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Katerina Ismailova
When Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk premiered, it was a huge success with the public, but the very graphic depictions of sex and violence were too much for Joseph Stalin, leading to a public rebuke in *Pravda* accusing Shostakovich of formalism. The whole situation rattled Shostakovich so much that he never wrote another opera. That was truly one of the great tragedies of twentieth-century opera, as Shostakovich was a natural opera composer. The title character Katerina, a bored housewife whose desire for love leads her into an intractable snare of murder, somehow always manages to remain sympathetic even in the face of her crimes. This performance uses the 1962 revised version entitled Katerina Ismailova. Ludmila Dvorakova is perfectly cast in the title role and effortlessly meets the dramatic demands of the piece without sacrificing the pristine sheen of her Slavic soprano. Gerhard Stolze has a hard time conveying the masculine swagger of Sergei, but still seems to relish playing the “bad boy.” Paul Schöffler, although well past his prime, does well as the aristocratic brute, Boris., although there is some digital interference in the orchestral interlude in Act II.
Track List
Act I
1. Tracks 1 - 5
2. Tracks 6 - 8
3. Tracks 9 - 10
2. Tracks 6 - 8
3. Tracks 9 - 10
Act II
4. Tracks 11 - 14
5. Tracks 15 - 17
5. Tracks 15 - 17
Act III
6. Tracks 18 - 19
7. Tracks 20 - 21
7. Tracks 20 - 21
Act IV
8. Tracks 22 - 26
Customer Reviews
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3.3
Based on 4 reviews
✓ Top Reviewer
United States
Searing Performance in Good Sound!
This performance is based on the only version of Shostakovich's opera available for years. Some of the more sexual and parodistic elements are not here or are considerably watered down, but the opera is still most effective. The cast is very good. Dvorakova is at her most convincing, singing with strong, steady tone and making a sympathetic character of a woman who is pushed to the limits and then pushes back. The role is vocally very congenial for her as well. I love Stolze's braying, unique voice yet this isn't his part. Perhaps he was more effective if you saw him on stage, but he would probably have been better cast as Zinovy, Katerina's cuckolded husband. Schoffler's brief turn as the father-in-law from Hell is excellent as is the supporting cast made up of Vienna State Opera regulars. Standouts include Peter Klein as the town drunk and Georg Schnapka's deep bass voice as the priest. Dagmar Hermann sings her role of the conniving Sonyetka well, but her cries when she is pushed in the river are much too tame, taking some of the sting out of the final moments. Krombholc leads with passion.The sound is mostly very good. There is an odd whining sound underneath portions of the first couple of scenes and about 15 seconds of file corruption mentioned by Andy above, but it's not terrible. Dvorakova fans and those who love Shostakovich should get this!
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Austria
✓ Top Reviewer
Germany
Karl Heinz Konrad
Eine selten aufgeführte Oper die unter die Haut geht. Vor allem kann man verstehen was in der Handlung passiert, da Deutsch gesungen wird. Die Sänger sind alle beeindruckend wobei Dvorakova besonders hervor zu heben ist.
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United States
