Jenufa Finale - Renée Fleming, Mark Baker RARE LIVE (1993) Janacek

Dallas opera - December 4, 1993 - Inhouse recording Renée Fleming - Jenufa Mark Baker - Laca Though Fleming was identified with Rusalka for her entire operatic career, she only essayed one other Czech role - Janacek's Jenufa, which she sang for just one season at Dallas opera in 1993. Sadly she never returned to it, despite glowing reviews, except to record the emotional Act II scene with Gergiev on her Homage album. She talked after this about returning to the role and having looked at Katya Kabanova too as she loved Janacek, but she never did. I dearly wish she had recorded the Katya scenes, the final scene of Makropulos, and more of Jenufa, but sadly it never happened. This poor in house recording is the only record I have found of her Dallas Jenufas - I hope one day that a better source will emerge. I absolutely love Janacek - he is the only composer who makes me cry every single time, and always at a different place - he gets me deep! It's not the most glamorous vocal writing, but for me it might be the most psychologically incisive and emotionally raw. The moving finale of Jenufa that we hear here, almost like an epilogue to the main action, is a moment of deeply touching forgiveness and hope, in an opera that might seem irredeemably bleak without it, for all its awe inspiring beauty. The picture is sadly not of Mark Baker, but I couldn't find any production photos from this Jenufa. For non commercial educational purposes. Please message me if there is a problem with this video.