From the House of the Dead - an introduction

Music Director, Richard Farnes introduces Leoš Janáček and his masterful opera, From the House of the Dead which will be performed by Opera North this Spring.

A volatile mix of restless tension and the crushing boredom experienced within the confines of a prison camp, this is Big Brother for its time. The prisoners, forced to live together in close proximity and with little stimulation, create a complex community that is rife with rivalries and dependencies.

Janacek's last and most powerful opera is based on the Dostoyevsky novel of the same name -- written as a fictionalised account of the author's years in a Siberian prison. The opera opened two years after the composer died at the age of 74 and weaves a plot through themes of freedom and captivity set to a richly evoking music score.

Three male characters dominate and are brought to the fore in the strong singing and acting abilities of Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts as Filka Morozov, last seen at Opera North in the award-winning Peter Grimes (2006), Alan Oke (Bob Boles, Peter Grimes 2006) as Skuratov and Robert Hayward, who sang the gritty role of Scarpia to much acclaim in the 2008 production of Tosca, as Siskov. Roderick Williams (Don Giovanni 2006) is the political prisoner Goryanchikov.

This timeless new production is directed by John Fulljames, who is rapidly establishing himself on the international scene and staged Opera North's previous Janacek opera, The Adventures of Mr Broucek in 2009. Opera North's Music Director, Richard Farnes, conducts.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Richard Farnes
• Opera North
• From the House of the Dead
• Leoš Janáček
• Leos Janacek
• Z mrtvého domu

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Tomorrow at the theatre royal Nottingham.