary human beings” that affects deeply, beyond historical and cultural differences? A strong music drama of unsentimental compassion – how could one not want to share it with as many people as possible? Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1 Picture Format: 16:9 DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC Subtitle Languages: GB, DE, FR, Svenska Running Time: 121 mins FSK: 0 “The fact that Sunnegårdh doesn't sacrifice vocal accuracy for visceral drama...makes you feel her tragedy more strongly because you don't lose yourself in operatic heat...The opera's problematically tidy ending works beautifully...for an unflinching Jenufa I'll choose Malmö.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013 |
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Anny Schlemm (Jenufa), Christel Goltz (Kostelnicka), Rosl Zapf (Grandmother Buryjovka), Ernst Kozub (Laca), Gerald McKee (Steva) Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester, Chorus of the Frankfurt State Opera, Lovro von Matacic Recorded on 29th September 1961 | | Myto - MCD00319 (CD - 2 discs) Normally: $14.00 Special: $11.20 |
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| |  | Recorded live at the Teatro Real, October 2009
Mette Ejsing (Grandmother Buryja), Miroslav Dvorský (Laca Klemen), Nikolai Schukoff (Števa Buryja), Deborah Polaski (Kostelnicka Buryja), Amanda Roocroft (Jenufa), Károly Szemerédy (Foreman), Miguel Sola (Mayor), Marta Mathéu (Mayor’s wife), Marta Ubieta (Karolka), María José Suárez (Shepherdess), Sandra Ferrández (Barena), Elena Poesina (Jano) & Marina Makhmoutova (Aunt) Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real, Ivor Bolton (conductor) & Stéphane Braunschweig (director) The vulnerable young woman at the heart of Janacek's breakthrough opera is a signature role for the English soprano Amanda Roocroft. Here, in Stéphane Braunschweig's clear but deeply affecting production, she is partnered by the Slovak tenor Miroslav Dvorsky, as the man through whom she finds redemption, love and hope. The complex figure of the Kostelnicka becomes both tormentor and tormented in this fearless interpretation by the great dramatic soprano Deborah Polaski. Extra features: Cast gallery Illustrated synopsis Running time 136 mins Region Code All regions Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS Menu languages EN Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES “Something in the composer's writing brings out the best in [Roocroft's] creamy voice and committed acting, and here she's superb as a young woman who forgives her stepmother for committing a terrible crime. Deborah Polaski, as the stepmother, sings with fierce power” Classic FM Magazine, November 2011 *** “Braunschweig gives us Jenufa stark and simple, the stage almost bare, the opera's emotions stripped to the bone...Nothing is allowed to deflect concentration from the central human drama. Amanda Roocroft has won laurels as Jenufa in various stage productions and comes across as a deeply sincere performer here, even if the voice is apt to turn shrill at the top...[Polaski's] very understatement is moving in its own way.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2011 “Roocroft plays a Jenufa who moves believably from innocent girl to disillusioned woman...Only very occasionally do the musical care and dramatic restraint of Polaski's Kostelnicka not go quite far enough, but rather that than over-the-top histrionics...Schukoff exudes unmistakable sexual allure in his caddish role.” International Record Review, October 2011 “[Roocroft's] voice seems perfect for the role and she sings it superbly, as does Polaski as the Kostelnicka. Both characters come off as multi-dimensional, but Roocroft seems older than what one would expect...[Bolton]has the measure of the score and the orchestra plays very well for him. He balances the powerful sections where the timpani pound and the brass are given the lead, with the more lyrical passages” MusicWeb International, August 2012 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Live Recording from The Gran Teatre Del Liceu, Barcelona, 2005
Nina Stemme (Jenůfa), Eva Marton (Kostelnička Buryjovka), Victoria Cortez (Stařenka Buryjovka), Jorma Silvasti (Laca Klemeň) & Pär Lindskog (Števa Buryja) Gran Teatre Del Liceu, Peter Schneider (conductor) & Olivier Tambosi (director) Set Design & Costumes by Frank Philipp Schlössmann Arthaus presents a staging of Jenůfa sung in the original Czech language. The production was directed by French-Austrian opera director Olivier Tambosi. For Janáček, opera was a vehicle for describing reality, and he pushed this idea to the point of fashioning a new theory about verismo. Its basis was that the two major strands, music and drama, were to be linked indivisibly in his operas. Olivier Tambosi takes up the challenge in a Jenůfa that is realistic, clear and direct in its exposition of the characters’ feelings. Yet he is also concerned to make key motifs in the work visible through symbolic elements on stage. The director’s haunting dramaturgy is admirably brought to life by a cast of outstanding singer-actors. The result is a Jenůfa of immediately accessible emotions, with altogether physical characterization, explicit and more brutal than other stagings of the opera. Sound Format: LPCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 Picture Format: 16:9 DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC Subtitle Languages: DE, GB, FR, ES, IT, Catalan Running Time: 127 mins FSK: 0 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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Gabriela Benacková (Jenufa), Nadézda Kniplová (Kostelnicka), Vladimir Krejcik (Steva), Vilém Pribyl (Laca), Anna Barová (Stařenka Buryjovka), Karel Berman (Mill Foreman), Vaclav Halir (Mayor), Kveta Belanová (Mayor's Wife), Jindra Pokorná (Karolka), Daniela Suryová (Herdswoman), Cecilie Strádalová (Barena), Jaroslava Janská (Jano) Orchestra and Chorus of the Brno Janacek Opera, Frantisek Jilek “Not as dramatic as Mackerras's classic Decca set, and it used the Germanic reorchestration and ending by Kovarovic. But a superbly authentic Czech cast with Benackova's heartbreaking Jenufa.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2006 **** | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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