Vladimir Jurowski conducts Rachmaninov’s dark setting of Alexander Pushkin’s ‘little tragedy’ with an outstanding performance from Sergei Leiferkus in the role written for the great Russian bass Fyodor Chaliapin. Rachmaninov’s dramatically brooding score – beautifully recorded in an atmospheric surround sound – portrays the miser consumed by the power of his glinting gold, as it pushes him to his ultimate collapse. New production, filmed live at the Glyndebourne Opera House, 11th July, 2004, recorded in High Definition and True Surround Sound.
Sergei Leiferkus, Richard Berkeley-Steele, Maxim Mikhailov, Viacheslav Voynarovskiy, Albert Schagidullin
London Philharmonic Orchestra / Vladimir Jurowski
Stage Director Annabel Arden
Reviews
‘…an inspired piece of programming...Sergei Leiferkus was utterly compelling in the title role...he delivered an appropriately mean performance’
Opera
‘…the magnificent Sergei Leiferkus…takes this rather thrilling symphonic fantasy into the realms of true opera.’
The Independent Review
‘...a mouth-watering double bill of one-act operas by Rachmaninov and Puccini. The London Philharmonic was in scintillating form in both pieces.’
musicomh.com
‘Filmed at Glyndebourne in July 2004, and recorded in very good sound, this DVD features a new production, directed by Annabel Arden, of Rachmaninov’s The Miserly Knight. … Here the part is taken with commanding authority by Sergei Leiferkus. His stage presence and voice are utterly compelling, but then the rest of the cast is on a comparably exalted level: there is not a weak link here, and the sense of a cohesive ensemble production is very strong. … Vladimir Jurowski, who conducts with searing intensity and makes the most of a score that has never sounded so persuasively dramatic. …The result is brooding and powerful. CD recordings include those conducted by Järvi on DG, Polyansky on Chandos and Chistiakov on CdM Russian Season, but none of these, I think, has quite the sense of sheer theatricality that Jurowski brings to the score. The London Philharmonic Orchestra plays superbly throughout and the Glyndebourne acoustics ensure a vibrant, natural sound. …the long central scene where the Baron contemplates his vast wealth is notable in that ‘absolutely nothing happens’. But with Leiferkus’s intensely concentrated singing and acting, and Jurowski’s fine conducting, this is a truly gripping 20 minutes of opera, and the glorious sound of Rachmaninov’s orchestral writing here is relished to the full. Arden has achieved something remarkable and made a coherent and persuasive psychological drama out of somewhat unpromising material. The Baron’s death at the end, which is the only major theatrical moment in the opera, is a crushing but frankly baffling occurrence. Here, however, it is shattering, which is a great tribute to the performance and the production. This is an outstanding opera DVD - a really revelatory production of a work that emerges with musical and dramatic power as perhaps never before. It is thus a particular pleasure to report that as well as the fine sound, the camerawork (capturing the atmospheric theatre lighting extremely well) and the documentation are up to the highest standards. Urgently recommended.’
International Record Review
'Composed in1904 as a vehicle for the great bass Chaliapin, The Miserly Knight is based on a story by Pushkin about a greedy son desperate for his father’s dosh. Lushly written in an impressive post-Wagnerian manner, it marries Russian gloom to Teutonic seriousness, opening with a magnificently ominous prelude, superbly played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski. Sergei Leiferkus is strong and seasoned performer … Annabel Arden’s staging was rich in subfusc atmosphere.'
The Daily Telegraph
'Rachmaninov’s piece is inspired by Pushkin’s tale of an avaricious count whose refusal to support his intemperate son Albert leads to a fierce confrontation, inducing a fatal heart attack… the ever amazing Sergei Leiferkus’ singing and acting render the superb central scena for the count a gripping experience. Vladmir Jurowski guides the London Philharmonic in top form through a reading of vivid intensity.'
The Stage
Awards
Timbre de Platine (Opera International 2005)
DVD CHOICE BBC Music Magazine (Proms Issue, 2005)
