DEC. 1-JAN. 11, 2009 Volume 1, Issue 11
Streetcar parks at BAM. Judith Jamison’s 20th anniversary with Alvin Ailey.
Clay Patrick McBride
Sietsema at MoMA.
A JANACEK BRUISER AND PUCCINI’S TRIPLE BILL: ‘From the House of the Dead’ and ‘Il Trittico’ at the Metropolitan Opera A scene from The Met’s From the House of the Dead
BY JAY NORDLINGER f the current offerings at the Metropolitan Opera, spend a second on two—the first being From the House of the Dead, by Leos Janacek. Not so long ago, Janacek was an obscure composer, or a specialized taste. But, thanks in part to the advocacy of the conductor Charles Mackerras, he is now mainstream. The Cunning Little Vixen, Jenufa and Katya Kabanova may not be staples, but they are far from unfamiliar. The Makropoulos Case is not far behind them. But From the House of the Dead has some catching up to do. It is Janacek’s last opera, composed in 1927, and it has not been staged at the Met until this year. The opera is based on Dostoevsky’s novel about life—brutal life—in a Siberian prison camp. Dostoevsky himself tasted that life, and one of the characters is an alter ego. The opera is packed with pain, cruelty, depravity, horror and despair— with a dollop of hope thrown in. What the Met has is a much-heralded production by Patrice Chéreau, the French director who is best known for his treatment of Wagner’s Ring. He did the centennial production (197680) at Bayreuth. His production of From the House of the Dead accords with the opera— looks like the story, reflects the score. That is high praise for any production. Of particular note is the lighting, completely apposite, and handled by Bertrand Couderc. Here is an interesting wrinkle: The titles—the lines of the libretto—are projected right onto the sets. At the Met, you can also use your seatback titles. So you have a choice. And here is another interesting wrinkle: At the end of Act I, a great mass of debris is dumped hard from above. This is a new one in an opera house, at least on me. Doing the conducting at the Met is EsaPekka Salonen, the Finn. He is typically a brisk, unsentimental conductor, and Janacek’s score suits him. The music is often churning and frenetic. The score gives the percussion section a workout, and, the night I heard them, the Met’s percussionists worked out fine. Same with the low brass, who were blattering and chilling. The sound of the orchestra, overall, was steely and unforgiving. This is not wrong in
AWAKE & SING on page 10