Search - Antonin Dvorak, Jiri Pinkas, Anna Barova :: Dvorak: Kate and the Devil (Cert a Kácal)

The enchanted world of fairytale...

Giedrius Alkauskas | Nottingham, UK | 07/20/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While listening to the operas of Dvorak, one is always left with the feeling of the manifold manifestations of a genius of the composer. As for myself, I always find it difficult to reconcile the fact that the person who created piano pieces "Legends", violin concerto, "Stabat Mater" and the opera "Kate and the devil", is the same person. In the operas of Dvorak, there are many places (in particular, in "Jacobin", "Rusalka", "Dimitri" and the opera under review) which could be (erroneously?) dubbed "wagnerian". I think that it is by no means wagnerian, it is purely dvorakian, only this side of the composer does only manifest in his later operas (and not in the early ones, like "The stubborn lovers" or "The cunning peasant").

The opera and the recording under review are terrific! Shivers roll down the spine when Marbuel is singing his very simple but completely enchanting aria about "The Purple Castle" (CD 1, Track 10). The song of Ovcak is beautifully orchestrated, and has so much longing! The second CD starts with a feast of devils, the ones mostly familiar from the rural folk theatre, and their boss Lucifer seems to be a nice old fellow, though an ill one and annoyed with not having enough peace and rest.

The drawback of this superb opera is (as in not a few cases with Dvorak) the libretto. For example, the text in the third act (which takes place in the castle of the princess) is a bit infantile, lacking the third dimension at least: for example, the princess suddenly repents all her previous sins and wants henceforth to do only good for the people.

Nevertheless, I would strongly recommend this recording to those who are not indifferent to the beauty of rural life, folk fantasy and the genius of Dvorak.

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