AP News, January 30th, 2007
Only rarely does one find a pair of singing actors as compelling as Karita Mattila and Anja Silja on the same opera stage.
Appearing Monday night at the Metropolitan Opera in a revival of Olivier Tambosi's dull 2003 production of Janacek's "Jenufa," they turned the story of Moravian peasants into a riveting evening of dramatic intensity.
Mattila also triumphed in the title role when the production was new four years ago. Silja, a 66-year-old German soprano, took over from Deborah Polaski as Jenufa's stepmother, the Kostelnicka, and gave a more nuanced, more gripping performance in her first appearance at the Met since 1993.
After Jenufa gives birth to Steva's illegitimate child, the Kostelnicka takes the baby and leaves it to die of exposure, telling Jenufa that the baby died while she was asleep. The following spring, when the baby is discovered in a stream under melting ice, the enormity of the tragedy becomes known.
Laca, Steva's half brother, also in love with Jenufa, cuts her across the cheek with a knife, causing Steva to reject her and marry the mayor's daughter. Jenufa forgives the Kostelnicka for the killing and marries Laca.
Mattila, a 46-year-old Finn, runs across the stage barefoot in a stone-colored dress with innocent, almost crazed looks, expressing her love for Steva and her baby. Her silvery voice soars with power and beauty.
Silja has a harder edge and her top notes are a bit unsteady at times, but the sound she produces is thrilling.
On a night when the women dominated, Finnish tenor Jorma Silvasti was touching as Laca, looking a bit like a middle-aged, pudgy version of Stanley Kowalski. After Friday's performance, he will switch over to Steva for the final four showings.
Raymond Very portrayed the angry Steva, a far shorter role and Paul Plishka added gravitas as the Mayor.
Tambosi's production, with sets by Frank Philipp Schloessmann, resembles one of those generic alien planets the "Star Trek" crew used to beam down to, dominated by rocks. It neither adds nor subtracts to the subject matter. Jiri Belohlavek conducted with color and tautness.
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