Janacek - From the House of the Dead (White, Streit, Salonen, NY Met, 2009) (320kbps .mp3)
Janacek's final opera From the House of the Dead, Starring Willard White (Gorianchikov) and Kurt Streit (Skuratov), conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
From the House of the Dead is set in a prison and focuses on the daily lives and pasts of its various inmates such as Shishkov, imprisoned for murdering his wife, and the wrongly imprisoned young Tatar Alyeya. Through their bleak existence, hope is given to the inmates by the defiance of an injured eagle, captive with them.
The cast, recorded at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 2009, includes Willard White, Kurt Streit and Peter Mattei and is conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Presented by Mary Jo Heath and Ira Siff.
Gorianchikov: Willard White (bass-baritone)
Skuratov: Kurt Streit (tenor)
Shishkov: Peter Mattei (tenor)
Filka Morozov: Stefan Margita (tenor)
Shapkin: Peter Hoare (tenor)
Alyeya: Eric Stoklossa (tenor)
Nikita: Peter Straka (tenor)
Short Prisoner: Vladimir Chmelo (baritone)
Prison Commandant: Vladimir Ognovenko (bass)
Chekunov: Jeffrey Wells (bass)
The Cook: Richard Bernstein (bass)
Drunk Prisoner: Adam Klein (tenor)
Priest: John Cheek (bass)
Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor)
Chorus and Orchestra of Metropolitan Opera