This 1953 recording of Jenufa was the first complete recording of any Janácek opera and as such holds great historic interest. Later recordings may have better sound, better orchestras and excellent singers but this recording has ties to early performances of the opera which makes this a very valuable historic document. As was standard practice, this recording uses the re-orchestration by Kovarovic since it was not until Mackerras' 1982 recording that the original version was utilized on a recording. Stepanka Jelinkovoa is ...
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This 1953 recording of Jenufa was the first complete recording of any Janácek opera and as such holds great historic interest. Later recordings may have better sound, better orchestras and excellent singers but this recording has ties to early performances of the opera which makes this a very valuable historic document. As was standard practice, this recording uses the re-orchestration by Kovarovic since it was not until Mackerras' 1982 recording that the original version was utilized on a recording. Stepanka Jelinkovoa is a lyric Jenufa. The voice is not the most youthful on recordings but there is a simplicity of character which is apt for this role. She is wonderfully partnered by Marta Krasova as Kostelnicka. Krasova does not display the overt dramatic interpretation one finds in Astrid Varnay, but she creates a character which is almost sympathetic and is certainly realistic. She is especially moving in the scene where she decides to kill Jenufa's baby. The two tenor roles are in the hands of...
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