Cherevichki , and: Der Zwerg , and: Der zerbrochene Krug (review)

Abstract

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Cherevichki. DVD. Alexander Polianichko / Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Directed by Francesca Zambello. With Olga Guryakova, Vsevolod Grivnov, Larissa Diadkova, Maxim Mikhailov. London: Opus Arte, 2010, 2009. OA 1037 D. $29.99. Alexander Zemlinsky. Der Zwerg. Viktor Ullmann. Der zerbrochene Krug. DVD. James Conlon / Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Directed by Darko Tresnjak. With James Johnson, Rodrick Dixon, Mary Dunleavy, Bonaventura Bottone. Halle/Saale, Germany: Arthaus Musik, 2010, 2008. 101 527. $29.99. Cherevichki was Tchaikovsky's 1887 revision of one of his earliest operas, Vakula the Smith (1876). Based on Nikolai Gogol's tale Christmas Eve, it is said to have been one of Tchaikovsky's own favorite works, but it has remained outside the standard repertory, even in Russia. Part of the problem may be the earthy peasant humor which is abundant in the libretto. This was never Tchai - kovsky's forte, but he excelled in the more human, introspective passages, in particular a duet for Oxana and Solokha at the beginning of Act 4, and the ballet numbers find him in his element. This 2009 revival at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, which billed itself as The Tsarina's Slippers, could change the opera's reputation. Cast mostly with Russian singers and designed by Russian book illustrator Mikhail Mokrov (whose style recalls Maurice Sendak), this production is absolutely wonderful. Director Francesca Zambello eschews any conceptual reinterpretation and presents us with a colorful fairy tale which could turn into a seasonal family favorite for Covent Garden. The singers are uniformly excellent, notably tenor Vsevolod Grivnov in the central role of Vakula the love-sick blacksmith, soprano Olga Guryakova as the capricious Oxana who sends him on his quest for the golden slippers of the title, and alto Larissa Diadkova, who appears to be having the time of her life as the witch Solokha. Mariinsky Theatre veteran Sergei Leiferkus makes a welcome return to the stage in the cameo role of Potemkin in Act 3. The ballet numbers are performed brilliantly by members of The Royal Ballet, and the gravity-defying Cossack dancers are spectacular. The production was filmed in High Defi nition, offers stereo or DTS sound options, and is absolutely state of the art. This delightful DVD belongs in every collection. Conductor James Conlon has made a special effort to revive and re-evaluate musical compositions that were labeled degenerate and banned by the Nazis. …