Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Sergei Rachmaninov’s THE MISERLY KNIGHT

This is a live DVD recording from the 2004 Glyndebourne Festival of the 1 act Russian opera.

Composed in 1906, this is one of only 3 operas by the Russian composer best known for his colorful and romantically brooding piano music. The Miserly Knight was adapted from a short tragedy about how greed robs people of their humanity by the famous Russian poet Alexandr Pushkin.

The opera opens in the dilapidated dwelling of the knight Albert (who looks so broke I wonder how he manages to have a hired help). He and his servant are just complaining about their lack of wealth when Solomon the money-lender comes to collect his due. Upon getting his earful of Albert’s rant, Solomon suggests that Albert poisons his rich dad, the Baron (the title character), and uses his inheritance to repay the debt. Albert indignantly chases Solomon out the door and resolves to plead his case with the Duke.

After a long monologue by the Baron in his dark cellar talking about the money he wouldn't share with his son, the father and the son confront each other before the Duke. And since this is a Russian tale, it doesn’t end well for anyone... except for the Duke, perhaps.

This is a thought provoking psychological work set to a dark and evocatively haunting music (a specialty of this composer, I suppose). The music is indeed quintessential Rachmaninov ... both broodingly dark and colorful at the same time, with great melodic orchestral sweeps. This is written in the style of German opera, so there is no real aria (hummable tune). The drama is in the forward moving music itself.

I think this is a forgotten masterpiece, but it is probably one of those operas that only sound good when they are done really well. You can see a short clip of it at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAePA9NhmAc

CAST:
The Baron (The Miserly Knight) ::: Sergei Leiferkus (baritone)
Albert (the Knight’s destitute son) ::: Richard Berkeley-Steele (tenor)
Albert’s Servant ::: Maxim Mikhailov (bass)
Solomon, the Money-lender ::: Vyacheslav Voyanarovsky (tenor)
The Duke ::: Albert Schagidullin (baritone)
Aerialist (representing Greed & Death) ::: Matilda Leyser (non-singing part)

Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski / London Philharmonic Orchestra
Director: Annabel Arden

This is my first experience with this work, but I doubt that it could have been done much better than this. Everything fits (perhaps except for the Duke's modern suit). Down to the whole cast (with the exception of the English tenor Berkeley-Steele who sings Albert) and the conductor being Russians.

The staging by Annabel Arden is very well suited to the story. The set is dimly lit and rather hard to pin down in which century it is set in (just as well, as the story itself is timeless), with just enough props to give the stage a lived-in claustrophobic look without being obstructive to the singers. Her use of the aerialist Matilda Leyser as the grotesque allegorical figure of “Greed” hanging and hovering in the background over the Baron and Albert is particularly effective, especially during the Baron’s long monologue. The gal gives me the creep and is mostly responsible for my 'only children older than 13' recommendation.

The musical performance is uniformly wonderful both in singing and acting. The Russian baritone Sergei Leiferkus is marvelous in the title role of the Baron (Miserly Knight) who loves his wealth more than his own son. This role was originally written for the legendary Russian basso Fyodor Chaliapin, and the score is highly demanding, but Mr Leiferkus' fine baritone voice shows no hint of strain even in low basso passages of his 20+ minutes 2nd scene monologue that makes this DVD worth buying in itself. I'll never gripe about my dad not buying me a car for my college graduation again now that I've seen this. A repulsively mesmerizing performance!

The English tenor Richard Berkeley-Steele is a convincing red headed Albert. I don’t speak Russian so I don’t know how he does language-wise, but both the singing and acting are beautifully done. He conveys the rich man's poor son’s misery without becoming whiny. Albert Schagidullin is a cold, heartless Duke whose ‘just’ front proves an act when he goes after the wealth himself in the final scene. Vyacheslav Voyanarovsky and Maxim Mikhailov also do well as Solomon the money lender and Albert’s Servant. Somehow clearly establishing their own personal brand of greed with minimum stage time without coming off as mere caricatures of their characters.

Maestro Jurowski is in his element conducting this brooding Russian music. Everything is just right. The pace, the dynamic, the nuances... the whole nine yard!

All in all, highly recommended for fans of operas... or dramatic stage plays, for that matter. Not for light entertainment, though. The aerialist is so beautifully creepy that, if you have low tolerance for ghost films, this might give you nightmares... or make you keep checking to see if there is a gollum look alike crawling on the wall behind you. Another salute to the Glyndebourne Festival for a well presented work.

1 DVD. Run-time: 95 minutes. Very good sound and picture quality. Sung in Russian with subtitle in; English, French, German, Castellano, Italian. Extras include clips from the Glyndebourne Festival’s performance of Puccini's ‘Gianni Schicchi’ (the 2 operas were presented as a double-billed fare on the same theme centering on greed), cast gallery, and interviews with Jurowski and Arden.

Audio clip samples of this opera can be found at : www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557817

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older