La Juive in Vilnius. The best opera performance in 2010!?
December 17th. 2010. A wonderful La Juive by Jacques Fromenthal Halevy (1799-1862) to the libretto of Augustin Eugène Scribe, at The Lihuanian National Opera in Vilnius, with an outstanding cast. First of all Victor Aleskov in the role as the jewish juveler Eleazar, the father of Rachel, La Juive. His daughter Rachel, brilliantly sung by Joana Gedmintaite with an outstanding voice and beautiful coleratur. This cant be done better. Victor Aleskov has the most beautiful voice for this demanding role, -which was the favourite role for Enrico Caruso. Aleskov has the power, the stage appearance, and he is the perfect type for this difficult role.
Another hit was Regina Silinskaite as Princess Eudoksija, she is another of the good staff at the Lituanian National Opera, she has too the beauty in her voice, and an outstanding coloratura. With these three names, Victor Aleskov, Joana Gedmintaite and Regina Silinskaite in the leding roles it became, for me, the best performance i have seen in 2010, during my work as critic in Europe.
As Prince Leopoldas Edmundas Seilius did a splendid job, unfortunately his beautiful voice dont have the same power as the other three mentioned, which did that some times his voice was not heard well enough. Vytautas Bakula sung the Cardinal. In the beginning it heard out like he has not been singing up before the performance, that was bad, but when the time was roling he was being better and better, and was quite good in the end. Martynas Staskus, who has taken over the baton after Jonas Aleksas who conducted the premiere October 15th 2004, did a good job with the orchestra and the wonderful choir.
In addition to the outstanding leading roles, which is of high international class, the regi and the some times see through scenography by Günter Krämer is good, and gives an interesting use of the large stage room by the use of persiennas, and by the light, where a lot of front light was used, giving shadows, and keeping the focus on the persons in front, and letting the others be scenography as shadows. The very good costumes is by Isabel Ines Glathar
.
Through my travels in all of Europe this year writing critic about performances from Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lituania, France and Schweiz, I feel that this performance, originally produced in 2004 in Vilnius, where I attended the premiere. It is the best operaperformance in 2010 I have seen. Dramatically and musically very strong. – The highlight is Victor Aleskov as Eleazaras The jewish juveler. The operahouse must be happy, to have the possibility to get such a strong tenor guest in this demanding role. I have heard him as Calaf together with Irena Milkeviciute as Turandot also in Vilnius. Victor Aleskov could sing these roles every where at the worlds most famouse operastages. After having toured with La Juive to Hungary and Poland the operahouse is giving only one performance with this politically actual opera in Vilnius. The audience replyed with standing ovations for this wonderful evening.
Photos by Mikhail Rashkovsky.
Please enjoy our first reviev of La Juive presented at www.kulturkompasset.com 30. October 2005 at: