Michael Hendrick (Laca) brought plenty of vocal stamina, expressive weight and persuasive characterization to the production.

The company staged its first Janacek work, Jenufa, on March 7, sung in Czech. Conductor Victor DeRenzi set the performance on a powerful course, inspiring deeply committed, accomplished work from orchestra and cast alike. In the title role, Tamara Acosta offered vivid tone and telling inflection. Michael Hendrick (Laca) and Michael Hayes (Steva) brought plenty of vocal stamina, expressive weight and persuasive characterizations to the production. Lori Phillips was a dominating presence, musically and dramatically, as Kostelnicka. The supporting cast was uniformly strong. John Hoomes’ fluid direction neatly complemented David P. Gordon’s naturalistic set, but Howard Tsvi Kaplan’s determinedly accurate folk costumes, especially in the last act, added a distracting travelogue element to the bleak proceedings.

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-29828963.html

by Tim Smith

Opera News