FROM THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD
Featuring Pavlo Hunka, Robert Pomakov. Written by Leoš Janácek.
Directed by Dmitri Bertman. Conducted by Alexander Briger. Presented by
the Canadian Opera Company. In Czech with English surtitles. Feb 5, 7,
13, 19 & 22 at 7:30pm; Feb 10, 2pm; Feb 16, 4:30pm. $60-$275; $20
for ages 16-29. Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen W. 416-363-8231.
www.coc.ca.
The Canadian Opera Company’s new production of From the House of the Dead is a major triumph. This, the final opera of Czech composer Leoš Janácek (1854-1928), is a work far ahead of its time. Imaginative design, fiery conducting, insightful direction and fully committed performances from the enormous cast reveal this seldom-performed work for the modern masterpiece it is.
Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s autobiographic novel of the same name, From the House of the Dead is a descent into the man-made hell of the Siberian labour camp. The minimal plot follows political prisoner Gorjancikov (Robert Pomakov), Dostoevsky’s alter ego, as he enters the camp, experiences its life, hears the stories of its inmates and, without explanation, is released. Dmitri Bertman’s direction brings out multiple levels of meaning. The prisoners’ clothes and the guards flat-screen monitors bring home the subject’s continuing relevence. In the beginning the prisoners seem like a mob of rats scratching for crumbs from the table of the Commandant (Zdenek Plech). By the end, however, we, like Gorjancikov, come to view them as a collection of individual human beings and to see prison life as more parallel to life outside than we’d like to admit. Each prisoner also represents a story that has reached its conclusion. We see the hunger in each prisoner to tell his story and thus to reclaim a sense of self. We see their longing for freedom, symbolized on stage by a real flying falcon, as only a more intense version of a universal longing.
Among the opera’s 21 soloists there are many standouts. Pomakov gives a masterful performance as an aristocrat, initially fearful of the wrath of the lower class inmates, who comes to admire their humainity. Lauren Segal, with a clear bright voice, is affecting as the boy Aljeja, whom Gorjancikov protects. Pavlo Hunka gives a rivetting account of the convict Šiškov’s long tale of love and betrayal. Even Plech, who first seems repugnant as the gluttonous Commandant, shows some humility towards the end.
Under Australian conductor Alexander Briger, the COC Orchestra unleashes the savage beauty of Janácek’s score. The 90-minute opera will likely not appeal to those who think opera should only portray wily barbers and dying courtesans. Yet, for the open-minded, this opera, by bravely seeking out the humanity in those declared less than human, will be a vital, unforgettable theatrical experience.