Bronius Kutavicius – Lokys the Bear (2002)

Quote:

“The opera revolves around a story of love and fate, the collision between the real and the other world.
Prosper Mérimée, the French writer, produced the story of a count who was born as the result of an encounter between a woman and a bear. After a passionate courtship, this semi-bear count marries a nobleman’s daughter, eats her on their first night together, and vanishes into the forest”.

A beastly plot! Let me hasten to add Julija, the Count’s fiancee, is not devoured in Kutavicius’ rendition of the story, although the life-blood is sucked out of her; nor does the Count flee into the forest, thus escaping paying retribution for his misdeed…he’s shot by his half-insane mother, who gave birth to him after being raped by a bear many years ago.

Fantastic chorals, sometimes reminiscent of Bach’s, sometimes of the dark primivism in Stravinsky “Le Roi des Etoiles; and the soloists were well-chosen too. Both on Mazulis’ and Kutavicius’ albums, it strikes me Baltic vocalists reach very high standards. All in all, this is one of the nicest operas I've heard in a long time.

Performers

The Choir and Opera of the National Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre
Martinas Staskus - conductor
Chorus master – Ceslovas Radziunas

Julija - Irena Zelenkauskaite-Brazauskiene
The One-eyed Old Woman - Veronika Povilioniene
Soloist in epilogue - Vida Sinkeviciute
Reciter in epilogue - Miroslav Stasilo
The Count - Vytautas Juozapaitis
The Professor - Vladimiras Prudnikovas
The Doctor - Audrius Rubezius
Pranciskus – Ceslovas Stonys
The Countess - Inesa Linaburgyte
The Marshall - Arunas Malikenis
The Count’s Double - Giedrius Zalys

libretto by Aušra Marija Sluckaitė-Jurašienė; based on a tale by Prosper Merimee

Tracklist

Cd1

01. The Choir: I am going to chase that evil spirit away ... [0:02:01.55]
02. The Professor: I've made a long trip across Samogitia [0:10:25.39]
03. The Countess: You will know my revenge, you beast [0:04:09.39]
04. The One-Eyed Old Woman: I had a woven gown ... [0:03:50.01]
05. Instrumental interlude [0:02:13.17]
06. The Count: You look, so mean and cold, it reminds me of the knife of a murderer ... [0:04:45.00]
07. The Count: Professor, welcome to the court of Medintiltis [0:03:12.13]
08. The Choir: Here, the blue skies are so open and bright [0:03:05.14]
09. The One-Eyed Old Woman: In the craddle, there is a silk quilt, on the quilt a tiny girl ... [0:07:36.07]
10. The white seagull dance. Julija: Oh mermaid, my sister of cold waters ... [0:06:13.23]
11. The choir: Lokys or Bear, thes no difference there (Meska su Lokiu) [0:04:38.60]

Cd2

01. The choir: Hello hello, we haven't met for ages ... [0:01:14.22]
02. Polonaise. The Guests: Lady Julija - did you know, She got her wedding dress from Paris [0:04:40.45]
03. The Old Countess: A bear! [0:03:26.51]
04. The Count: Forgive us, please [0:03:41.05]
05. The Professor: Please repeat after me the words of the oath [0:05:20.43]
06. The Count: To us! To my Julija! [0:02:40.22]
07. The toctor: Viva the newlyweds [0:03:18.71]
08. Julija: Calm down, my heart [0:03:11.39]
09. The One-Eyed Old Woman: A wedding party without a match-maker? [0:06:33.17]
10. The Doctor: She's dead [0:06:36.73]
11. The Soloist: I'm leaving and take nothing along... [0:03:22.41]