Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk Blu-Ray with Shostakovich, Jansons, Kusej (NR)

Search - Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk
Blu-ray
Actors: Shostakovich, Jansons, Kusej, Westbroek
Director: Grimm
Genres: Indie & Art House, Musicals & Performing Arts

NR 2009 3hr 56min

Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, a lurid tale of sex, murder, and corruption, premiered in 1934 and was a success until Stalin saw it two years later, resulting in a Pravda review that viciously condemned it. It was... more » later replaced by an expurgated version, now called Katerina Ismailova after the work's principal character. The original version has now reclaimed its place on international stages. The heroine is the daughter-in-law of Boris, a greedy, lecherous merchant, and the frustrated wife of his impotent son. Katerina poisons Boris and when her husband returns she and her lover, Sergei, kill him too, burying him in the cellar. The body is discovered during their wedding party. Haunted by guilt, Katerina confesses and the newlyweds are consigned to Siberia. When Sergei takes up with another woman, Katerina pushes her into the river and then jumps in herself. Director Martin Kusej keeps the narrative moving inexorably to its fatal ending while indulging in broad satirical portraits of the symbols of society's power to crush the individual. Katerina is a tragic heroine trapped in a cage-like structure that serves as the merchant's house, her bedroom (bare but with a collection of shoes that would satisfy Imelda Marcos), and later the prison transport where she meets her end. Some of the satire is broad--the policemen are out of a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta. And there's abundant acreage of human flesh on display, along with a near-rape and enough consensual sex to warrant an "X" rating. But it all fits a tale where the orchestra is often in porno territory, as in the famous trombone glissandos so prominent in Katerina and Sergei's first coupling. Kusej's only serious flaw is at the end, where he has Katerina lynched by her fellow-prisoners though the text clearly has her committing suicide by drowning. This production has the advantage of one of the world's great orchestras, the Royal Concertgebouw, and its conductor, Mariss Jansons. They do everything brilliantly, whether it's a yearning string passage or a coarse depiction of on-stage brutality. As Katerina, Eva-Marie Westbrook is compelling, singing well and acting with convincing authority. Christopher Ventris' Sergei looks, acts, and sings like a burly seducer should. Boris, the dirty old man, is Vladimir Vaneev, whose ample bass and acting present a fully-rounded figure that goes beyond the part's stage villain aspects. Video director Thomas Grimm makes it all lucid on disc, the cameras rarely venturing away from what must be seen. It all adds up to a powerful performance of a powerful opera. --Dan Davis

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Movie Details

Actors: Shostakovich, Jansons, Kusej, Westbroek
Director: Grimm
Genres: Indie & Art House, Musicals & Performing Arts
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Musicals & Performing Arts
Studio: Bbc / Opus
Format: Blu-ray - Color,Widescreen - Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 06/30/2009
Original Release Date: 01/01/2009
Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/2009
Release Year: 2009
Run Time: 3hr 56min
Screens: Color,Widescreen
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaDVD Credits: 4
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 3
Edition: Classical
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: Russian
Subtitles: Dutch, English, French, Italian, Spanish

Search - Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Movie Details

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