I’d originally planned to go hear Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Piano Concerto at the New York Philharmonic’s "Hear and Now" concert on Tuesday night. By all accounts, the piece is a smash hit. And when Alex Ross told me on Sunday night that he’d rearranged his schedule in order to hear it a second time, I was even more determined not to miss it — especially since "Hear and Now" also gives you the chance to hear in the composer’s own words, live and in person, how the piece was made.

That it didn’t work out that way was due to my realization that Tuesday night would probably be my only chance to hear the Metropolitan Opera’s current Jenůfa with both Karita Mattila and Anja Silja on board. That’s not to knock Judith Forst, who sings the Kostelnička this Saturday night. But given that Silja had bowled me over in a Met Orchestra Erwartung at Carnegie Hall last year, I knew I had to hear her in this. And I knew as well that I could hear the Phil’s radio broadcast performance of Salonen’s concerto via a RealAudio stream (which will be available Feb. 16-Mar. 2), the same way I finally heard Saariaho’s Adriana Songs a couple of weeks ago. Not optimal, but better than nothing.

I’m certain that this was the right decision, but it took more than a fine first act to convince me. It was in the second act — specifically, the moment in which Silja’s face was transfixed with the unthinkable, when the Kostelnička figures out how she can make her stepdaughter’s little problem disappear — that things suddenly took a turn for the "you had to be there."

Silja’s performance there, and Mattila’s heavenly grace in the following "Mamičko, mám těžkou hlavu," transcended "solid, professional" by miles, and became precisely that thing which makes us go sit for long hours in big, dark rooms filled (or in this case not nearly filled) with shuffling, snuffling strangers, including that woman with the gift for coughing loudly during every moment of sustained silence… anyway, Mattila confirmed that she is absolutely one of the truly great singing actors of our age, and here, Silja was her equal in every way save for volume.

(Between the second and third acts, I rushed to the gift shop to buy a copy of that Covent Garden recording I’d previously avoided due to thinking Bernard Haitink, however admirable, is not my ideal in Janáček. I was gripped with the urge to own a document of Silja and Mattila in those passages. Maury had me momentarily worried that I’d made a bad decision. Having spun it now, I think he’s on the mark about Hadley, and also right to state that Silja is better here than she was there. But overall it’s a good account; Haitink is perfectly acceptable, if no Mackerras.)

The third act mostly sustained the fever pitch of the second. That’s not to say it was flawless: Kim Begley, as Laca, sounded overtaxed at times, the trumpets hit a decidedly rough patch in that gloriously Wagnerian closing scene, and even Mattila sounded troubled for a minute or two early on. But in the end, she, Begley and Silja hoisted Janáček on their shoulders and carried him across the finish line to victory. The moment in which Jenůfa forgives the Kostelnička, as well as that in which Laca convinces Jenůfa that love and redemption are still to be had, were wrenching, unforgettable.

Barbara Dever was stately and impressive as Grandmother Buryja. Jorma Silvasti’s Števa, fine at the beginning, grew better as the night wore on. In the pit, Jirí Bělohlávek led a gorgeous, humane account. And JSU is absolutely right to cite the splendid violin obbligato in Act Two, though I wonder if it wasn’t David Chan who was responsible on Tuesday night. Can anyone tell me for sure?

You’ve got three more chances to catch this, one with Forst and the other two with Silja. There are plenty of tickets available. If you’re in New York City, buy one.

(Diacriticals courtesy of Plan 9 from User Space.)

Playlist:

Grateful Dead – Dick’s Picks, Vol. 3: Pembroke Pines, FL 5/22/77 (Grateful Dead)

Hot Cross – Risk Revival (Equal Vision, to be released Feb. 20)

Viktor Krauss – II (Back Porch, to be released Feb. 20)

Leoš Janáček – Jenůfa – Karita Mattila, Anja Silja, Jorma Silvasti, Jerry Hadley, Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Bernard Haitink (Erato)