No comments about Burn Hollywood Burn: The Soundtrack.

5 comments about Janácek - The Cunning Little Vixen / Nicholas Hytner · Sir Charles Mackerras · Thomas Allen · Eva Jenis · Tháâtre du Chatelet.

1. This is a beautifully produced and sung production of a seldom-seen opera--not as fine an opera as The Makropulos Case, perhaps, but still very worthwhile if you love, or even just like, Janacek. Aside from Thomas Allen (the gamekeeper), the cast was unfamiliar to me; Eva Jenis is a wonderful vixen. Recorded in high definition tv, so visually the quality is much better than most of the opera DVDs released so far.



2. On repeated viewing I am struck by what I perceive to be the profound message of this work. The opera depicts two separate worlds: the human world and the animal world ("nature") which exist in parallel without any true communication or mutual understanding. Whenever humans do interact meaningfully with the animal world, the results are seemingly disastrous for the animals, but as the last scene with the frog closes a circle of three generations (of frogs), it is nature that has the last word. The opera is about human blindness/deafness to nature and about the price of this deficiency. The animals and insects in the opera are pretty cheerful and even minor disasters like the death of a mother does not leave a lasting mark on the orphans. The humans, however, are quite conflicted and lacking in their disappointing private lives, who in the final analysis go unnoticed by nature's inexorable rhythm. On some level these disappointments, when presented side by side to the animals' and insects' relentless pursuit of pleasure and procreation, can be seen as a punishment or a consequence of human's inability to be part of the wider realm of the animal kingdom. The character of the dog is an example of a domestic animal that left the "nature" world of the opera, and tied (literally) its fate with that of humans. He is presented in the opera as pathetic. I think the message is that the dog, like the humans, is deaf to its true nature, and pays the price - this characterization of the dog cannot be purely for comical purposes. The gamekeeper is struggling with the yearning to "nature", although he doesn't know how to express it other then by trying to subordinate it, sometimes violently. This yearning is almost sexualized in his "relationship" with the vixen, the dramatic center of the work. He is suffering as a result, and only at the end of the last scene we see him almost lost and surrounded by the swirling creatures of the forest, finally content like a baby.



3. Unknown to most opera goers, Janacek's brilliant fable reverses most of the genre's liabilities. There is no bombast; the plot moves quickly, the libretto -- cobbled together by the composer from a newspaper comic strip -- is touching, deft and profound; and the only diva in sight is shot long before the finale. The opera doesn't need excessive fancy, which this production sometimes supplies in overabundance, and the work's dark tone, its grounding in rural Moravian peasant life, is negated by the somewhat flouncy presentation and a poor translation that elicits laughter in the wrong places -- a much better English version exists. It's also unfortunate that the chorus is moved off-stage to favor dancers, which reduces the rollicking climax to the wedding scene (of course, Janacek himself had so often used off-stage choruses to memorable effect, but here the bustle of voices is needed). Nonetheless, this cyrstalline DVD (some of the images nearly convince us we're in a theater) gives us Thomas Allen as the ideal Forester, the great Czech singer Richard Novak as the Badger/Parson, mostly vivid set designs and colors, a rousing performance by Janacek expert Charles Mackerras, and the compact perfection of the opera itself. Now if only From the House of the Dead, Kat'ya Kabanova, Osud, and the rest of Janacek's singular operas would be released.



4. This is a highly entertaining opera and for those unfamiliar with Janacek, it's a perfect place to start. The opera is playful, comic, mysterious, and in the end it is surprisingly moving. This is a lovely production and it has been produced with wit and imagination. The wonderful choreography is fully integrated into the action and adds an extra dimension to the work. Thomas Allen gives a sensitive reading as the gamekeeper. But the real star of the evening is Eva Jemis who gives an uninhibited and bravura performance as the vixen. My favorite scene was the "pickup" scene in which the vixen loses her virginity. The foxy couple goes through a rather anthropomorphic variation of animal courtship that is frightfully realistic and quite funny. This is Disney for grown-ups and maybe the kids as well. I was enthralled throughout this DVD and hopefully you will be too!



5. Janacek is steadily rising in the pantheon of 20th C opera composers, with more productions and more attention to his whole corpus of works. The Cunning Little Vixen is the latest success story; on the surface, a fairy tale based on a cartoon, featuring almost as much dance as singing, it would seem unlikely to be profound and emotionally compelling. But it is. The Huntsman, the principal character, stands and sings a concluding aria which is fuller of the love of life than anything I remember in any other opera of any era in any language! The orchestral music, as you'd expect if you know Janacek, is strangely original and "modern" and yet instantly accessible and enjoyable. There are two DVD productions of The Cunning Little Vixen, both well worth viewing and hearing. This is the one I prefer, both for the performance of the huntsman and for the charm of the costuming.

5 comments about Greatest Bits.

1. Richard Jeni is one of the funniest comedians you will ever hear and this CD has a nice collection of his bits. He can be quite crude but also very smart. His mastery of words is on par with George Carlin. Favorite parts on this CD would be "Women Smoke Cigars?", "Fred Robster", "Women: They Came from a Drying Planet" and "Cooking with Bill".



2. I love this CD. It's just plain hilarious. Richard Jeni at his best.



3. I LOVE my Richard Jeni cd! I love to watch him on his DVD's, all of which I own, because he is sooo funny to watch but now I can laugh my way through the big city traffic cracking up and the folks in the other cars have no idea why!! It really makes driving fun! Try it. You won't be sorry.



4. ... because this is NOT a compilation collection like Chris Rock's "Greatest Bits".. it's a complete show, but it has its title due to the fact that each of the 22 tracks were hand-picked by Jeni himself, which he previously did for t.v. specials and many, many other live stand-up shows. He picked the bits that got the most laughs, and put them all together to make one helluva show. Now if only ALL stand-up comics did that for their CDs...
   
   
   It's a hilarious CD. If you're a fan of Richard's, or just a fan of comedy in general, and like stuff that's vulgar enough to be on par with Carlin, but not insanely raunchy like Andrew "Dice" Clay, then this album's for you.
   
   I had the honor of meeting and getting my picture taken with Mr. Jeni just months before he took his own life. It's a shame that continues to sadden me, because he really was, and still IS, one of the greats. We miss you, Rich.



5. Richard Jeni was one of the funniest guys i've ever heard. Without foul language and swearing (a couple of 4-letter words is in there allright) he really gives you a new perspective on some matters in life. the "Yest infection" piece is really good to listen to and especially the "exploding scrotum syndrom" bit. He is deeply missed by a lot of people all over. R.I.P. Mr. Jeni wherever you are

5 comments about The Mask: Music From The Motion Picture.

1. It may be okay with some people but the people that sold me this c.d did not inform me that it was a score and not the actuall music.



2. For me, it's the best soundtracks ever with just amazing jazz/swing type of songs with one hip hop beat from K7 with Hi-De-Ho. Harry Connick's "Whisper Your Name" is an amazing jazz funk song, as well as "The Business of Love" by the Domino. Brian Setzer's up-tempo jazz blues with "Straight Up" is also a great one to listen to. And of course, the star of the movie, Jim Carrey does it really well with the opening and ending songs, Cuban Pete.



3. I loved The Mask. Jim Carrey was fantastic in it. I loved the music in the movie. All the songs from the movie and more are on this hit soundtrack.

   I like hearing Jim Carrey sing. He does Cuban Pete in it. He did Cuban Pete in the movie with that funny dance scene. Carrey actually has a decent voice and as one of his fans I enjoyed hearing him sing.

   This soundtrack has a mix of famous groups and people. Vannesa Williams, Harry Connick Jr., Brian Setzer Orchestra to name just a few.

   Fans of swing will really get a kick out of this. You'll like Hey Pacuco and Cuban Pete. It's got some great horn work on the soundtrack.

   I love this cd. If you liked The Mask, you'll like this soundtrack. It's a fun mix of music that makes me want to watch the movie every time I hear it.




4. What can I say about the mask, hmm..... Well, for one thing, it is my absolute favorite movie of all time! After seeing it 138 times,(no lie!) I have practically memorized all the songs. And, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of waiting for that one part in the movie to listen to a particular song! I am however a huge fan of the soundtrack! Because, I can listen to each of these great hits without watching the movie! I rate this CD 5 out of 5 stars! Jim Carrey was a fantastic actor in the movie and, he had a pretty good voice on the soundtrack! Who knew? BUY THIS CD!!! JIM CARREY ROXZ!



5. This cd is one of our family favorites. It does have some songs that might not be appropriate for everyone but we liked the majority of it and have practically worn it out.