Derek Bailey Music

Listening to this over high fidelity stereo loudspeakers, I found this video largely unsatisfying. It's pleasant to look at, and the singing is fine. The main problem is the balance. The orchestra is much too far in the background, as if the engineers mistakenly considered it to be accompaniment to the singing. As a result the spectacularly colored orchestrations, the harmony, and much of the DRAMA (!) of this work are lost in this video. In short, musically it makes no sense...except for a number of scattered moments when the beautiful sound of the music is discernible. I suspect that this was a good performance, badly recorded or engineered.

On the DVD the orchestra is really there. I liked the production, and the cast sang and acted well. Perhaps the sound was remixed for the DVD as I could not understand the negative reviews given this production.

The cold and abstract staging here is clearly meant to reflect the suffocating world of the title character, but two hours of it becomes very disagreable. Better get the CD version: the music is gorgeous and there is no distraction from the intensity of the music.

This production of Katya Kabanova is OK, but not much more than that. It has respectable singers, especially in Nancy Gustafson and Felicity Palmer, but they appear bloodless and dull, and the orchestra, as another reviewer has pointed out, has faded into the background. Add this to Glyndebourne's totally non-descript sets and costumes, and you get something that's sort of dull. Also, there are some cuts from Janacek's original score, which is absolutely unfathomable in an opera that doesn't run for an hour and a half in its full version

A much better choice is the Salzburg Festival DVD of this opera by TDK. First, the negatives: it's one of those productions by a European director who thinks that Janacek would have done it this way if only he had just been as clever as the director. It's set not on the banks of the Volga, but in the courtyard of a Soviet-era apartment building somewhere in Eastern Europe. There are a few distractors: a non-singing drunk/demented person (take your choice) who is on-stage all the time; a broken fountain that substitutes for the Volga; the Kabanicha's room perpetually open onto the stage, and so on.

However, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Angela Denoke is incandescent as Katya. The entire supporting cast beats the Glyndebourne cast, one-on-one, hands down. Dagmar Peckova (Varvara) and Rainer Trost (Kudryas) elevate their roles through their artistry to primario status. The orchestra(the Czech Philharmonic, Sylvain Cambreling conducting) is clear and powerful, and well-balanced with the singers. Worst case, you can turn off the picture and just listen to it.

I got my copy of this version of KK from the Royal Opera's website (Region 0 encoded). ...

Following the successful concert performances in London and fully staged in Glyndebourne, this empty-theatre recording captures the riveting drama of Janacek's most acclaimed opera. I must admit that being mostly into Italian opera I struggled with his music that I initially found crude and unsubtle, especially in the first act. I heard little connection between the emotional state of the characters and the music written for them. By the second act, the fascinating story got me involved and I felt more comfortable with the music.

Both Alexander and Silja are excellent in their roles. Alexander's Jenufa is very convincing as the daughter manipulated by her mother but at the same time believable in her madness when she finds out about her child. Silja's Kochelnicka reminds me of Olivia in `flowers in the attic'. Scary in a nutty way and you never know what she's going to do next which is Silja's acting style anyway. Baker and Langridge sing well, though I expected Steva to upset me more than Baker did. Minor roles are in some cases interestingly cast, the chorus is committed but not always accurately cooperating with Davis who brings enough energy to excite the viewer.

This is an opera that needs both visual and textual presentation to appreciate it and the dvd format is the best alternative to a live performance. Most Jenufa recordings offer something to admire but in dvd format, this is probably the best way to discover the opera.

Opinions on the sound will be very polarized, so I want to get to the reason why first. My first impression listening on excellent (AKG k240 Studio) headphones was one of bad sound. As the opera progressed I was impressed with how clearly I was hearing Janacek's complex harmonies. Turning the treble way down and the bass way up, improved the sound greatly, leading me to suspect that there was a major equalization error in the recording set up. If you do not have at least two tone controls (bass and treble) this disk will sound pretty bad. If you have an octave equalizer, so much the better. I suspect that very few microphones were used at a distance, as there was no need to suppress audience noise. That gives a perspective that is not common anymore, because of the need in live recordings to close mic.

Many live opera DVD use hairline microphones on the singers and many microphones in the pit. With all these separate microphones the skill of the Tonmeister (balance engineer) is crucial to getting something that resembles a normal mix. Generally this complex mix is a bit close sounding. Hairline microphones in my opinion are great for solos, but as more and more hairline microphones are activated for ensembles, the more "electronic" sounding the mix gets.

Here we have an empty opera house hence the reverberation is longer than it would be with an audience. If you like this reverb, fine. If you expect close up sound you will not like this very "live" acoustic. If the microphones had been just a little closer, the sound would have been more normal.

The Jenufa (Alexander) struck me as being a bit old (but not overweight) for the part. On the other hand, her singing and acting is exceptional. I know of no other singer who could do better combining the extreme emotional and musical demands as accurately, without holding back. Silja goes off pitch on occasion, but who else could display so much drama as well? The men are excellent too. Davis conducts with great energy adding plenty of gas to the fire on stage.

Finally there is the excellent staging, which is free of regietheater additions where none are needed.

Jenufa -- Leos Janacek's "breakout" composition -- had a long and in some ways turgid performance history. The present recording, using the "original" score (before major revisions by the composer in the 1920s) is welcome if only for the ability to compare Janacek's original intention with his later reflections and alterations. Having said that, the audio quality lacks immediacy and presence and the otherwise excellent production values are ultimately hindered by the lackluster sound. Indeed, after viewing this DVD I immediately took out the MacKerras Jenufa recording (Elizabeth Soderstrum) to remind me just exactly how this magnificent opera is supposed to "sound." It's a pity that there is not another DVD available; this opera deserves the widest possible audience.

There are two DVDs available of Jenufa, and this is slightly the better choice for musical reason. Neither production satisfies my conception of this great and moving opera. Both are somewhat dramatically turgid. The flaws of this production are chiefly visual and acoustical, as pointed out by other reviewers. It really is a problem, on a DVD movie scale, that Roberta Alexander simply doesn't "look the part" though she acts with conviction; in an opera house, the same production would be sublime.
Janacek is a composer who integrates the voices and the orchestra with great success; that ensemble effect is not captured well on either DVD production (and I confess that it's often not achieved in live performances either). The sound on this DVD is distant played at lower volume, tinny played at higher.
Five stars for the opera itself, three for the realization.

I bought this DVD at the recommendation of an opera-loving friend. I knew nothing about it, so I found a plot synopsis on the web (there are no notes at all, just a list of sections). Well, wow. This is a powerful work...the music reminds me of Wagner, except a human Wagner, with real people and emotions, instead of gods. In fact, and this will enrage Wagnerians I suppose, I think there is more honest emotion in Act II of this opera than in the entire ring cycle. The acting is believable and the singing is fine. Anja Silja as the mother is riveting. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that I think the sound recording is a bit tinny, and it's not a live performance. At the end I wish there'd been an audience cheering, because I wanted to cheer too.

IF YOU WANT A COPY OF THIS BALLET, I RECCOMMEND THE PARIS BALLET OR THE KIROV

I hate to add a little rain to a parade of positive reviews, but I judge a ballet more on the beauty of the choreography (and of course the dancers' ability to dance that choreography) and the beauty of the music (and to a lesser extent, the beauty of the staging). This ballet doesn't have the beauty of choreography/dancing nor the beauty of music of: Swan Lake by the American Ballet Theatre, Sylvia by the Royal Ballet, The Firebird by the Royal Ballet, Manon by the Australian Ballet, Romeo and Juliet by the La Scala Ballet, La Sylphide by the Ballet de l'Opera National de Paris, or A Midsummer Night's Dream by the Pacific Northswest Ballet. It's a 3 star ballet in my judgement.

This was absolutely georgous! I loved it so much. The dancing is phenominal. Darcey Bussell is so beautiful and so talented. She is so amazing! I totally reccomend this DVD!

An excellent production - Act 2 superb choreography for the Corps de Ballet - "Shades". A Royal Ballet 'A'
grade performance with some virtuoso dancing. This was definitely worth watching!

The great Mariinsky Ballerina Natalia Makarova shares with the West her Russian heritage with this staging of "La Bayadere". Here we have a magnificent 1990 film of her version staged for the Royal Ballet a year earlier in 1989 (this version was originally staged for American Ballet Theatre in 1980, and the production shown here includes the same decor). Makarova's version is very stream-lined. The biggest change is Makarova's version of the long lost last act (mind you - this is NOT reconstruction, merely a completion of the original libretto. Although it is still not clear why the final act stopped being performed in Russia, one of the most widespread theories is that after the Revolution the Mariinsky Theatre lacked the technical staff required to produce the stage effects. It is possible that the sets for Act IV of "La Bayadere" were ruined when St. Petersburg was flooded in 1924). A very unfortunate change is Makarova's deletion of the Act II Grand Divertissement - the 'Danse Manu' (where a ballerina dances a pas d'action in an attempt to balance a water jug on her head, and still keep away the jug's contents from 2 thirsty little girls), the 'Danse infernale' (a frenizied number that seems more American-Indian than India-Indian), as well as the 'Charmeur des serpents' from the beginning of Act III. In light of the shortened second Act, Makarova's production changes the scene to Act I, scene 3.

But the biggest and most obvious differences is the revised Minkus score, done by John Lanchbery. Minkus's score for "La Bayadere" was orchestrated in the usual rushed fashion of the era it was composed in, with endless scoring for first violins and flutes to carry the main melodies. Nevertheless Minkus's original score has a wonderful antiquated charm. Although Lanchbery's orchestrations are entertaining in some sections, they are not that great, and in some sections they are horrible (or in the words of Clement Crisp, they are "gratuitous burblings"). His work however extends beyond mere orchestration - those familiar with Minkus's original score will notice differences in editing, as well as the complete omission of the opening theme of the original overture, which occurs throughout the ballet. The music for the final act, with the exception of the "Dance of the Golden Idol" (or Bronze Idol, as Makarova calls it), and the music which accompanies the dance for the corps de ballet (which is by Pugni) is all Lanchbery's own work. Here he does a good job, and is appropriate to the situation (his music for the "Destruction of the Temple" is really good).

The Prima Ballerina of the Kirov/Mariinsky Altynai Assylmoratova guest stars in this film as Nikiya, perhaps the greatest late 20th century interpretor of the role (today Assylmoratova is director of the renowned Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet). Irek Mukhamedov dances Solor, a Bolshoi trained power-house with obvious English style coaching since his arrival at the Royal Ballet in 1989 - making him a true Danseur Noble and exquisite performer. A young Darcey Bussel dances the role of Gamzatti. She is a lovely ballerina, with long legs, high extensions, and expressive arms. Her style, physique, and approach to ballet are not typical of Royal Ballet Danseuses, but she is very British in her dancing. She is a great actress as well (watch her and Assylmoratova in the 'cat-fight' scene in Act I, scene 2 where the heroines feud). Tetsuya Kumakawa dances the variation of the Bronze Idol, and his performance makes the ever so polite English audience get the loudest it ever got during this performance.

The corps de ballet does not hold a candle to the Kirov or the Bolshoi in the "Kingdom of the Shades" scene, but they give it thier all and do better than most (especially ABT, whos corps contains far to many ballerinas from different schools to be able to achieve true perfection). Due to the small stage of the Royal Opera House, Makarova was forced to reduce the number of the corps de ballet from 32 to 24 in "The Kingdom of the Shades" scene, as well as changing the poses of the ballerinas as they stand on the sides of the stage, due to the difference of physique from the Kiorv/Mariinksy Ballerinas to the Royal Ballet Ballerinas. The three shades solos are near perfect, if only the first two ballerinas would wipe those stupid smiles off of thier faces, as they have no business in the opulent "Kingdom of the Shades". But regardless of our first two shade girl's grins, all of the classical variations in this performance are examples of ballet dancing at its best, and the revised Minkus score by John Lanchbery gives the soloists a big drum roll at the end of a variation for added effect.

The greatest highlight of all in this film is the miracle that is Altynai Assylmoratova dancing in the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades". She gives the best performance I have ever seen live or on film. In her entrance she really does seem other-worldly. She dances this scene in the way it should be, with her Vaganova training showing through in the beauty of her severly arched backed, elaborate port de bras, clearly defined movements, and opulent carriage. Her technique is superb, but it never makes a spectacle of itself, and, as it should be, her artistry is the focal point. Never does her leg go higher than 100 degrees (unlike many modern ballerinas who insist on having their leg come into contact with the side of their head in an a la seconde), but the perfection of her placement is the true spectacle. She is divine in every way here, particularly in the "Grand adage", where she demonstrates that she is a true St. Petersburg Grand Ballerina; a well-deserved successor of the Ballerinas of old who once graced the stage of the Mariinsky.

In 2001, with the aid of the choreographic notation from Petipa's 1900 revival for the ballerina Mathilde Kschessinskaya, and of the recently re-discovered hand-written score of Ludwig Minkus, the Kirov/Mariinksy Ballet fully reconstructed "La Bayadere". The ballet was completely restored, music, sets, costumes and all. Hopefully the Kirov doesnt let this production stay absent from DVD or video for to long (as they have with thier reconstruction of the 1890 premiere of "The Sleeping Beauty" from 1999)- it would be a great disservice to the world of dance.

This Glyndebourne production reconfigures the grandiose in a classical, understated stage design by John Gunter, with Peter Hall's munificent eye and Glyndebourne's legendary devotion lavished rewardingly on matters musical. Glyndebourne is Marie McLaughlin's best house, I've seen her there a number of times. Her Violetta here is surely more than adequate, overall a beautifully finished performance. She's an overtly careful singer, with never hurried phrases always musically characterized. The pathos of Violetta's predicament comes ever more realised as the piece progresses. The letter scene in Act 2 is one of the more beautifully sung in available video versions. The real surprise is tenor Walter MacNeil, who sings Alfredo with notable musicianship and a magnificent instrument. This is pungent, Italianate singing you'll remember for some time! Beautiful pianissimos in some of the most passionately musical singing I've ever heard. Brent Ellis sings Giorgio Germont with royal ease and astonishing baritonal beauty. His duet with Violetta radiates with sadness, and again, like MacNeil his singing art is remarkable for its contentment with Verdi's already dramatically furnished score. These are the possibilities of opera! Haitink is his customary supportive boring self, but in an age of uber conductors 'conquering' the opera pit his approach stands the test of time, at least here. Across the board, the singing in this Traviata is excellent. My 1988 VHS version has subtitles, can't speak to the dvd transfer. Check out the used VHS prices! I've never been stiffed buying 'used' from amazon sellers. This is a worthwhile Traviata.

I had the old VHS Version of this Glyndenbourne performance. compare to that the picture quality of the Dvd is a huge improvement. However the VHS Version had English subtitles; the DVD does not. In these days of everything in Opera having subtitles it seems very strange thatthis DVD does not. Maybe Image would have to pay extra. I do not see in the Opera listings in Amazon any consistent listing for subtitles. For me I would not want to have this if without subtitles so I seek some way of getting a refund. I do not want DVD with no subtitles

Aside from a so-so cast, McLaughlin a stand-out as being unable to the task of Violetta, there is some really tasteless staging. Yes, the set is traditionally opulent, even fussy, but I do not need spread legs (even seen from the rear), nor a pair of unattractive breasts bouncing about. However, since this is about singing, aside from the inadequate McLaughlin is an attractive Alfredo sung by Walter MacNeil with an equally attractive but unexciting voice and the same may be said for Brent Ellis' Germont. This is not a TERRIBLE performance, but one I'll never watch again except to demonstrate to someone how Traviata should not be done. As for conductor Bernard Haitink, despite his credetials, which are considerable, if he's ever been considered a notable Verdian, I stand to be corrected.

Derek Bailey's music has by this point in his career become almost impossibly unpredictable in its variety of forms: a recent batch of CDs I got, for instance, includes an encounter with a jazz-funk band (_Mirakle_), a duet with the free-jazz percussionist Susie Ibarra (_Daedal_), & an album consisting entirely of feedback (_String Theory_). Nonetheless, there's a basic rule with Bailey: think small. His favourite & often most effective formats are the duo (his label Incus puts out two different series of duet discs, for instance--guitar/wind instrument & guitar/percussion) & the solo recital. _Lace_ is one of the first places to go for Bailey's solo music--if you've never heard him play before, try this disc. It's an all-acoustic concert, recorded in LA--two long tracks & a short encore. Track one is (as usual with Bailey of this period--cf. _Aida_) whimsically ended when an alarm clock goes off.

Bailey's music is as always spare but detailed--his approach is to keep musical gestures very distinct & very clear. Rather than the smooth streams of notes that typify conventional guitar playing, he likes to use combinations of very different events--consecutive notes may come from an open string, a fretted string, a harmonic, or some nonstandard sound (e.g. rubbing the pick over the string or producing a percussive unpitched slap from the strings). Such an approach sounds rather willful, but this disc is rather beguiling in its way, in part because of the nice resonant sound Bailey gets out of his instrument. Throughout the music convinces because of its absolute integrity & concentration; comparisons with Thelonious Monk's solo discs aren't entirely absurd. A fine disc; fans of it will also want to track down the slightly earlier _Drop Me Off at 96th_ (Scatter), which is equally fine.