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JENUFA

Streaming the First Century

Session 1: Slavic Sensibilities

Explore Streaming the First Century, San Francisco Opera’s historic archival recording release

In the close community of standees I grew to know that year, "the Söderström and Jurinac Jenůfa " was already the stuff of you-should-have-heard-it legend. Wonderful now to hear why, in experiencing this broadcast fourth of a run of six performances.
David Shengold (on Jenůfa, 1980)

Very few operas successfully combine irony and pathos, but Shostakovich managed that remarkably in his Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.  As I relistened to the archival recording recently, over 40 years after first hearing the live performances during the 1981 Fall Season at San Francisco Opera, the importance of Shostakovich’s accomplishment struck me more profoundly than ever.
Kip Cranna (on Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, 1981)

Historic Audio Recordings

JENŮFA

COMPLETE RECORDING

JENŮFA, Leoš Janáček

October 10, 1980 Broadcast
Albert Rosen, conductor
(run time 3 hours and 1 minute)

A turning point. Swedish soprano Elisabeth Söderström and Bosnian diva Sena Jurinac in an unforgettable performance of Janáček’s masterpiece sung, for the first time in Company history, in the original Czech.

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LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK

COMPLETE RECORDING

LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK, Dmitri Shostakovich

October 17, 1981 Broadcast
Calvin Simmons, conductor
(run time 3 hours and 36 minutes)

San Francisco-born maestro, Calvin Simmons, leads an incisive account of Shostakovich’s score starring German soprano Anja Silja as Katerina Ismailova.

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BORIS GODUNOV

EXCERPT RECORDING

BORIS GODUNOV, Modest Mussorgsky

October 12, 1945 Broadcast
Georges Sebastian, conductor
(run time ~ 9 minutes)

Georges Sebastian conducts the Company premiere of Mussorgsky’s work, sung in Italian, with the incomparable bass Ezio Pinza in the title role and tenor John Garris as the Simpleton.

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LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK

EXCERPT RECORDING

THE MAKROPULOS CASE, Leoš Janáček

November 1966 House recording
Jascha Horenstein, conductor
(run time ~ 8 minutes)

The U.S. premiere of Janáček’s opera about the mysterious “Emilia Marty,” performed here by soprano Marie Collier, was preserved thanks to a house recording made for maestro Jascha Horenstein.

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PIKOVAYA DAMA

EXCERPT RECORDING

PIKOVAYA DAMA, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

October 24, 1975 Broadcast
Mstislav Rostropovich, conductor
(run time ~ 9 minutes)

The Company’s first performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades in the original Russian, was anchored by the eminent Soviet émigré couple, conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, with American mezzo-soprano Regina Resnik as the Countess.

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KHOVANSHCHINA

EXCERPT RECORDING

KHOVANSHCHINA, Modest Mussorgsky

November 1984 Broadcast
Gerd Albrecht, conductor                 
(run time ~ 8 minutes)

Tradition and the modernity clash in this musically refulgent work by Mussorgsky. Gerd Albrecht conducts the San Francisco Opera premiere featuring a sterling cast, including mezzo-soprano Helga Dernesch as Marfa.

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