Libuse

On this CD:

1. Libuse, opera, JB 1:102
Composed by Bedrich Smetana
Performed by Prague National Theater Orchestra & Chorus with Jana Jonasova
Conducted by Oliver von Dohnanyi

Tracks:

Zazrak!
Pojd'me Mu S Cesty!
Proc Bych Neodpovedel
Co Pak Je?
Chces-Li matky Poslechnout
Tak Vidis, Porad Jen Pro Ni!
Interlude I
Vis, Co Mi Napadlo
Nu Coz?
Je Cas, Tichone
Vida, Chvastala Jsi Se
Vida! Nestesti!
Nic Zvlastniho
Interlude II
Nikoho Tu Neni!
Vida, Taky Si Vysel Na Toulku!
Za Vodou, Za Vodickou
Jste To Vy, Katerino Petrovno?
To Jste Si Vymyslily Peknou Vec!

Tracks:

Krape!
Celeho Mne To Pokropilo
Pssst! Pssst! Zda Se, Ze Je To On!
Ach, Varvaro!
Ach Glaso!
Videt Se S Nim
Svedl Nas Buh!
Ptacci Prileti Na Mohylu
I. Allegro - David Atherton
II. Adagio - David Atherton
III. Allegretto - David Atherton
IV. Andante - David Atherton
I. Moderato - David Atherton
II. Piu Mosso - David Atherton
II. Con Moto - David Atherton
III. Allegro - David Atherton

Customer Reviews:

One of the great Twentieth Century operas in its best production.......2006-11-30

This is a very welcome digitally remastered release of Charles Mackerras' classic recording of Janacek's operatic masterpiece Kat'a Kabanova. If you have never heard a Janacek opera, Kat'a Kabanova will be unlike any you've experienced. Moreover, if you believed until now that Richard Strauss and Puccini have a monopoly on the expression of intense passion in Twentieth Century opera, Janacek will surely change your opinion. With the possible exception of the final 10 minutes of Janacek's 'The Makropulos Case,' Kat'a Kabanova features the most passionate music Janacek ever wrote. But this is not to say that his is the 'lush-romantic' musical passion to which fans of Nineteenth Century opera are accustommed (e.g., Massenet's music). Janacek's is the expression in music of intense, sometimes even painful, longing (one Janacek scholar refers to his music as the ultimate in 'musical expressionism') -- an accomplishment all the more remarkable in view of the fact that Janacek is almost completely devoid of Wagner's influence. In Kat'a Kabanova, Janacek assaults the listener with the kind of unremitting tension achieved by Wagner in Tristan but through the employment of his own unique musical idiom, which also has little in common with the Czech musical tradition of Dvorak and Smetana. In this respect Janacek is, like Mussorgsky, sui generis; his style is all his own. Of very few composers can this be said.

In my view, Kat'a Kabanova is Janacek's masterpiece. Kabanova is the first of Janacek's last four operas and is (musically) considerably more accessible than the final two, 'The Makropulos Case' and 'From The House of the Dead' -- though if you find yourself attracted to Kabanova, you will surely want to explore all of Janacek's operatic work. (In particular, 'From the House of the Dead,' based on Dostoevsky's memoirs from his time in a Siberian labor camp, is a masterpiece of operatic realism -- it is surely one of the most grim operas ever written, even moreso than Berg's Wozzeck.) The plot of Kat'a Kabanova, which is considerably more conventional than Janacek's other librettos (e.g., his next opera, The Cunning Little Vixen, features a cast comprised mostly of animals!), is based on the novel 'The Storm' by the Russian writer Victor Ostrovsky, and revolves around a woman (Kat'a) who is painfully trapped in a loveless marriage. While her husband is away, she has an affair that eventually leads to her suicide from despair and guilt. The final scene featuring a long 'aria' by Kat'a (Janacek didn't generally include true arias in his operas after his third opera, Jenufa) in which she expresses her feelings, among other things, about her own impending suicide, is utterly captivating.

There is a more recent recording of Kabanova that is also conducted by Charles Mackerras (who almost single-handedly rescued Janacek's operas from undeserved obscurity), but the singing is not quite up to Soderstrom's and Dvorsky's in Mackerras' earlier recording of the opera, which was the first of what became his 'cycle' of Janacek operas for Decca.

Let me conclude by saying that if you are looking for a new and dramatic direction in your opera listening, Janacek may well be your man. If you've had enough of Wagner's (and Strauss's) 'endless melody' and have grown tired of the pretty arias and big choruses of the Italians, give Kat'a Kabanova a try -- you won't be disappointed.

Ancerl Gold Edition 32: STRAVINSKY Les Noces; Cantata, Mass

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Superb and powerful, though the Cantata is slightly weaker
High-energy, beautifully re-mastered renditions of Stravinsky masterpieces

Ancerl Gold Edition 32: STRAVINSKY Les Noces; Cantata, Mass

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex; Symphony of Psalms
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Hindemith: Mathis der Maler; Violin Concerto; Symphonic Metamorphosis
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Leos Janácek: Cunning Little Vixen (Suite) / Sinfonietta / Schluck & Jau / Jealousy (Original Prelude) / Kát'a Kabanová (Overture & Interludes) / Taras Bulba / Sárka (Overture) - Sir Charles Mackerras / Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

ASIN: B00066FAAI
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Customer Reviews:

Superb and powerful, though the Cantata is slightly weaker.......2006-12-20

Listen to these Noces by Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz ! Stravinsky makes them more Russian than they could ever be, more Russian than I you die, won't you ? And at the same time he invests into them a violence, a force, a powerful might that feels jazzy, bluesy, coming from the most visionary North-American tradition soaked in and impregnated with the urban violence that is most typical of large megapoles like Chicago or New York. And yet each note, each intonation reflects the Slavic and even Slavonic tradition that lurks behind them. This mixture is beautiful and more powerful than anything I know in that line. It's probably one of the music pieces in which the mixing of Slavic and North American traditions is strongest, most violent, densest and deepest. The piano is at times used as an accompanying bass for a descending movement, but descending where to ? It reminds us of what still does not exist, the moments of dramatic descent in the horror films of the 60s and 70s. Fritz Lang is not very far. We never invent anything new. We only rediscover, borrow and transform, at least from time to time. The Wedding Feast brings in a ferocious dramatization that we will only find again, and only partially, in some of Kurt Weill's music for Bertold Brecht's plays, or in some modern gypsy compositions, even if these are based on ancient traditions. We could also wonder if we don't have here some Cosack influence, provided we know traditional Cosack music. We definitely hear some Slavonic atmosphere from some ancient liturgical composition. We are told it is ballet music. It sounds more like the total music that could accompany a film, an opera, a multimedia drama even. Aind Stravinsky even plays with some Oriental or even Asian coloration from time to time. The Cantata on old English texts is far from being as powerful as the first piece. It is charming but nothing more. We are in the tradition of 19th century salon singing even if enriched with some genial inspiration, and thus approaching Schubert or Schumann, German lieders, but without ever rising up to a sky of wrathful all-powerful gods. Stravinsky must have wished to yield to the tradition of the 50s, to be more Anglo-Saxon than the Anglo-Saxons, and yet he avoids , though by the split of a hair, oversweet and syrupy pulp. At times the story is truly sad. The Passion of Jesus seen from the point of view of Jesus himself is shallow and built on a recurring rhyme lasting eleven long minutes. It produces a rather flat humdrum chant in which Jesus' dramatic fate is reduced to a narcissistic lackluster quest for a destructive outlet as if it were, but wasn't it so, the absolute top of martyrdom. Jesus, the submissive victim of a dramatic end though made pleasant if not agreeable to the socialite public, and the music alas is at this level of repetitive tiredsomeness. To die because there seems to be no other solution, as if it were some lesser evil. To imagine that the crucifixion is a trial on the way to true love and dancing, is rather a reduction that the music even makes smaller. Was Stravinsky then an iconoclastic and respectless person ? That may be a deep question but it has no answer. Yet he saves his reputation with the sixth piece in this Cantata that finds real life in the western wind that can only be anti-christian, hence diabolical and satanic, since it comes from the West, from far far away from the Promised Holy Land. But this short moment of life will fall back into the repetitive ritornello of some kind of funfair, like a Christmas merry-go-round right in the middle of the summer. Then the Latin and the christian or orthodox liturgy of the Mass is hypostatic contemplation and sightless insight.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Paris Dauphine & University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne

High-energy, beautifully re-mastered renditions of Stravinsky masterpieces.......2006-04-19

Stravinsky's Les Noces is not performed as widely as the Firebird, Le Sacre du Printemps or Petrouchka, but this impressionistic evocation of a Russian village wedding is one of his true masterpieces. This accurate, energetic 1960s-era performance, by the Czech Philharmonic / Prague Philharmonic Choir under the direction of Karel Ancerl, does justice to this beautiful piece. Also included on this disc are the lovely Cantata, a choral work based on old English texts, and the Mass for mixed chorus and double wind quintet. The Mass, which Stravinsky aptly called 'cold music for the spirit,' is a Catholic mass setting but a highly unconventional, and haunting, one. Though nearly forty years old, these recordings have been so well re-mastered that they sound like recent performances. A Stravinsky fan should not be without this CD; a listener seeking an introduction to the work of this 20th-century master would do worse than to start here.

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Arias

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000A7IHIU
Release Date: 2005-09-27

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Händel: Orlando

Manufacturer: Ponto [Mitridate]
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ASIN: B000GGSMKI
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Pure Opera Moods: 4 CD's of Operatic Moods to Relax the Mind & Body

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Pure Opera Moods: 4 CD's of Operatic Moods to Relax the Mind & Body

Manufacturer: Pure
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000X2EGA
Release Date: 2004-03-09

Tracks:

Overture [Fidelo]
Chorus of the Servants [Don Pasqualle]
Pas de Qarte [A Life for the Tzar]
Si Mi Chiamano Mimi [La Boheme]
Overture [Libusa]
Overture: Tannhauser
Prelude to Act 1 [Il Trovatoire]
Suicido...in Guesli Fieri [LA Giaconda]
I Barcarolle Belle Nuit O Nuit d'Amour [The Tales of Hoffman]
Orfeo Ed Euridice [Che Faro]

Tracks:

Dance No. 17 (Excerpt) [Prince Igor Polotvtsian]
Habanera [From Carmen]
Chiedli, All'aura Lusinghiera [L'Elisir d'Amore]
Come Per Me Sereno [LA Sonnambula]
Nessun Dorma [Turandot]
Largo Al Factotum [From The Barber of Seville]
Triumphal March [Aida]
My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice
O Mio Babbino [Gianni Schicci]
Donna E Mobile [Rigoletto]

Tracks:

Cettres (3rd Act Charlotte) [Werther]
Intermezzo [Cavalleria Rusticana]
Vissi d'Arte [Tosca]
Orage [William Tell]
Arie Der Grafin 2nd Act [Pique Dame]
Se Quel Guerrier Io Fissi [Aida]
Ride of the Valkiryes [Die Walkure]
Overture [Canerentola]
Libiamo [LA Traviatta]
Prelude to Act 1 [Tristan und Isolde]

Tracks:

O Don Fatale [Don Carlos & Devotion Mix]
Siegfried-Idyll [Siegfried Jones]
Ave Maria [Otello]
Overture [Der Fresichutz]
Bel Di Vedremo [Madame Butterfly]
Overture [The Italian in Algier]
Overture [The Bartered Bride]
Vest la Giubba [I Pagliacci]
Va Pensiero Sull Ali Dorate [Nabucco]
Overture [Das Liebesverbot]

Album Description

Pure Records proudly presents a delightful 4 CD excursion into the greatest overtures in Pure Opera Moods!

Tracks:

Act 1: Zazrak! - Zdenek Svehla
Act 1: Pojd'me mu s cesty! - Zdenek Svehla
Act 1: Proc bych neodpovedel? - Petr Dvorsky
Act 1: Co pak je? - Zdenek Svehla
Act 1: Chces-li matky poslechnout - Nadezda Kniplova
Act 1: Tak vidis, porad jen pro ni! - Vladimir Krejcik
Act 1: Interlude I - Wiener PO & Chor/Mackerras
Act 1: Vis, co mi napadlo? - Elisabeth Soderstrom
Act 1: Nu coz? - Libuse Marova
Act 1: Je cas, Tichone - Nadezda Kniplova
Act 2: Vida, chvstala jsi se - Nadezda Kniplova
Act 2: Vida! Nestesi! - Elisabeth Soderstrom
Act 2: Nic zv;asniho - Dalibor Jedlicka
Act 2: Interlude II - Wiener PO & Chor/Mackerras
Act 2: Nikoho tu neni! - Zdenek Svehla
Act 2: Vida, taky si vysel na toulku - Zdenek Svehla
Act 2: Za vodou, za vodickou - Libuse Marova
Act 2: Jste to vy, Katerino Petrovno? - Petr Dvorsky
Act 2: To jste si vymyslily peknou vec! - Zdenek Svehla

Tracks:

Act 3: Krape! - Jaroslav Soucek
Act 3: Celeho mne to pokropilo! - Dalibor Jedlicka
Act 3: Pssst! Pssst! Zda se, ze je to on! - Libuse Marova
Act 3: Ach, Varvaro! - Elisabeth Soderstrom
Act 3: Ach Glaso! - Vladimir Krejcik
Act 3: Videt se s nim - Elisabeth Soderstrom
Act 3: Svedl nas Buh - Petr Dvorsky
Act 3: Ptacci prileti na mohylu - Elisabeth Soderstrom
Capriccio: I. Allegro - Wiener PO & Chor/Mackerras
Capriccio: II. Adagio - Wiener PO & Chor/Mackerras
Capriccio: III. Allegretto - Wiener PO & Chor/Mackerras
Capriccio: IV. Andante - Wiener PO & Chor/Mackerras
Capriccio: I. Moderato - Wiener PO & Chor/Mackerras
Capriccio: II. Piu mosso - Wiener PO & Chor/Mackerras
Capriccio: II. Con moto - Wiener PO & Chor/Mackerras
Capriccio: III. Allegro - Wiener PO & Chor/Mackerras

Customer Reviews:

One of the great Twentieth Century operas in its best production.......2005-12-19

If you have never heard a Janacek opera, Kat'a Kabanova will be unlike any you've experienced. Moreover, if you believed until now that Richard Strauss and Puccini have a monopoly on the expression of intense passion in Twentieth Century opera, Janacek will surely change your opinion. With the possible exception of the final 10 minutes of Janacek's 'The Makropulos Case,' Kat'a Kabanova features the most passionate music Janacek ever wrote. But this is not to say that his is the 'lush-romantic' musical passion to which fans of Nineteenth Century opera are accustommed (e.g., Massenet's music). Janacek's is the expression in music of intense, sometimes even painful, longing (one Janacek scholar refers to his music as the ultimate in 'musical expressionism') -- an accomplishment all the more remarkable in view of the fact that Janacek is almost completely devoid of Wagner's influence. In Kat'a Kabanova, Janacek assaults the listener with the kind of unremitting tension achieved by Wagner in Tristan but through the employment of his own unique musical idiom, which also has little in common with the Czech musical tradition of Dvorak and Smetana. In this respect Janacek is, like Mussorgsky, sui generis; his style is all his own. Of very few composers can this be said.

In my view, Kat'a Kabanova is Janacek's masterpiece. Kabanova is the first of Janacek's last four operas and is (musically) considerably more accessible than the final two, 'The Makropulos Case' and 'From The House of the Dead' -- though if you find yourself attracted to Kabanova, you will surely want to explore all of Janacek's operatic work. (In particular, 'From the House of the Dead,' based on Dostoevsky's memoirs from his time in a Siberian labor camp, is a masterpiece of operatic realism -- it is surely one of the most grim operas ever written, even moreso than Berg's Wozzeck.) The plot of Kat'a Kabanova, which is considerably more conventional than Janacek's other librettos (e.g., his next opera, The Cunning Little Vixen, features a cast comprised mostly of animals!), is based on the novel 'The Storm' by the Russian writer Victor Ostrovsky, and revolves around a woman (Kat'a) who is painfully trapped in a loveless marriage. While her husband is away, she has an affair that eventually leads to her suicide from despair and guilt. The final scene featuring a long 'aria' by Kat'a (Janacek didn't generally include true arias in his operas after his third opera, Jenufa) in which she expresses her feelings, among other things, about her own impending suicide, is utterly captivating.

There is a more recent recording of Kabanova that is also conducted by Charles Mackerras (who almost single-handedly rescued Janacek's operas from undeserved obscurity), but the singing is not quite up to Soderstrom's and Dvorsky's in Mackerras' earlier recording of the opera, which was the first of what became his 'cycle' of Janacek operas for Decca.

Let me conclude by saying that if you are looking for a new and dramatic direction in your opera listening, Janacek may well be your man. If you've had enough of Wagner's (and Strauss's) 'endless melody' and have grown tired of the pretty arias and big choruses of the Italians, give Kat'a Kabanova a try -- you won't be disappointed.

A rewarding experience.......2005-07-15

Having enjoyed Dvorak and Smetana, Janacek came as a jolt to my system. I started off with Jenufa and initially did not like it. The Kostelnicka's big aria impressed me though and Eva Randova's rendition was enough to sustain my curiosity. Surely the amazing music in that aria could not exist in pure isolation. While I did grow to appreciate Jenufa, it still isn't one of my favourite operas. At this juncture, I should say, for the benefit of the unsuspecting (as I was) that his isn't your tuneful `Russalka,' `The Bartered Bride' or `Dalibor'. It is pretty much music that tries to reflect the vocal inflexions of spoken Czech. In Jenufa, however, there was a curious style where the last line of some verses were repeated so it wasn't quite the `verissimism' I'd traditionally envisioned. I hasten to add that the music isn't that difficult to approach. I'm more of a traditionalist and I actually despise a lot of the more modern (or post-modern) trends that emerged (and continue to emerge) in classical music. In fact, Janacek has a compelling feel for folk choruses and used them to very good effect in the 2 operas I've heard.

But to the present matter, I find Kata Kabanova much preferable to Jenufa. I more than merely `appreciate' it; I like it. It's helped me cross the barrier into a less conventional genre of (Czech) opera that would have previously repulsed me. The overture at the beginning is beautiful and surprisingly melodic....I don't mean this in comparison to his other work but that the overture stands on its own merit. The sense of drama is very real though and there is a very charming theme that recurs in the opera. There is the sound of (sleigh and other) bells, piccolos, pizzicato strings and a host of other endearing instruments. You can hear it in "Je cas, Tichone" at track 10. The orchestra is beautifully conducted and they play with complete conviction. It just `feels right' even though I'm NOT Czech! But for these artists to be able to convey that feeling speaks of the standard of their performance.

The singers are impressive. Elisabeth Soderstrom's voice carries an affecting vulnerability to it....it seems to have more of a `tremble' than a vibrato. It certainly works fine here though. She sings with great feeling and makes the role her very own.

The male roles are securely sung and the other special mention goes to Nadezhda Kniplova. I heard her in Krombholc's recording of `Dalibor' and she was a tour de force. Here, the voice has obviously `matured' some more, which is perfect for her cutting, biting and severe role of the Mother-in-law. She is amazing! The cruelty and belligerence that emerge from her characterisation is demonstration-class!

Of course, the Decca sound is impeccable. I say give this a try, if you're ready to explore the wide, wonderful world of opera a little beyond Mozart and Verdi....or even Dvorak!

A great recording of an indispensible opera........1999-05-06

In an age that applies the enconium "classic" to products like Coca Cola, here is the authentic thing: an incomparably fine recorded performance of one of this century's half-dozen greatest operatic works. The Australian musicologist and conductor Charles Mackerras pioneered the introduction of Czech composer Leos Janacek's operas to the English-speaking world and he is now simply the most authoritative living interpreter of these incomparable works. And in Elisabeth Soderstrom, the great Swedish soprano who made a speciality of Janacek heroines, Mackerras has an artist who exhibits an equivalently profound and subtle understanding of these intense, complex, and ravishingly beautiful music dramas. Her Kat'a is not only a magnificent piece of singing--although no longer young when she made this recording, Soderstrom's tone is fresh and full of youth--it is also a deeply moving portrayal of a woman driven to emotional despair. And if that sounds depressing, it isn't: Bad art is depressing; great art, even when it deals with the most desperately unhappy emotions and situations, is exhilirating. And with the Vienna Philharmonic playing like gods, the supporting cast singing with uniform commitment, insight, and accomplishment, and the Decca/London engineers capturing the whole incandescent performance in superb analogue sound, this legendary set is, to put it conservatively, an exhilirating--even transcendent--experience. Essential listening.

The lasting attraction of Kat'a.......1999-02-20

This re-release of what is arguably Janacek's finest opera is essential listening for anyone with even a passing interest in good music. From a composer described by some as the greatest opera composer of the twentieth century, and conducted by the able baton of the great Mackerras, the extraordinary dynamism of this performance cannot be ignored. Janacek is, for me, a master of orchestration in opera, never relaxing into even mildly predictable music. Instead he drags the audience through the tragedy of Kat'a's adultery by the earlobe. From the atypically (for Janacek) well-crafted overture to the tumultuous final bars, the spiralling emotions experienced by the sensitive and at times half-crazed Katerina are forced into the listener's belly via timpani and exquisite vocal lines. High points are Katerina's moving and shattering monologue in Act 1 Sc 2, her climactic love scene with Boris in Act2 Sc2 and her final breakdown prior to her suicide in Act3 Sc2.

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Zdenek Fibich: The Bride Of Messina

Manufacturer: Supraphon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000DFNE
Release Date: 1998-11-01

Average customer rating:

A Superb Performance, But Get The Supraphon
Best Conductor; Best Pair of Tenors

Janacek: Jenufa

Manufacturer: Opera D'oro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001EFU0U
Release Date: 2004-03-23

Tracks:

Prelude
Uz Se Vecer Chyli
Vy Stafenko, Uz Tak Na Vselicos Spatne Vidite
Starenko, Nehnevejte Se
Co To Robis, Mladku?
Co Ty, Jenufo, Za Mamickou Nevejdes?
Dusa Moja, Stevo, Stevusko!
A Tak Bychom Sli Celym Zivotem-Celym Zivotem
A Ty, Jenufo, Neplac, Neplac!
Stevo, Stevo Ja Vim
Neskleb Se!
Jaka Razem Vsecko To Stefkovo Vypinani Schliplo
Prelude
Necham Jeste Dvere Otevreny
Porad Se S Tim Deckem Mazes
Ba, Ta Tvoye Okenicka Uz Pres Dvacet Nedel Zabednena
Tetko Kostelnicko, Poltala Jste Cedulku
Tetusko, Kamen By Se Ustrnul
Jenufa, Bedna Devcica, Nebyla Jak Ziva Ve Vidni

Tracks:

Co Chvila...Co Chvila...
Mamicko, Mam Tezkou Hlavu, Mam, Mam, Jako Samy, Samy, Kamen
Zdravas Kralovno
Kdo To Je?
Toz Umrel
A Coz Steva?
Prelude
Neni Ti Teskno, Jenufko?
Vidis, Laco, Ja To Tusila, Ze To Kazdemu Napadne
Panbuh Rac Dat Dobry Den, Dobry Den!
Kazdy Z Vas Ma Neco Pekneho Na Sobe
Uctivo Vas Prosim, Uctivo Vas Prosim O Pozehnani
Jeste Jsem T Ja! Vy Niceho Nevite!
Vstante, Pestounko Moja
Odesli...Jdi Take!

Customer Reviews:

A Superb Performance, But Get The Supraphon.......2005-05-20

I am in basic agreement with the excellent review here by Czech opera maven Sean Coxen, except for his modified rapture regarding Stepanka Jelinkova's Jenufa. I don't hear the "slavic squall" that he describes. What I do hear is flat-out gorgeous singing by the finest of ALL recorded Jenufas. And I certainly share Coxen's enthusiasm for Beno Blachut, a Bjoerling-like tenor who was the pride of Czechoslovakia.

But I would like to add that, having owned the original LP set for decades, this Opera d'Oro transfer does no credit at all to the fine mono sound that Supraphon achieved back in 1953. I recently acquired Supraphon's own CD transfer (SU 3331-2 602), and it is virtually identical to my LPs (without the pops & crackles that my worn LP surfaces now generate). And with it you get a full Czech-English libretto and a separate commentary booklet. This Opera d'Oro set (with no libretto) retails for about $12, whereas the Supraphon is $24. However, if you check Amazon's alternate vendors under "new & used," as of this writing there are brand-new Supraphon sets out there for around $16 or less.

So for that small price differential, the Supraphon issue gives you VASTLY better sound AND a full libretto.

Suggestion: don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish when it comes to getting the most out of this Janacek masterpiece. This is by FAR the finest performance recorded of the composer's most accessible work.

Perhaps this recording's biggest asset is its conductor Jaroslav Vogel (1894-1970), who studied under Novak at the Prague Conservatory and later under d'Indy in Paris. He was, to my taste, one of Czechoslovakia's four greatest conductors, along with Vaclav Talich, Karel Sejna, and Karel Ancerl. Vogel also authored the first serious monograph on Janacek in 1958. Nearly all of his great recordings are currently out of print - hopefully Supraphon will re-release them in the not too distant future. My introduction to this conductor was his beautifully lyrical account, with the Czech Philharmonic, of the Good Friday Music from Wagner's Parsifal on an old Parliament LP (I think I still prefer it even to Knappertsbusch's). Most of Vogel's recordings were of Czech music: excerpts from Dvorak's "Rusalka" and "The Jacobin," Janacek's "From the House of the Dead" and "The Makropoulos Affair." In 1978 the Heritage Rediffusion LP label in England issued Vogel's complete recording of "The Bartered Bride" (I still kick myself that I didn't purchase a copy when it was available).

Other noteworthy Vogel recordings include the overtures to Dvorak's "Armida" and "Dimitrij," Hindemith's "Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Weber," and Richard Strauss's Oboe Concerto with Hantak (all with the Brno State Philharmonic). To my knowledge, none of these LPs have received CD transfers. However, there is an Ultraphone CD of Novak's "De Profundis," the "South Bohemian Suite," and "Lady Godiva" that was recently available at Amazon. I have all these performances on LPs except the Hindemith, and they are all magnificent. The Strauss is arguably the work's greatest recording ever. So let's hope that Supraphon gets into a re-issue frenzy, starting with that elusive "Bartered Bride."

Recommended, but only in Supraphon's own release.

Best Conductor; Best Pair of Tenors.......2004-10-14

The sound on this 1953 "Jenufa" -- taken from Supraphon's first complete recording of this work -- exhibits the glaring, gritty sort of harsh mono that afflicted many eastern European recordings of the day; also, the big moments suffer from heavy constriction. (Perhaps Opera D'Oro did less to mitigate these problems than did Supraphon on its own reissue.) Despite these problems, all Janacek enthusiasts should seek out this performance immediately.

This is due mainly to the conducting of Jaroslav Vogel, a brilliant musician and a Janacek specialist. The near ferocious sweep and intensity of Vogel's interpretation may take some by surprise; indeed, I found it a bit unrelenting at first, but once Vogel gets into your bones, the tamer versions just don't stir the blood like this one. The cruel winter chill of the prelude to Act 2, not to mention the thundering voice of fate in the same act's epilogue, have no equal. Tempi tend to be swift.

The finest singing comes from the two tenors. Beno Blachut is simply the most believable and naturally endowed of all Laca's. His voice rings out resplendently, and his justly lauded artistic instincts never fail. No one has made more sense of or brought more beauty to this part on records. A very young Ivo Zidek injects youthful swagger and a steely toughness into Steva's music, easily capturing the part's conflicting blend of charm and vulgarity. He shows greatest artistry in his scene with the Kosteclnicka, undertaken here by the superb mezzo Marta Krasova. She began her career in the late 1920's or so; some 25 years later, her voice is still in magnificent shape while showing an apt tinge of age. She remains utterly secure in even the most difficult passages, not quite as hair-raising as Kniplova, Rysanek or Silja perhaps, but nevertheless comprehensive, even if a trifle "correct." Unfortunately, she tosses an unconvincing cackle into her grand scena. Not quite up to this level is Stepanka Jelinkova, our Jenufa. Her tone is deeper and darker than most Jenufa's and therefore sounds a tad too mature and worldly. At mezzo forte and above she exhibits some Slavic squall, but fortunately there is no wobble, and in quieter moments she emits a deep saphire shimmer that is quite lovely. She is also an intelligent artist who delivers many a poignant line reading without ever sounding contrived.

The strong supporting cast includes a grandmother of unusually rich, firm and alluring tone, two excellent basses (Karel Kalas sings the Old Miller), plus the stupendous Milada Subrtova at the beginning of her career as the shepherd boy Jano. Perhaps she and Jelinkova should have traded places. The Prague National Theater chorus and orchestra are rugged and assertive, very much in line with Vogel's view of the score.

Supraphon's CD release of this performance may have better sound: it will certainly have a libretto and detailed notes, but it costs twice as much. Prospective buyers must weigh the options. Either way, listen!