(Photo: Marek Olbrzymek) Superficially “Jenůfa” is a tale of village life, full of folk traditions and colorful costumes, of a close intimate community in which all participate in each other’s daily lives and activities. Sure bad things happen, as they do everywhere, people fall out, they fight and argue and occasionally even murder, but the underlying harmony and all round {…}
My final day at this year’s Janacek Festival ended with a performance of its awarding-winning production of “Jenufa,” starring Karita Mattila as the Kostelnička, Pavla Vykopalova as Jenufa, Peter Berger as Laca and Richard Samek as Števa, in what was a well sung presentation. The conductor opted for a light reading which brought out the lyricism and folk melodies of {…}
(Credit: Národní divadlo official website) The entire 62-member chorus of the Opera of the National Theater in Prague has been sent into a two-week quarantine after it was revealed that several members of the ensemble had contracted COVID-19. As a result, the performance of the Bedřich Smetana’s opera “Libuše” has been canceled. Janáček’s opera “Jenůfa” and Dvořák’s opera “Rusalka” will {…}
The Opéra de Montréal has announced that it will be canceling two productions from the fall portion of its 2020-21 season due to continued concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak. The productions of “La Traviata” and “Jenufa,” originally slated to open the season, will instead be programmed for the 2021-22 season. “Following the release of CNESST guidelines for health standards in {…}
(Credit: Victoria Cadisch) The Royal Opera House has announced that Alison Langer will be performing the role of Barena in Jancek’s “Jenufa,” starting on March 24, 2020. She will replace Masabene Cecilia Rangwanasha, who, per the press release, could not take on the role due to her commitment to performances of “Susanna,” also with the company. Langer is a graduate {…}
(Credit: Ruth Waltz) The Royal Opera House is set to open a new production of Leoš Janáček‘s “Jenůfa” starting on March 24, 2020. The production, which will be directed by Claus Guth, is the third in the company’s Janáček series following productions of “Kát’a Kabanová” in 2019 and “From the House of the Dead” in 2018. Moreover, this will be {…}
OperaVision will showcase Janáček’s “Jenůfa” live from the National Theatre Brno on Oct. 2, 2019. The production will feature Jitka Zerhauová, Jaroslav Březina, Tomáš Juhás, Szilvia Rálik, Pavla Vykopalová, Ivan Kusnjer, Ladislav Mlejnek, Jarmila Balážová, Eva Štěrbová, Stanislava Jirků, Lenka Schallenberger, Martina Mádlová, and Ivona Špičková. Marko Ivanović will conduct the production directed by Martin Glaser. The stream kicks off {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) On Saturday, July 20, the Santa Fe Opera will open Janáček’s “Jenůfa.” The opera will be performed for the time in the company’s 63-year history. Director David Alden’s vision for the work is a co-production between Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera and the English National Opera. Alden’s staging was first shown in 2007 at the English {…}
First premiering on Jan. 21, 1904, “Jenufa” is adapted from a play by Gabriela Preissova titled “Jeji pastorkyna” meaning “Her Stepdaughter.” The opera is noted for its bleak story, involving jealousy, deceit, and infanticide. Janáček dedicated this work to his daughter Olga, who died less than a year prior. Short Plot Summary In a Moravian village, there is a Grandmother {…}
Erich Kleiber is widely considered one of the great conductors of the mid-20th century. Born on August 5, 1890, he was in love with Wagner’s art from his childhood, playing piano transcriptions from such works as “Lohengrin” and “Tristan.” He would go on to a legendary career, particularly in the world of opera, where he had a truly profound impact. {…}
After looking at the top female and male singers as well as the finest maestros of the 2016-17 season, we now turn the spotlight on the 10 best-assembled casts of the season. This was a truly difficult piece to put together as this Met season had great casts for almost every single opera. But the casts listed below were simply {…}