De la maison des morts

Opera has been a huge passion of mine for goodness knows how long. From the House of the Dead is one of Janacek's least performed works, and one does wonder why I think. It is not his best opera that said, Jenufa and The Cunning Little Vixen(the latter I think is his most accessible) are superior for me, but it is one that does deserve to be performed more than it does. I knew I was in for a treat before watching, Patrice Chereau since his 1980 Bayreuth Ring Cycle and 1994 Wozzeck I have always found interesting as a stage director, Pierre Boulez has always come across to me as enigmatic and I have liked Olaf Bar and John Mark Ainsley in previous productions. This production delivered on every single level. Some may find the production is rather drab and minimalistic and may not like this approach all that much, I personally loved it and thought that it fitted the haunting atmosphere of the opera perfectly. The staging is compelling and full of meaning, the eagle symbolism could have been obvious and heavy-handed but instead thankfully came across as telling. Musically the production is superb, with the orchestral playing powerful and full of pathos and Pierre Boulez's conducting is as enigmatic and perfect in tempo as ever. The singing I also can't fault, Olaf Bar makes for a very convincing nobleman and John Mark Ainsley embodies his role in every regard, it really is an exceptional performance. All in all, a really phenomenal production. 10/10 Bethany Cox