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- Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (Châtelet, 1995)
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- Cast: Eva Jenis (Vixen),
Thomas Allen (Forester), Hana Minutillo (Fox), Libuse
Márova (Forester's Wife), Orchestre de Paris, Charles
Mackerras (conductor), Nicholas Hytner (director), Bob Crowley
(designer), Brian Large (video director)
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- Originally
recorded at
the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris 1995
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- Issued on DVD by Image
Entertainment in 1999 (ID5783RADVD, Region 0/NTSC with substitles
and menus in English) and by Arthaus Musik in 2001 (100 240,
regions 2, 5/PAL with menus and subtitles in English, German,
French and Spanish)
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- Technical Details:
Aspect
Ratio: 4:3 (Image Entertainment) 16:9 (Arthaus Musik)
Sound: PCM
Stereo
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- Running time: 98
minutes
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- Sung in Czech
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- Review of the Image
Entertainment DVD
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- As much ballet as opera, this production
is long on musical and vocal values but short on message. The
characters - animal and otherwise - lack the real, human aspects
which provide the work with its bite. Granted, managing the
duality of simple tale and deep character challenges the design
team, but the challenge here is only half satisfied. The Komische
Oper production proves and the NYCO version strongly suggests that
it can be done, but neither is available on DVD.
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- That does not mean that this is a poor
choice, only that it will entertain children more simply and
involve adults less effectively than Janacek's masterpiece can.
Jenis conveys the impish vixen brightly, though her youthful
cruelty and mature maternalism do not come through. Thomas Allen's
performance almost justifies his top billing with effective
singing, appearance and acting. Minutillo's fox is a
conventionally slick character lacking in performance the overt
sexiness of the score.
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- Mackerras's conducting and the rest of
the company's performance match the spirt of Nicholas Hytner's
direction. Perhaps the virtues and flaws can be summed up in the
vixen's ouster of the badger. Here, he is so persnickety that he
takes offense at mild teasing and hops down from his throne,
leaving it to his antagonist. In another production, he is driven
from his home by a rude attack intolerable to any sensitive
'person'. The scene becomes a lark here, where it carries weight
elsewhere.
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- Technically, there is little to fault in
the disc. Video is clear and well lighted. TV direction by Brian
Large is a bit choppy, but is happily without the extreme closeups
he favors in other recordings. Audio quality competes with the
best on CD. In all, it is a 'fun' performance beautifully captured
and suitable for a reasonably mature child - one who can accept
rudeness and death of the central character. Adults may enjoy it
as well, but the depth of the opera is not explored.
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- Related
websites:
- Arthaus Musik www.arthaus-musik.de
- Image Entertainment www.image-entertainment.com
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- Michael Richter, 7 May 2003
- opera@mrichter.com
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- See also Michael
Richter's Introduction
to the DVD,
for a list of other
reviews see the DVD
Project page.
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