From the House of the Dead

Janacek's opera was a recent discovery to me, and what a discovery. The story is powerful, the characters memorable and the music beautiful and haunting with distinctive stylistic touches of the composer. This production was most excellent. The costumes and sets ensure that visually it is a very evocative production, and the picture quality and camera work are also very good. Claudio Abbado's conducting is appropriately forceful yet subtle, and the orchestra are incisive and compassionate. The singing from all is wonderful, the best being Nicolai Ghiaurov who is wonderfully sympathetic, Phillip Langridge who is appropriately eccentric and Monte Pederson who is magnificent with his narrative the longest and most demanding perhaps. Overall, excellent production. 10/10 Bethany Cox