Rachmaninov: The Miserly Knight (Jurowski)

Introduction

Rachmaninov`s one act opera, which formed the first half of Glyndebourne`s double-bill on the theme of greed during their 2004 season (the second half was Puccini`s `Gianni Schicchi` - also reviewed)

This is a dark and eerie piece, based on the ultimately destructive avarice of an old knight, who refuses to help pay for his son`s own progress through the ranks. The son has to lower himself to begging from moneylenders and finally a feudal Duke, only to hear his father accuse him of trying to kill him. After an argument in front of the Duke, they are separated forcefully and the old man dies soon afterwards.

This doesn`t appear at first glance to be the most gripping tale, but Rachmaninov`s hugely inventive score and an excellent production make a convincing argument for this work to be better known.

Video

The video quality is very good overall (presented in NTSC 16/9 Anamorphic), although the pervasive darkness of the setting creates some fairly obvious `blotchiness` from time to time. There are some very fine close-up camera shots which create an immediacy not normally achieved in filmed stage productions.

Audio

The disk can be played in stereo or DTS surround, and here it cannot be faulted. Every detail of the orchestral accompaniment (by the London Philharmonic Orchestra - on great form!) is brought out, but there is still no balance problem with the singers, and microphones are well placed so that wherever the cast are, the sound is clear and doesn`t drop away depending on where they are on the stage.

Features

Extras include interviews with the cast (and conductor) and an informative booklet explaining the story of the opera, and this particular production. We also have an illustrated synopsis, with commentary - always good to watch before seeing the whole thing. A cast gallery and subtitles in 5 languages make up the rest.

Conclusion

This piece was completely new to me. I mentioned the work to a few of my friends and the general reaction was that they also had no idea Rachmaninov had actually written an opera. I`ve since discovered that he did in fact write six, although not all were completed, however I was hugely impressed by the music, which was written in between the 2nd Piano Concerto and 2nd Symphony, yet contains little of the almost sickly sentimentality of either of the those works.

The performances are superb throughout, with the Baron`s (Sergei Leiferkus) 2nd scene monologue being the obvious highlight, and Richard Berkeley-Steele (Albert) creates a sympathetic son in need of money (and with a belting Wagnerian voice as well). The orchestra, as I`ve mentioned, plays a blinder and the whole structure is molded effectively by Vladimir Jurowski.

It is also worth mentioning the unwritten role played by Matilda Leyser who, as the `aerialist`, is cast as the spirit of greed, and towards the end, the spirit of death itself. She floats and creeps around the stage like some female Gollum (but slightly hairier), and creates a sinister addition to an already depressing storyline. In the second half of this evening at Glyndebourne, she went on to play the corpse in the Puccini, which creates a nice continuity despite there being two seemingly disparate works on offer.

This brings me to the reason why I can`t recommend this outright (and have mentioned this in my review of the Puccini as well). If the two works can be performed in one evening, then they should have been packaged together. It`s a bit much to ask to pay twenty quid (although it should be easy to find online outlets which undercut the RRP by a good percentage) for an opera that lasts for only an hour - despite the quality of the performance. A medium such as this should take full advantage of what it can do for home entertainment, and I`m sure the audience for this type of release would appreciate better value for money. Anything wrong with rehearsal footage? Or perhaps a documentary on the operas of Rachmaninov? Overall though, a fantastic disc, but a failed opportunity to do more.