Exquisite beauty in the music of janaček’s vixen | thearticle

Thearticle

Exquisite beauty in the music of janaček’s vixen | thearticle"


Play all audios:

Loading...

What is the purpose of life? It is surely life itself; and that is precisely the meaning of this engaging Jana č ek opera , which ends in the affirmation of new life with the re-emergence of


spring time. In the meantime we are treated to exquisitely beautiful music, played with delicacy and feeling by the ENO orchestra under the excellent baton of their music director Martyn


Brabbins. Janaček created his own libretto from a series of illustrated stories by Czech journalist and poet Rudolf Těsnohlídek, entitled “Vixen Sharp-Ears” (_Liška_ _Bystrouška_), and the


resulting opera is his most popular in the Czech Republic. The English title, _Cunning Little Vixen,_ is a translation of the German (_schlaue_ _Fü__chslein_) that uses a diminutive, quite


rightly absent from the Czech original.  Putting it on stage is an intriguing challenge. It requires an evocation of the natural world, with numerous wild and domesticated animals in


subsidiary roles, along with humans such as the Forester, Schoolmaster, Priest, Poacher, etc. In this new production for the English National Opera by Jamie Manton, the set is a wood yard


with a suspended roll of cloth that periodically unrolls to deliver changes of scene, such as a baking hot sun on a summer ’ s day. This cleverly keeps the expense down, but I wished the


lighting had revealed the greenery of springtime towards the end. The strongest and most delightful aspect of the production were the children as small animals — the frog, cricket,


grasshopper, and forest mushrooms — all in delightful costumes by Tom Scutt. Children also appeared as young versions of the vixen, even the dragonfly and forester, at different stages of


their lives. As the ever-present Forester, the American baritone Lester Lynch gave a strong account of the role, particularly towards the end. In the bass role of the Priest, Clive Bayley


was superb, doubling up as the Badger, and Alan Oke made an outstanding Schoolmaster, looking for all the world like the original Czech author of “Vixen Sharp-ears”, and doubling up as the


Mosquito. The young bass-baritone Ossian Huskinson made a fine Poacher, and as the Vixen herself Sally Matthews was terrific, combining beautifully with South African mezzo-soprano Pumeza


Matshikiza as the Fox. Like conventional modern humans they decide to get married when the  Vixen becomes pregnant. Their wedding scene was a highlight of the production, beautifully lit,


while Martyn Brabbins and the orchestra excelled in providing the orchestral colours that Janaček’s score creates.  His music and clever interplay of the unselfconscious animal world with


that of the all-too-conscious humans, constrained in a world of their own creation, is gloriously philosophical, expressed musically with wonderful emotional intensity and beauty. A MESSAGE


FROM THEARTICLE _We are the only publication that’s committed to covering every angle. We have an important contribution to make, one that’s needed now more than ever, and we need your help


to continue publishing throughout the pandemic. So please, make a donation._


Trending News

Ryan reynolds takes on new challenge with 'edgy' disney+ series

HOLLYWOOD STAR RYAN REYNOLDS HAS TAKEN ON A VERY DIFFERENT ROLE AS HE DELVES INTO THE WORLD OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM'S...

Time for a fresh look at rop screening

Compared to many medical conditions, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) lends itself relatively easily to screening, for i...

Buena park : centralia district opening 9th school

Centralia School District will open classroom doors to its ninth school today.-- It is the district’s first year-round s...

Rupee may trade higher in the coming days

  Business oi-Sunil Fernandes Published: Tuesday, July 28, 2020, 13:16 [IST] Share This Article The rupee is expected to...

Blaze south of perth downgraded to ‘watch and act’ level

Melissa IariaThe West Australian A bushfire alert for residents in Western Australia’s Bunbury region has been downgrade...

Latests News

Exquisite beauty in the music of janaček’s vixen | thearticle

What is the purpose of life? It is surely life itself; and that is precisely the meaning of this engaging Jana č ek oper...

Matthew Flinders – The Conversation

Profile Articles Activity Matthew Flinders is Professor of Politics and Founding Director of the Sir Bernard Crick Centr...

Bharti breaks down during interrogation

&nbspPhoto Credit:&nbspTimes Now Former Delhi Law minister Somnath Bharti broke down during questioning by inves...

Behave yourselves, amlo tells students as losses near 500 million pesos

President López Obrador told teacher training college students who have blocked railways and hijacked delivery vehicles ...

Build a mobius flex using a flexible pcb and atmega328p microcontroller

The Mobius strip is a looped surface with only one side and only one edge, which has the mathematical property of being ...

Top