Dvorak's opera "Jacobin"
Thomas Rowen
"Jacobin". It would be an old recording on an LP by Sinfone or on tape. The oper[opera is fantastic. Being a baritone soloist, I am very interested in it. If
anyone has any knowledge of where to find it, I would be most appreciative.
I have contacted many locations to no avail. leave a message here or call
my home at 508-531-4446. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Tom Rowen.
Gabriel M. Kuper
I got a copy of that recording in NY last year: in one of the used record
stores (G&A or Gryphon) on W 72St--I don't remember which. If you want their
phone numbers, let me know. I'm not sure if I got the only copy or not
(it was on LP, by the way). (My tape deck just broke down, otherwise
I'd offer to record it for you.)
If you actually want to see the opera, the National Theater in Prague
are doing a new production this year--I can usually give you the dates
for the next month or two.
Since we're on Dvorak, does anybody know if his opera Armida has ever
been recorded?
Gabriel Kuper
R. Wilmer
I sang the part of Adolfe in a performance of Jakobin in Washington
conducted by Karl Husa put on by the Sokol Opera (which did nothing
but Czech operas in the original language) with members of the
National Symphony.
There is wonderful music for the low male voices in this opera: the
roles of Jakobin, Adolfe, Purkrabi, and the Count. There are beautiful
beautiful ensembles, duets, and arias. The duet between the two
baritones (Adolfe and Jakobin) is thrilling, sung over a rich
orchestration that gets more and more powerful as the tension
heats up between the two antagonists. There are also two leading
soprano roles, Terinka and Julia.
I don't know how you can get the recording, but if you are interested
you should get the score, which is published by a Czech company and
I think would be available through most major sheet music
distributors. I agree with you about the opera---I listened
to the Met's Rusalka a couple of weeks ago and liked it very
much; I also sang the part of Vradny in Dvorak's Cert a
Caca (The Devil and Kate) again with the Sokol Opera Company in 1981,
and I still think that Jakobin is the finest of those Dvorak
operas. That opinion is partly shaped by the conducting of
Karl Husa, who I found to be a genius on the podium. (He is
also an excellent composer).
Richard
Gabriel M. Kuper
>
> I don't know how you can get the recording, but if you are interested
> you should get the score, which is published by a Czech company and
> I think would be available through most major sheet music
> distributors. I agree with you about the opera---I listened
> to the Met's Rusalka a couple of weeks ago and liked it very
> much; I also sang the part of Vradny in Dvorak's Cert a
> Caca (The Devil and Kate) again with the Sokol Opera Company in 1981,
> and I still think that Jakobin is the finest of those Dvorak
> operas. That opinion is partly shaped by the conducting of
> Karl Husa, who I found to be a genius on the podium. (He is
> also an excellent composer).
>
> Richard
>
I'm not sure it's that easy to get--at least, the Met opera shop was the
only place in NY I saw the score for Rusalka (and they claimed it
was very hard to get when I enquired about their markup--$90, when
the score had a very visible price of about 200 Kc printed on it
---about $7). Either Supraphon (the publisher) is still very
disorganized, and music in their catalogue is still hard to get,
or there is some profiteering going on (or both).
I missed a chance to see The Devil and Kate--I could have arrived
in Prague a day earlier, but the National Theater was only doing
Don Carlos, so I didn't bother. When I arrived, I discovered
that they had a last-minute change of opera--to The Devil and Kate.
(imagine if the Met did something like that....)
Gabriel Kuper
Margaret Mikulska
There is a recording on the Pro Arte label, 3 LPs, ca.1981. Pro Arte
still exists, I think, so you may try to contact them. If they are
still in business, they should be listed on the back of the Schwann/Opus.
-Margaret
Terje Rydland
As far as I know the following Dvorak operas have been recorded:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vanda - op. 25
Drahomira Tikalova, Stefa Petrova, Beno Blachut, Karel Kalas, Borek Rujan,
Ludmila Hanzalikova, Vaclav Bednar, Zdenek Jankovsky
Prague Radio Chorus, Prague Radio Orchestra
Frantisek Dyk
Supraphon Mono 1016 4071-2 G
Recorded 1951
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cunning peasant (Selma sedlak) - op. 37
Vaclav Zitek, Eva Depoltova, Karel Berman, Karel Prusa, Jitka Sobehartova,
Marie Vesela, Leo Marian Vodicka, Jozef Kundlak, Bozena Effenberkova,
Miroslav Kopp
Prague Radio Chorus, Prague Radio Symphony O., Frantisek Vajnar
Supraphon 1116 4931-33 G
Recorded 1985-6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dimitrij - op. 64
Leo Marian Vodicka, Drahomira Drobkova, Magdalena Hajossyova, Livia Aghova,
Peter Mikulas, Ivan Kusnjer, Ludek Vele, Zdenek Harvanek, Pavel Haderer
Prague Radio Chorus, Czech Philharmonic Chorus
Czech Philharmonic O.
Gerd Albrecht
Supraphon 11 1259-2
Recorded 1989
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jakobin - op. 84
Karel Prusa, Vaclav Zitek, Rene Tucek, Marcela Machotkova, Karel Berman,
Vilem Pribyl, Beno Blachut, Daniela Sounova, Ivana Mixova
Kuhn Mixed Chorus, Childrens choir Kantilena
Brno State Philharmonic, Jiri Pinkas
Supraphon 1112 2481-83
Recorded 1977
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The devil and Kate (Cert a Kaca) - op. 112
Milos Jezil, Anna Barova, Daniela Suryova, Richard Novak, Jaroslav Horacek,
Jan Hladik, Ales Stava, Brigita Sulcova, Natalie Romanova, Pavel Kamas,
Oldrich Polasek
Chorus and Orchestra of Brno State Opera, Jiri Pinkas
Supraphon 1116 3181-83 G
Recorded 1979
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rusalka - op. 114
Richard Novak, Gabriela Benackova-Capova, Vera Soukupova, Wielsaw Ochman,
Drahomira Drobkova, Jana Jonasova, Daniela Sounova-Broukova, Anna Barova,
Jindrich Jindrak, Jirina Markova, Rene Tucek
Prague Philharmonic Chorus
Czech Philharmonic O.
Vaclav Neumann
Supraphon 10 3641-2
Recorded 1982/3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think they were all recorded as part of a complete cyclus for Supraphon
before the "velvet revolution". Is there a chance that this cyclus will
be completed?
Of these recordings Rusalka and Dimitrij are available on CD. Does anyone
know of recordings of Dvoraks remaining operas (Alfred,
King and charcoal burner, Tvrde palice (The stupid ones?) op. 17,
Armida op. 115)?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terje Rydland Tel.:07/591845 (+47-7-591845)
Dept. of Informatics Fax.:07/591733 (+47-7-591733)
UNIT/AVH E-Mail:terje....@ifi.unit.no
N-7055 Dragvoll AppleLink: NOR0103
Norway
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel Carno
You can send $2.00 for their considerable LP-CASS-CD catalog of cut-outs, which also includes Dvorak's Vanda or you can call and order the Jacobin (Supraphon
11-12-2481/3) but the shipping costs are high for the first LP, so it pays to find other things:
BERKSHIRE RECORD OUTLET
RTE 102 PLEASANT ST
RR 1
LEE, MA 01238-9804
1-800-992-1200
(4I3) 243-4080
Oh yeah... the price for the Jacobin is $14.97. If they are out there are several used dealers you can try (one in Hungary).
Dan Carno (djc...@mailbox.syr.edu)
R. Wilmer
To the original baritone who posted: If you have trouble getting
the whole opera see if you can get (maybe from a library) Bohus's
last act aria, "O mam te zas"
Richard