Fairytales often speak directly to our unconscious, revealing drives and truths that are not always apparent to our conscious selves. It is therefore not surprising that many tales are replicated across countries and cultures, even if the characters and details vary. The Slavic fable of Rusalka, for example, has counterparts with the French Melusine, Germanic Nixie and numerous others, including, most famously, Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Little Mermaid.” Although Rusalka is a simple story of a water nymph who relinquishes the power of speech so that she can become human to be with a prince with whom she has fallen in love, her motivations lie deep within the unconscious, taking in sexual awakening, resentment and a desire to return to an innocent state, and it was these aspects of the narrative that the director, David Radok, wished to explore.

A Journey Into the Unconscious

Although it is not a unique nor a particularly profound reading, Radok’s presentation, for which he also designed the scenery, was hugely successful. Not only did he capture the full dramatic and emotional dimensions of the work, but his ability to convey the drama within the context of Rusalka’s unconscious motivations was expertly rendered and allowed the audience to fully engage with his interpretation.

Act one opened to a stage that blended a large room in a house with windows and doors in a watery blue-grey colour with wooden walkways and reeds as would be found in a marshy area, and that stretched from inside the room to the outside world. This was Rusalka’s world; it was secure and safe, in which the walls represented the borders between the known and unknown, between innocence and knowledge. Rusalka, like many a teenager, was desperate to open the doors, to leave the secure and safe world behind, and to explore what else exists; the prince provided the impetus that awakened her sexual desires and thus set her on the path. Unfortunately, that door opens in only one direction; innocence is not something that can ever be regained.

Act two takes her into a world of luxury and frivolity, of betrayal and lust. It is a complex world of suffering, illusion and disappointment. Radok’s staging was brilliantly conceived to create the impression of wealth through chandeliers and the façade of a mansion and an outdoor area dedicated to dancing. He also ensured that Rusalka’s disillusionment was clearly portrayed through her detached meanderings between the dancers and attempts to find a way out through the dense undergrowth that surrounded the dancing area.

Act three finds her back in her original room, but everything has changed. The roof is leaking, and the plants are dying; everything looks to be in a state of decay. No longer human, but neither a nymph, she allows her resentment for the outside world to grow and retreats into her watery world, shuts the doors, and closes the shutters on the windows, but it is not innocence that she finds, only isolation.

It was a reading that fitted sympathetically with the surface fairytale narrative, with each complementing the other to provide a layered and satisfying staging. Radok also ensured that the visual presentation was sensitively developed to draw out the dramatic significance of the events and to manage the tensions. The costume designer, Zuzana Ježková, created a series of costumes that set the characters in the Victorian period, detailed to reflect the characters’ natures. The Water Goblin appeared slimy and unkempt in old blue and grey coloured garments, while the three wood sprites were in greeny blue, light shifts. Jezibaba’s blue and grey costume gave her the appearance of a matron or nanny figure. All appeared as if water was their natural habitat. The Prince and Princess, on the other hand, definitely came from the civilized human world and were dressed as wealthy Victorians of high status. It was the costumes of the chorus for the ballroom scene that really stood out. They were all attired in black with top hats, including the women, which gave them a sinister appearance; they were certainly not benign, nor did they act in a manner sympathetic towards Rusalka. The two worlds, the human and nonhuman, were visually clearly divided. Rusalka’s changing costumes reflected her movement between the two worlds but always in a way that ensured she appeared different from those around her.

Ivanović Oversees a Musically Engaging Performance

It was also a reading that complemented the score perfectly, which the conductor Marko Ivanović sensitively brought to life with the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno. The pace and dynamic contrasts were carefully judged to support the onstage drama, if on occasions slightly understated, while the dance episodes were lively and graceful. It was also a reading that caught the beauty of the score.

Soprano Jana Šrejma Kačírková produced an emotionally compelling performance in the role of Rusalka. As the young and innocent water nymph, she was headstrong, rebellious, and yearning for love that she convincingly captured with a vocally expressive presentation, which she convincingly transformed into an insecure, bewildered and downtrodden young woman, before finally returning to the watery depths, hollowed out by her experience with humans.

Kačírková possesses a secure, resonant voice, which she uses with considerable skill to present emotional states, in which her pleading with her father and then with Jezibaba were particularly well developed as she coated her voice with longing and desire overlaid with an insistent determination to get her own way. There is also a pleasing energy in the voice so that even when singing in a more subdued manner, you could sense a restless spirit ready to explode at any minute. Her ability to move the voice freely enabled her to capture Rusalka’s disoriented state in acts two and three as she moved her voice flexibly across the range, with neatly placed accents and dynamic contrasts that expertly caught her pain and grief. It was, therefore, slightly disappointing that her rendition of the showpiece aria, “Song of the Moon,” did not really take flight; it was pleasant enough, and she allowed her emotions to strengthen as the aria progressed, but overall, it was too understated to convince.

Tenor Peter Berger made an excellent impression as the Prince, whom he played as a weak-willed and frivolous character, totally at the mercy of his fast-changing passions. Even as an old man, when he returns to Rusalka, full of remorse, to ask her forgiveness, he readily accepts her kiss that he knows will kill him. It appeared as the easy way out rather than an expression of deep love, despite his passionate pleading. Vocally, it was a role that seemed to suit him almost perfectly. He possesses a voice with a passionate, sweet-sounding tone that moves securely and with agility across the range, allowing for a lyrically strong performance, which he delivered with confidence and emotional force.

Vodnik, the water goblin, was given an engaging yet not wholly sympathetic reading by bass Jan Štáva. He was suitably anxious about and supportive of his daughter Rusalka but was abusive and sexually aggressive towards the wood spirits. His singing had a determined, even fierce, quality that gave him an imposing demeanour. Although certainly not lacking in beauty, his crafting of the vocal line was focused on promoting the meaning of the text, which he furnished with emotional honesty.

Soprano Eliška Gattringerová was thoroughly dislikable as the Foreign Princess. She was cynical, vicious and served only her own interests. Her voice had a harsh, strident edge, which she used forcefully and energetically to assert her will over both the Prince and Rusalka, whom she treated as an inferior.

Mezzo-soprano Václava Krejčí portrayed the witch, Jezibaba, as hard, unforgiving and cold, and treated Rusalka with total contempt. She possesses an agile, secure voice over which she exhibits excellent control, which she used to create a compelling vocal portrayal that captured her vicious and opportunistic nature. Her forceful response to Rusalka’s pleading in Act three was expertly rendered as she spat out her lines full of bile, which also showed off its nuanced colouring.

No attempt was made by Radok to hide the fact that the three wood spirits were based on Wagner’s Rheinmaidens; if anything, it appeared he wished to draw attention to the fact. With their greeny-blue costumes that evoked connections with the watery depths and their playfully cruel taunting of the Water Goblin, one could so easily have mistaken it for the opening scene of “Das Rheingold.” Played by soprano Doubravka Novotná, and contraltos Ivana Pavlu and Monika Jägerová, they acted their parts as a group, yet each managed to maintain an individual identity.

Baritone Tadeáš Hoza gave a solid performance as the Hunter.

The choir of the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre, under the direction of Pavel Koñárek, produced an energetic and beautifully sung performance, played out the dance routines wonderfully, and acted out their Act two roles convincingly to create an oppressive, even threatening presence.

Overall, it was a high-quality presentation, for which Radok must take a large share of the credit. It was an imaginative and dramatically convincing reading, which in no way is meant to belittle the contribution made by the orchestra or the singers, who all gave strong performances and made it the most successful of the four operas I reviewed at this year’s festival.

The post Janáček Brno Festival 2024 Review: Rusalka appeared first on OperaWire.

It’s that time of the year. The end of the year.

2024 brought many debuts, many new productions, many competitions, many world premieres and many new young artists who are coming up in the world of opera.  And that it is reason alone to celebrate. As the year comes to an end, here’s a look at some of the young singers who saw their careers shine whether through competitions, festivals, or in some major production.

So without further ado, OperaWire presents its 10 rising stars for 2024 (in alphabetical order).

Eliza Boom

It’s been a whirlwind year for the Munich-based lyric soprano. Earlier this year, Eliza Boom won the prestigious Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award and won the first prize at the Elizabeth Connell Prize International Singing Competition at Wigmore Hall in London. She also competed at the Operalia competition in Mumbai where she continued to raise her profile as a young singer to watch and won the CulturArte Prize.

A native of New Zealand, she completed her Bachelor of Music at Vision College and later studied at the University of Waikato. She later studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and trained at the National Opera Studio in London. Boom later became a member of the Bayerische Staatsoper Opera Studio where performed in such productions as “Das Rheingold,” “Die Zauberflöte,” “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” and  Miroslav Srnka’s opera “Singularity.”

Boom has already performed with the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Staatsoper Stuttgart, Royal Danish Opera, Staatsoper Hannover, and Royal Theater Carré. In this coming season, she is set to make her Paris Opera debut and will also return to New Zealand to perform with the symphony orchestra. 

Matthew Cairns

This past year Canadian tenor was part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artists where he got to cover the role of Leonard in “The Hours.” He also participated in the Gerda Lissner Foundation’s International Vocal Competition where he took Judge’s Special prizes and the Belvedere Opera Competition where he received third prize and the International Media Jury Award.

But his year also took him back to the Canadian Opera Company where he was a studio member for many years.

Cairns has established himself over the past years as a rising star having been named on CBC’s 2019 “30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30” and having won the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. He was also a finalist in the 2022 Neue Stimmen competition and was the First Prize winner of the 2018 Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio Competition.

Upcoming engagements include Cairns’ Paris Opera debut in “Das Rheingold.”

Erika Grimaldi

Italian Soprano Erika Grimaldi has been hailed for her “beautifully floated pianissimos” and her “pellucid tone.” Her interpretations of Verdi and Puccini have brought her to many of the leading theaters in the world including the Teatro alla Scala, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and Opéra National de Montpellier. Her repertoire is immense including such operas as “Tosca,” “Manon Lescaut,” “La Boheme,” “Ernani,” “Luisa Miller,” and  “Il Trovatore,” to name a few.

In May the soprano had a breakthrough when she stepped in to perform the title role of “Tosca” at the Teatro Regio di Parma on short notice. The soprano received raves with critics noting, “hers is a highly internalized Tosca, strong in a wise expressive research and in an everywhere nuanced phrasing, therefore fully convincing also for that sweet and delicate voice of hers, homogeneous in all registers, well supported in the melodic arc.”

Coming up Grimaldi will make her highly anticipated debut at the Opernhaus Zurich in “Un Ballo in Maschera” and performances at the Welsh National Opera, and Teatro Carlo Felice.

Navasard Hakobyan

The Armenian baritone has been the toast of the competition circuit over the past two years. In 2023 he won the third Prize and Don Plácido Domingo Ferrer Prize of Zarzuela at the Operalia World Opera Competition and in 2024 he won the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition and the Dallas Opera’s National Vocal Competition. He also participated in the Queen Sonja Competition as well as the Academy’s Marilyn Horne Song Competition, and the Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition.

He also participated in the Salzburg Festival’s Young Singers Project and joined as a studio member at the Houston Grand Opera, where he won the 34th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers in 2022. In 2023 he joined Askonas Holt for management and since then has already made debuts at the Houston Grand Opera and Dallas Opera. This season, he will make his house and European debut at the Semperoper Dresden Semperoper as Marcello “La bohème” and will sing Brahm’s Requiem with the Santa Barbara Symphony.

Hakobyan is a former member of the Young Artist Programme of the National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Yerevan, Armenia and was named the winner of the President of the Republic of Armenia Youth Prize in 2019.

Alasdair Kent

It’s been an incredible year for the Australian tenor, who has become an exciting voice around the world. Having graduated from the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and trained at Opera Philadelphia’s Emerging Artist Program, Wolf Trap Opera’s Filene Young Artist Program, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, and the Lisa Gasteen National Opera School, today, Kent is performing at every major opera house in the world.

He has been praised for his “refined technique and intense expressiveness” as well as “great clarity” of tone. He has also become known for his Bel Canto interpretations, especially Rossini as well as Mozart, Donizetti, and Bellini, and has already performed at the Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Real Madrid, the Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, the Rossini Opera Festival, and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

This past season saw the tenor at the Opernhaus Zürich, Orchestre National de Lille, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Theater an der Wien, Stavanger Symfoniorkester, Teatro Massimo, and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in important new productions exploring a range of classical, Bel Canto and modern music. Among those works were “Platee,” “Written on Skin,” and “Iphigénie en Aulide.” Coming up for the tenor will be debuts at the Opéra de Lyon and Teatro alla Scala.

Long Long

This past season Long Long made such a splash at the Dallas Opera that he received the 2023-24 Maria Callas Debut Artist Award for his interpretation of Roméo in “Roméo et Juliette.”

A native of China, Long Long has slowly built a prestigious career that has seen him win the Neue Stimmen competition and receive prizes at the Francisco Viñas Singing Contest, the Moniuszko Vocal Competition in Warsaw, and the Verdi Competition. He has also been a member of the Opera Studio of the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Salzburg Festival Young Singers Project, and Georg Solti Academy.

He has already performed at the Royal Opera House, Semperoper Dresden, Atlanta Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Staatsoper Hamburg, Staatsoper Hannover, Dutch National Opera, and the Israeli Opera in numerous roles including works by Verdi, Mozart, Puccini, Gounod, and Donizetti.

Upcoming engagements include his debut at the Staatsoper Berlin as well as returns to the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Canadian Opera Company, Santa Fe Opera, and Bregenzer Festspiele, among others.

Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha

It seems like the South African soprano has become one of the most sought-after young sopranos for her “golden color,” “sumptuous, plush sound, and floated high notes.” And earlier in 2024 she was recognized with the 2024 Herbert von Karajan Prize at the Salzburg Easter Festival as one of the up and coming artists of her generation.

Since winning the Song Prize at the 2021 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition and is a current BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist award, Rangwanasha has performed with many of the great opera companies in the world including the Washington National Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Hamburg State Opera, and the Royal Opera House, which she also toured with to Japan.

She has also performed alongside the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Her repertoire has been varied showcasing her voice in Verdi, Puccini, Mendelssohn, Vaughn Williams and Mahler, among many others.

And her career is sure to expand in the coming seasons.

Angel Romero

This past fall, Angel Romero announced himself to the world when he took home the Second Prize as well as the Zarzuela Prize in the 2024 Operalia competition. His lyric tenor shone in “Una Furtiva Lagrima” from “L’Elisir d’Amore.”

Originally from Houston, Romero completed his studies at Yale University and Houston Baptist University and later joined the Pittsburgh Opera as a Resident Artist where performed in productions of “Così fan tutte,” “Florencia en el Amazonas” and “Alcina.” He was also part of the Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program.

Since then he has made debuts at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Austin Opera, and Central City Opera. For his performances, critics have raved and said he has “A golden voice.”

As Romero’s career continues to grow, he has already made international debuts at the Wiener Staatsoper and De Nationale Opera, where he will perform again this season.

Mariangela Sicilia

When the Italian soprano Mariangela Sicilia took the stage of the Arena di Verona to open the 2024 season, she stunned with her gorgeous rendition of “O Quante Volte!” and “O Mio Babbino Caro” announcing herself as a major artist in the international world.

But before that performance, the soprano was already rising up having won third prize in Operalia in 2014 and winning the Premio Franco Abbiati on two occasions. She had already performed at major houses including the Teatro Real, the Dutch National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Salzburg Festival, Sydney Opera House, and Opéra de Monte-Carlo, among many others. In April she made her Teatro alla Scala debut in “La Rondine” premiering a new production after a 30-year absence and was among the stars to pay homage to Puccini at the famed Milanese theater.

Up next the soprano sings returns to the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and the Teatro Comunale di Bologna.

Matilda Sterby

Swedish soprano Matilda Sterby has been a regular presence in her native country for a few years and has been praised for her resonant soprano. But in 2024, she had a career-defining moment winning the Birgit Nilsson Stipendium, an award that recognizes aspiring Swedish singers. She also won the Wilhelm Stenhammar International Music Competition further establishing her as a rising force in the opera world.

Sterby’s career has already led her to the Malmö Opera, Volksoper Wien, Hannover Opera, and Gothenburg Opera, where she had a breakthrough as Marenka in Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride.” She has also won the 2022 Hjördis Schymberg Award and recorded her first album for Naxos.

Upcoming performances will see her at the Volskoper Wien, Malmo Opera and Gothenburg Opera.

The post Best of 2024: OperaWire’s Top Ten Rising Stars 2024 appeared first on OperaWire.

Jakub Hrůša conducts Antonín Dvořák’s “Carnival Overture,” Josef Suk’s “Fantasy in G minor” for violin, and Leoš Janáček’s “Glagolitic Mass.” The concert will include soloists Julia Fischer, Corinne Winters, Bella Adamova, David Butt Philip, and Brindley Sherratt.

Performance Date: Sept. 7, 2024

Semyon Bychkov conducts a Brahms program with Christian Immler.

Performance Dates: Oct. 2-4, 2024

Magdalena Kožená and Giovanni Antonini lead a program of music by Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, and Josef Mysliveček.

Performance Dates: Oct. 17-19, 2024

Semyon Bychkov conducts Antonín Dvořák’s Violin Concerto in A minor and Leoš Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass. Jan Mráček, Lyubov Petrova, Lucie Hilscherová, Aleš Briscein, and David Leigh star.

Performance Dates: Nov. 22, 2024

Semyon Bychkov conducts Bach’s Mass in B Minor with Miriam Kutrowatz, Catriona Morison, Laurence Kilsby, and Christian Immler.

Performance Dates: Jan. 22-24, 2025

Simon Rattle conducts Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances and Leoš Janáček’s “Glagolitic Mass.” Soloists include Iwona Sobotka, Lucie Hilscherová, Pavel Černoch, and Jan Martiník.

Performance Dates: Jan. 29-31, 2025

Arthur Honegger’s “Joan of Arc” will star Audrey Bonnet, Sébastien Dutrieux, Susanne Bernhard, Mélissa Petit, Kyle van Schoonhoven, and Zachary Altman. Lukáš Vasilek conducts.

Performance Dates: Feb. 13-15, 2025

Kurt Weill’s “The Seven Deadly Sins” and Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances will be conducted by Simon Rattle. The concert will include soloists Magdalena Kožená, Aleš Briscein, Alessandro Fisher, Lukáš Zeman, and Florian Boesch.

Performance Dates: April 9-11, 2025

Jakub Hrůša conducts a program of music by Pavel Zemek Novák, Edvard Grieg, and Vladimír Sommer. The concert will include pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, mezzo Markéta Cukrová, and narrator Martin Myšička.

Performance Dates: April 24-26, 2025

Jakub Hrůša conducts Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Josef Suk’s “Epilogue.” Soloists include Alžběta Poláčková, Jiří Brückler, and Jan Šťáva.

Performance Dates: April 30-May 2, 2025

Chamber Music 

Adam Plachetka and David Švec lead a program including music by Bedřich Smetana, Zdeněk Fibich, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss, and Antonín Dvořák.

Performance Date: Dec 16, 2024

Michael Volle and Reinhard Seehafer lead a program of music by Antonín Dvořák, Reinhard Seehafer, and Franz Liszt.

Performance Date: March 10, 2025

Markéta Cukrová and Miroslav Sekera perform in recital. The program includes music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn.

Performance Date: March 18, 2025

The post Czech Philharmonic Announces 2024-25 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

The Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship has named Alena Hron of the Czech Republic as its 2024-26 Fellow. It also announced the start of the Richmond Symphony Conducting Apprenticeship.

Along with Hron, Nefeli Chadouli of Greece has been selected as an Associate Fellow. Award Recipients include Jessica Altarriba, Cuba, Hannah Howard Andresen, Denmark, Micah Gleason, U.S.A, and Karen Ní Bhroin of Ireland. The conductors were selected out of 150 applicants from 42 countries.

Hron has conducted widely across her native Czech Republic, having led performances at the Prague Chamber Philharmonic, Hradec Králové Philharmonic, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Zlín, Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. She studied conducting, composition, and arranging at the Prague Conservatory and works regularly with the Prague Philharmonic Choir. She also co-founded and led the award-winning Punkt chamber choir.

Chadouli is the conductor of the Babylon Orchester Berlin and founded the Youth Orchestra at the National Conservatory of Greece in 2014.  Chadouli has conducted numerous ensembles in both Germany and Greece, and participated in masterclasses for both symphonic and opera repertoire.

Altarriba was recently named the New Jersey Symphony’s first-ever Colton Conducting Fellow for the 2023–24 season, while she is also a Freeman Conducting Fellow with the Chicago Sinfonietta. She has worked with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Peabody Symphony Orchestra, and Lüneburg Symphoniker to name a few.

Andresen has led several of Norway’s professional orchestras, including the Bergen Philharmonic, and the Kristiansand, Stavanger, and Trondheim symphony orchestras, and was a conducting fellow at the Aspen Music Festival. In addition to her podium work, she teaches Ensemble Leadership at the University of Stavanger in Norway, and lectures on the subject of Gender and Music, challenging stereotypes and exploring the portrayal of women in the field of conducting and within the classical music industry, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to breaking barriers.

Conductor and mezzo-soprano Gleason is the current Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music and was a participant in the 2024 Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera. She has conducted The Orchestra Now and the Dallas Opera Orchestra. She has also served as the assistant conductor for productions with Opera Philadelphia and The Glimmerglass Festival, and led concerts at Chamber Music Northwest, Philharmonic Society of Orange County, and at the 92nd Street Y.

Bhroin makes her debut with the London Symphony Orchestra this season, and returns to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and Manchester Camerata. As a partner with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, she is developing and conducting the orchestra’s community and relaxed programs over the next three years. She is also the Creator of the podcast “And Other Duties, The Life of the Assistant Conductor” and Co-Founder of the And Other Duties conducting courses.

“As we enter our 22nd year, it gives me enormous pride to announce a new cohort of Fellows and Award Recipients,” said the TACF founder and acclaimed conductor Marin Alsop in a press release. She continues by saying, “The skill level of our applicants is inspiring, giving me great hope for the future of women in this field. These emerging conductors have such talent, curiosity, creativity, and promise—I can’t wait to see how they flourish. I’m gratified that the community we’re creating through this fellowship is, in turn, creating more opportunities for women on podiums around the world. This is the kind of growth in the field we’ve been hoping for.”

The Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship has also announced that in the 2024-25 season, the Richmond Symphony, led by Music Director and 2015 TACF Fellow Valentina Peleggi, will launch the first Richmond Symphony Conducting Apprenticeship with conductor Claire Lewis. Throughout the season, she will work with the top musical organizations in Virginia such as the Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera, and Richmond Ballet, and with Peleggi and other Richmond Symphony staff conductors, as well as artistic teams from connected organizations.

The post Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Announces 2024-26 Fellow & Award Recipients appeared first on OperaWire.

Britten’s “Peter Grimes” is a director’s dream.

Who is Grimes? It is certain he is a loner; an outsider and a social misfit open to fits of temper. Yet there is also a sensitive side to his nature that comes out intermittently throughout the opera, notably in his aria “Now the Great Bear and the Pleiades” and in the reflective passage, “In dreams I’ve built myself some kindlier home.” Undoubtedly, he is a deeply layered and ambiguous figure, but is he capable of murder, sadism or worse? And what of the other characters in the story, particularly the people of the Borough, who come together as a crowd with a single intent: do they have any responsibility for the boy’s death and for accentuating Grimes’ dysfunctional behavior?

The options open to the director, which fall between the two extremes of Grimes the victim and Grimes the murderer, are manyfold, and over the years they have offered up many different and interesting interpretations.

Grimes Versus the Crowd

The director, David Radok, took a largely unambiguous approach. For him, Grimes is a victim who is unable to deal successfully with the pressures of the Borough’s intolerant, inward-looking and small-minded populace. When his apprentice, John, falls to his death in Act two, Radok makes it very clear that Grimes is innocent of his death and shines the light of blame directly onto the mob. Startled by the noise of the crowd approaching his house, he turns and lets go of the rope holding John as he climbs down the cliff, who falls to his death. Of course, he does not portray Grimes as wholly innocent; his violence, his inability to control his temper and his disinterest which verged on contempt for the community, were all clearly on view. By comparison with many other productions, however, he was a far more sympathetic character. And why not? Britten’s sympathies with Grimes are clearly evident in the music.

The tenor Joachim Bäckström produced a first-rate performance in the role and successfully captured Grimes’ sensitivities. He often came across as noble and reflective, which made his violent and coarse outbursts appear disjointed and wild, although never gratuitous. Rather, they were born of his frustrations, resulting from his inability to connect with and understand the wider community, and crowds do not take kindly to such people!

At least, the audience had little problem sympathizing with Bäckström’s Grimes, which made his assault on Ellen all the more shocking and dramatically pungent. Moreover, it was very difficult to believe that he had murdered any of the boys. The impression was reinforced by the beautiful and tender expressivity that Bäckström was able to imbue the vocal line, in which his own suffering, frustrations and sense of non-understanding were clearly wrought. His singing of “Now the Great Bear and the Pleiades” was sung in complete isolation in the pub, full of people. While the perplexed crowd looked on without any comprehension whatsoever of what Grimes was saying, he gave voice to his thoughts, totally unaware of their presence. It was a fine moment that showed off his sensitively crafted phrasing and pleasing timbre to good effect.

Radok’s treatment of the crowd, however, was unsympathetic. Clearly identifying it as the source of the problem, he took every opportunity to portray their intolerance, and the pressures they exert, on all around them to conform to their prejudices, values and views. He used their physical presence to menace people, and it was not just Grimes who fell victim; anyone who stepped outside the prescribed limits would be targeted. The well-meaning Ellen Orford was subjected to its rough treatment as they surrounded and closed in on her space, intimidating her for not sharing its view of Grimes. Mrs. Sedley was mocked by the crowd, not because of her vicious tongue or hypocrisy, but because she thought the pub and its customers were below her. There was no ambiguity in its part in the drama; if it were not for the crowd, John would not have fallen to his death.

His interpretation was supported by the chorus-master, Pavel Koñárek, who led the Janáčkovy Opera Chorus in a brilliantly sung performance that highlighted both its sentimental nature and its vicious intent, particularly in the Act three chorus “Who holds himself apart,” where they faced the audience and cried out “Peter Grimes” again and again with increasing ferocity.

Grimes’ Clearly Defined Relationships

Likewise, Radok’s portrayal and development of the other characters and their relationships, especially between Grimes and Ellen and Grimes and Balstrode, were expertly crafted to carry the narrative in a clear and dramatically strong manner that highlighted his interpretation.

Does Grimes love Ellen, or does he see her simply as a means of salvation? There was little on Grimes’ part to suggest any real love, but Jana Šrejma Kačírková’s Ellen was clearly committed to him. She stood up for him against the crowd; she suffered when she realized that Grimes was beating John; and her cry of pain when she understood that Balstrode was asking Grimes to take his own life was spine-chilling. It was an exceptionally strong performance that captured the roller coaster of her emotions. Moreover, her voice was perfect for the role. Her singing was secure, agile and expressive, topped by a beautiful, silvery upper register that positively shone. Even in the most dramatically intense moments, she sang without any sense of vocal anxiety. Her aria “Glitter of waves and glitter of sunlight,” sung against a choral background of parishioners in the church, not only showed off the tonal beauty of her voice and her delightful phrasing, but also its wonderful dexterity. Her confrontation with Grimes, which immediately followed, confirmed the quality of her expression as she articulated her concerns and inner conflict, in which her voice rang out, drenched with emotional strength.

Baritone Svatopluk Sem was an unsentimental, practical Balstrode who dealt fairly with Grimes, but who was more interested in bringing stability to the Borough. His singing was resonant, secure and forthright, successfully conveying the impression of a person of good standing within the community. His exchanges with Grimes were direct and explicit, clearly displaying that he felt no personal animosity towards him, but neither did he shirk from saying what he believed to be necessary.

The Borough’s gossip, Mrs. Sedley, was essayed by contralto Jitka Sapara Fischerová, who provided a compelling characterization that drew heavily upon the stereotype. She was a real busy body, always around, listening to and judging; nothing escaped her prying eyes. She sang with a great deal of versatility as she moved her voice effortlessly in order to capture a range of negative traits; sometimes she sounded haughty and hypocritical, at other times she coated the voice with a vicious curl, yet she always sounded judgmental.

The role of Auntie is based firmly on the traditional image of the pub landlady. She has to be cheerful, strong-willed and able to roll with the banter of the customers. It really needs to be played as a stereotype to work effectively. Unfortunately, mezzo-soprano Jana Hrochová did not quite capture the stereotype, and the character fell a little flat. She was not helped by her poor pronunciation of English. Musically, she sounded strong.

Baritone Jiří Hájek gave a nuanced performance as the apothecary Ned Keene, which allowed the character to move beyond the stereotypically loud-mouthed showoff by highlighting his intelligence and fundamental decency. His singing was secure and resonant, and his English intonation was excellent.

Bass Jan Štáva made an excellent impression in the role of Swallow. Possessing the necessary gravitas for the role, he sang with the necessary confidence and certainty for his position as a lawyer and as a man of authority. His voice has a pleasing, rounded quality, which he used expressively to bring the character to life.

The two nieces were played by sopranos Andrea Široká and Tereza Kyzlinková. As is normally the case, they acted out their part as a pair, both supporting and sparking off each other. They were frivolous and provocative, flirtatious and coquettish. Both gave solid singing performances.

Bob Boles is the typical religious hypocrite. All is correct on the surface, but after a few drinks, he is aggressive, lecherous and opinionated. Tenor Vít Nosek gave a convincing, animated performance, playing up all his character’s negative traits. He was a splendid drunk.

Bass David Nykl produced a strong, secure and confident reading of Hobson, while tenor Petr Levíček convinced as the weak-willed and ineffectual Reverend Horace Adams.

Yet what were we to make of the boy, John? He was certainly afraid of Grimes and did not want to be in his presence. Grimes did beat him; that much is certain. But was it possible to read more into this than just the reactions of a fragile child who finds himself in strange surroundings without anyone to turn to? This was a question that was left hanging and was probably the most ambivalent part of Radok’s interpretation.

A Strongly Designed Staging

Radok, who was also responsible for the scenery, created a set that was dominated by the sea. Across the back of the stage was a seascape, which changed in accordance with the lighting, sensitively designed by Přemysl Janda. As the tensions of the Borough rose and the mists blew in, the set darkened, and the sea became more menacing. It was a marvelous idea that acted on a number of levels: it successfully created the necessary claustrophobic atmosphere and reflected the depth and changing passions of Grimes, but it was also aesthetically pleasing in itself. A rail ran in front of the sea to create a promenade where the citizens of the Borough congregated, creating a sense of shared experience penned in by the sea.

The pub scene in Act one was carefully constructed so that as the storm raged, the people of the Borough, who have been forced to seek refuge inside, are constantly battling to keep the doors and windows closed and into ever closer contact with each other, allowing their shifting emotions to connect to the rising and falling of the storm.

Zuzana Ježková‘s costumes were taken from the mid-20^th century and neatly designed to reflect the characters’ roles and personalities. They sat sympathetically against Radok’s scenery and helped create a visually strong presentation that supported the connection between the narrative and psychology of Grimes and the crowd.

The conductor Marko Ivanović took a similar interpretation to that which he employed for Brno National Theatre’s production of “Salome,” in which he focused on promoting the dramatic nature of the work. He elicited strong dynamic contrasts from the Orchestra Janáčkovy Opera and sensitively managed the tensions over the course of the scenes to meet the needs of the onstage drama. It was a musically exciting reading with a strong forward momentum. And the second sea interlude was absolutely superb; it was certainly the best reading that I have heard. On the negative side, however, the textures were not always well-balanced. Individual sections would occasionally stand out in rude fashion and compromise the atmospheric effect. There was also a tendency to cut short the line in slower passages when it could have been extended to give the sound a deeper, fuller body.

Overall, this was an impressive production. The singing was excellent, the orchestral sound was dramatically strong and Radok’s reading was clearly focused to bring out the strength of the narrative, albeit one that downplayed many of the ambiguities that lie within the work, particularly in the case of Grimes himself, who was presented as the victim of the mob. It was, nevertheless, a captivating presentation, one that kept the audience engrossed throughout the evening.

The post Brno National Theater 2023-24 Review: Peter Grimes appeared first on OperaWire.

“Rusalka,” alone among Dvořák’s operas, has managed to establish itself across the opera world, while his other ten have largely been ignored outside his Czech homeland. One or two have managed to keep a small toehold on the international stage, but only just. It is a strange state of affairs, especially in the case of “The Jacobin.” It might not be surprising that in the Czech Republic it has notched up well over 1000 performances at the Prague National Theatre, but if one considers the positive reception the opera has received when it has been staged in other countries, it is somewhat puzzling. By comparison, Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride,” much like “The Jacobin,” is a pastoral comic opera set in a village among the rolling hills of Bohemia and makes use of the local folk and dance rhythms, however it has suffered no such neglect. Brno Opera’s wonderful current production of “The Jacobin” has only added to the mystery.

The opera, premiered in 1889, is in three acts to a libretto by Marie Červinková-Riegrová. Dvořák, however, was not completely happy with the result and substantially revised the opera in 1897, which included revisions to the libretto by František Ladislav Rieger, the original librettist’s father, and this has become the definitive version and the one used on this occasion.

The narrative, however, is not particularly interesting but is no worse than the usual nonsense that occurs in comic operas. It concerns a count who is in the process of disinheriting his son, Bohuš, in favor of his nephew, Adolf. The count has turned against his son because he does not approve of his wife, Julie, nor of his Jacobite politics. Eventually, it is proved to the count that his son is a fine chap, and Adolf is not such a good soul after all. Add in another love match between Jiří and Terinka, of which her father, Benda, does not approve, along with the Burgrave, who wants Terinka for himself, and the usual ending, in which everything turns out splendidly, and you have the story. It is par for the course for the genre.

Nevertheless, the narrative holds together well, in which each act is neatly constructed, with the work’s overall dramatic shape clearly designed to promote balance and a pleasing forward momentum. There are plenty of opportunities for directors to bring out the comedy, and the drama does include numerous touching moments, particularly in the third act.

It is Dvořák’s music, however, that really makes this an opera worth seeing. His wonderful choral folk melodies, the festive cantata at the beginning of Act two, and the moving individual numbers are all lyrically appealing and possess a sentimental lilt, which fits nicely with the nature of the drama. Again, it is the overall shape that works very well: the first act is awash with folk melodies, but over the course of the opera, the dramatic side of the music becomes more assertive, and the folk element plays a lesser role, which allows the tension to successfully build over the course of the evening.

Glaser’s Clear Direction Successfully Captures the Spirit of the Work

The director, Martin Glaser, was intent on providing a straightforward reading that promoted the narrative without trying to uncover or highlight hidden or tangential themes. So, along with the scenographer, Pavel Borák, they decided on a staging that would reflect the rhythms of peasant daily life and the undulating landscape of the region. Firmly eschewing the idea of green hills, village onion-domed churches, and geese running around outside a village inn, they opted for a wavy, light-brown, pine-colored, tiered stage with small models of white farmhouses, cottages and churches dotted over the surface. The count’s manor house sat on the top tier. A light blue background created the idea of a beautiful summer’s day. Admittedly, this does not sound particularly imaginative or interesting, but it worked exceptionally well. The tiers could be moved up and down to give the stage different shapes and a sense of the changing perspectives of the countryside. It also functioned well by allowing the chorus to enter and leave without causing unnecessary disruption. Moreover, it did give the impression of rolling hills, littered with farms.

The costumes, designed by David Janošek, were not the heavy, traditional folk costumes of the 18^th and 19^th centuries but lighter abstracted versions, which still, however, managed to retain the essence of the tradition. The principal singers were given costumes with bolder designs that reflected their roles and characters. Adolf and the Burgrave, for example, the baddies of the production, were dressed in yellow and green respectively, and had something of the comic about them. It was never possible to take them really seriously.

In fact, Glaser’s presentation had the feel of a storybook. The singers played out their roles in stereotypical fashion, often with exaggerated movements, without any subtlety. Terinka was a good person pursued by the Burgrave, who was a bad person. Bohuš and Julie were also good people, who would hold hands lovingly as they watched on. The peasants are wholesome, lively and happy. Everything was played out in bold strokes, except for the count in the final act. Cold and aloof throughout the opera, he becomes emotional after hearing Julie sing a fondly remembered lullaby, and his heart starts to melt, and his character softens. It was a well-crafted scene and worked because the characters around him are portrayed in a light-hearted, almost superficial, manner, thereby magnifying his transformation.

Strong Singing Performances that Play Up to Their Characters 

Although all the singers engaged with their roles enthusiastically to create clearly identifiable characters, it was their ability to combine as a team that ensured the production was a success. They were attentive to their own roles but were also sensitive to everyone else on stage. There were no standout performances; all the singers played their parts well, both vocally and through their acting.

Bass David Szendiuch produced a convincing portrait of Count Vilém in which he captured his character’s inner pain and strong emotions. For most of the opera, he was a distant, detached figure who interacted only formally with the people around him. However, in the third act, confronted by Benda and then Julie, his memories of his son flood back and he is overwhelmed by emotion, with which he imbued the vocal line. It was his ability to contrast his initial superficial demeanor with his deeply held feelings that made the opera more than just a piece of lighthearted fun.

His son Bohuš was played by baritone Roman Hoza. He portrayed him as a decent, calm, refined young man of good standing, which was reinforced by his staid, middle-class, appearance. He was prone to occasional frustrations; however, Hoza voiced them firmly and never overreacted. His singing was secure and measured with a warm, inviting tone. Even when emotionally roused, he maintained an air of composure and did not allow his voice to overly emphasize or force the point.

Soprano Pavla Vykopalová gave a credible performance as Bohuš’s wife, Julie. She possesses a secure, lyrically appealing voice that is able to move easily into her attractive upper register. Her scene with the count in the third act, in which she sings the lullaby that changes his mood and is followed by a short duet, was sensitively delivered, while her subsequent pleading to the count to forgive Bohuš allowed her to show off the expressive quality of her voice.

As Adolf, the count’s nephew, baritone Tadeáš Hoza was suitably unpleasant in his behavior, although not without an edge of mockery to dampen the impact of the vicious nature of his actions. He possesses a distinctive voice with a pleasing tone in his lower register. He often coated his singing with a demanding, occasionally fierce edge, a must for any serious comic villain.

Bass Jan Štáva was brilliant in his essaying of the Burgrave, playing up the role for all it was worth. In dealing with authority figures like the count or Adolf, he was obsequious in the extreme. When chasing Terinka, he cut a pathetic, foolish figure, and with Jirí, he was threatening and jealous yet cowardly. He lorded it over the peasants with the unpleasant behavior of someone wallowing in their sense of power. Yet, Štáva’s acting ensured that he always verged on the comical, which his green elf-like costume accentuated. His singing was neatly matched to the postures he adopted and was characterized by vocal clarity and expressivity.

Tenor Aleš Briscein, cast as Terinka’s beau Jirí, produced an ardent performance, clearly displaying his love as well as courage in being prepared to face both her father, Benda, who disapproves of him as a potential son-in-law, and the Burgrave, who is forever threatening to conscript him into the army. He has a lyrically resonant tenor, which he successfully employed to voice his passion. Occasionally, he sang with too much volume, which put him out of step with the rest of the cast.

The good-hearted schoolteacher, Benda, had a lot in common with a buffo role in the traditional Italian style: always trying to impose his will on those around him, whether it be the schoolchildren, his daughter or Jirí, he rarely managed to succeed, and was often the butt of other people’s jokes or tricks. The tenor Petr Levícek played the role perfectly; he was often demanding, exasperated and frustrated, which he hammed up to maximum effect. He produced a confident, colorful singing performance in which he showed ability in embellishing the vocal line with emotional infections to heighten the affect. Occasionally, he pushed himself too hard in the upper register and lost a little focus, but it did little to reduce the impact.

Soprano Lucie Kanková was a young, fresh and innocent Terinka, but she knew more than she let on and was quite capable of challenging and manipulating her father. Her voice has a bright, open quality with an attractive upper register and is able to sing with a great sense of freedom. In Act two she showed off the beauty and quality of her voice with a fine rendition of the aria “In autumn’s hazel shrubs,” in which she splendidly captured Dvořák’s pleasing melody. She also has quite a strong stage presence.

Mezzo-soprano Jitka Zerhauová, cast in the relatively small role of Lotinka, produced a solid, clearly sung performance.

It was a marvelous experience watching and listening to the Janáčkovy Opera Chorus singing and dancing its way through the happy, vibrant folk pieces. They were imaginatively and beautifully choreographed, and the chorus master, Pavel Koňárek, oversaw an engaging singing performance, which really brought out the close community relationships, warmth and joy of the peasantry. It was the Act two festive cantata, which included a children’s chorus, however, that really caught the attention. The energy, the depth of the sound, the rhythmic vitality and the clarity of the voices were simply captivating. One might doubt anyone in the theatre could have failed to be moved by their singing.

The conductor, Jakub Klecker, elicited a rhythmically vibrant reading from the Janáčkovy Opera Orchestra, which successfully caught the spirit of the work, especially in its numerous folk-based melodies. Moreover, his handling of the overall musical shape and rich musical textures were expertly judged to ensure that the dramatic tensions and momentum grew steadily towards its Act three climax, yet without ever losing the underlying essential sentimental lilt, which keeps the work from descending into anything too serious.

It was an unexpectedly fine performance of an opera for which one’s expectations were not particularly high. It is a coherent, sentimental work that nevertheless does enough to maintain interest, and Dvořák’s music is so rich in melody that one cannot fail to be charmed. Added to this, the audience was treated to some fine singing from a strong cast, supported by a vibrant reading from the orchestra. It all amounted to a splendid evening of entertainment.

The post National Theatre Brno 2023-24 Review: The Jacobin appeared first on OperaWire.

“Libuse” will star Dana Buresová and will be conducted by Robert Jindra.

Performance Dates: Sept. 2 – 28, 2023

“La Traviata” will feature Marie Fajtová, Lucie Kanková, Jana Sibera, and Taritza Véliz as Violetta Valéry. Andriy Yurkevych, Jirí Strunc, and Giedre Slekyte conduct.

Performance Dates: Sept. 3, 2023 – March 20, 2024

“Carmen” will be headlined by Jordanka Milkova and Nana Dzidziguri in the title role. Rastislav Stúr and Zbynek Müller conduct.

Performance Dates: Sept. 7, 2023 – Jan. 11, 2024

“Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” gets a revival. Andriy Yurkevych and Richard Hein conduct the production by Ondrej Havelka.

Performance Dates: Sept. 8, 2023 – March 19, 2024 

“Die Zauberflöte” will star Petr Nekoranec, Richard Samek, Katerina Knezíková, Lucie Kanková, and Jirí Sulzenko, among others. Jaroslav Kyzlink and Zdenek Klauda share conducting duties.

Performance Dates: Sept. 9, 2023 

“Don Giovanni” will be headlined by Pavol Kubán and Jirí Brückler in the title role. Karsten Januschke and David Svec conduct.

Performance Dates: Sept 9 – Oct. 21, 2023

“Schwanda the Bagpiper” will be conducted by Jan Chalupecky and Zbynek Müller with the title role entrusted to Jirí Brückler and Svatopluk Sem.

Performance Dates: Sept. 10 – Oct. 7, 2023

“The Bartered Bride” stars Jana Sibera, Katerina Knezíková, and Alzbeta Polácková as Marenka. Jaroslav Kyzlink and David Svec conduct.

Performance Dates: Sept. 12 – 21, 2023

“L’Elisir d’Amore” will be presented in a production directed by Julia Burbach conducted by Andriy Yurkevych.

Performance Dates: Sept. 22, 2023 – March 3, 2024

The company will present “Opera is Fun.”

Performance Dates: Sept. 24, 2023

“Il Barbiere di Siviglia” will star Petr Nekoranec, Jirí Sulzenko, Arnheiour Eiríksdóttir, and Adam Plachetka, among others. Jaroslav Kzylink, Marek Sedivy, and Jan Chalupecky conduct.

Performance Dates: Sept. 29 & Oct. 27, 2023

“Rusalka” will have two different stagings. First up is the classic production by Zdenek Toska starring Alzbeta Polácková, Petra Alvarez Simková, and Katerina Knezíková splitting duties in the title role. Ondrej Olos and Jirí Strunc conduct.

Performance Dates: Sept. 29, 2023 – Jan. 7, 2024

“Der Rosenkavalier” will star Petra Alvarez Simková, Timo Riihonen, Karolina Gumos, and Martin Bátra. Gabriel Feltz and Richard Hein conduct a production by Andreas Homoki.

Performance Dates: Oct. 22, 2023

The double bill of Jan Kučera’s “Buoso’s Ghost” and Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” will be conducted by Giancarlo Andretta and features a production by David Radok. Štefan Margita stars as Don Buoso in the former with Svatopluk Sem taking on the lead in the Puccini classic.

Performance Dates: Nov. 3, 2023 – June 26, 2024 

Andriy Yurkevych and Jirí Strunc conduct “La Bohème” with a cast starring Remus Alazaroae, Lyudmila Korsun, Marie Fajtová, and Pavol Kubán.

Performance Dates: Nov. 5, 2023

“The Storm” by Novák will be conducted by Robert Jindra.

Performance Dates: Nov. 11, 2023

“Lady Macbeth of Mstensk” will be conducted by Herman Bäumer. Martin Cicvák directs.

Performance Dates: Nov. 24 – Dec. 17, 2023

David Svec conducts Hindemith’s “Tuttifäntchen.”

Performance Dates: Nov. 30 – Dec. 3, 2023

The company will revive “Ball im Savoy.” Jan Kucera and Anna Novotná-Pesková conduct a cast starring Vanda Sipová and Doubravka Soucková.

Performance Dates: Dec. 6, 2023 – March 17, 2024

“Così fan tutte” gets a revival conducted by Karsten Januchke and Jan Chalupecky. It will star Marie Fajtová, Katerina Kneziková, Michaela Zajmi, Arnheiour Eiríksdóttir, and Martin Srejma, among others.

Performance Dates: Dec. 6, 2023 – May 3, 2024

“The Devil and Kate” will be conducted by Robert Jindra and David Svec with Ales Briscein, Jana Kurucová, Michaela Zajmi, Richard Samek starring.

Performance Dates: Dec. 12, 2023

“Ariadne auf Naxos” will be conducted by Robert Jindra and directed by Sláva Daubnerová.

Performance Dates: Jan 19 – May 30, 2024

“Mefistofele” will be conducted by Gabriel Feltz.

Performance Dates: Feb. 8, 2024

“Nabucco” will be conducted by Andriy Yurkevych in a production by Tomás Ondrej Pilar.

Performance Dates: Feb. 15 – May 12, 2024

Zemlinsky’s “Kleider machen Leute” will be conducted by Giedre Slektyte and Richard Hein with a cast starring Joseph Dennis, Daniel Matousek, Michal Marhold, and Jana Sibera, among others.

Performance Dates: March 7 – April 7, 2024

“Rusalka” will also be presented in a production by SKUTR, conducted by Tomás Netopil.

Performance Dates: March 8 – June 2, 2024

For “Roméo et Juliette” audiences will see Jana Sibera and Petr Nekoranec in the title roles. Andriy Yurkevych and Richard Hein conduct.

Performance Dates: May 5 & 18, 2024

“Armida” is set to star Alzbeta Polácková and Frantisek Zahradnicek. Robert Jindra conducts a production by Jiri Herman.

Performance Dates: May 19 – June 25, 2024

Smetana’s “The Secret” will be conducted by Robert Jindra. Ondrek Havelka conducts.

Performance Dates: May  24 – June 16, 2024

“Le Grande Macabre” will be conducted by Jirí Rozen.

Performance Dates: June 14, 2024

Andriy Yurkevych and Richard Hein will conduct “Aida” with a cast staring Ewa Plonka and Maritina Tampakopoulos in the title role. Other cast members include Michal Lehotsky and Denys Pivnitskyi.

Performance Dates: TBA

Richard Hein conducts “Hänsel und Gretel.” The cast stars Jana Horáková Levicová, Michaela Zakmi, Yukiko Kinko, and Jana Sibera sharing the two title roles.

Performance Dates: TBA 

Alzbeta Polkácková sings the title role of “Jenufa.” Robert Jindra conducts.

Performance Dates: TBA 

Calixto Bieito’s production of “Katya Kabanova” will be conducted by Jaroslav Kyzlink and stars Alzbeta Polkácková in the title role.

Performance Dates: TBA

“Le Nozze di Figaro” will be conducted by Zbynek Müller and Petr Popelka. It will star Milos Horák and Jan Stáva in the title role.

Performance Dates: TBA

For “Macbeth,” audiences will see Olafur Sigurdarson and Marina Prudenskaya as the titular couple. Andriy Yurkevych and Jirí Strunc will conduct.

Performance Dates: TBA

Andriy Yurkevych and Jirí Strunc will conduct “Madama Butterfly” with a cast starring Csilla Boross and Olga Busuioc as Cio-Cio San.

Performance Dates: TBA

Olafur Sigurdarson, Daniel Capkovic, Daniel Luis de Vicente, and Aluda Todua share the title role of “Rigoletto.” Vincenzo Milletarì and Richard Hein split conducting duties.

Performance Dates: TBA

Petra Alvarez Simková, Ghiulnara Raileanu, Rodrigo Porras Garulo, Peter Berger, Matteo Lippi, Krzysztof Szumanski, and Daniel Capkovic headline “Tosca.” Andriy Yurkevych and Jirí Strunc conduct.

Performance Dates: TBA

The post National Theatre Opera and State Opera of Prague Unveils 2023-24 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

One of the numerous illusions about United States history among Americans is that the country is the ultimate force for good in the world, “a shining city upon a hill,” as President Ronald Reagan declared. We believe in the fiction of rugged individualism, exceptionalism, the solitary figure on horseback with a six-shooter and a Remington, and our unassailable goodness.

Americans have much to be proud of, accomplishments that should not be overlooked. We, as a nation, have battled and died for democracy against formidable opponents all over the world; we have led in innovation; and we are generally fair and helpful to each other and our allies when calamities of any type—natural or human-made—strike.

Yet we choose to ignore the darker side: genocide of Native Americans, slavery, the devastation of beautiful landscapes, and outright hostility of those we claim to welcome, be they Irish, Italians, Chinese, Latin Americans, and so on. With each wave of immigrants comes the opprobrium of the ‘other.’ That is not only our nation’s past, but, terribly, our present as well.

One of the stains on American history is the internment of 120,000 people of Japanese descent living in the US, one-third of whom were born in the United States, during the Second World War. These were fully-fledged citizens, protected by the Constitution, equal under the law, and a part of the American tapestry. Yet Japanese Americans were imprisoned forcibly for fear of forming a fifth column.

Particularly singled out were those who replied “No” to Questions 27 and 28 of the Loyalty Oath. Question 27 asked if Nisei men (second generation, born in America) would serve in combat if summoned. Question 28 asked for unqualified loyalty to the United States and called for the renunciation of any and all allegiance to the Japanese Emperor. Those who answered “No” and “No” were labeled ‘No-No Boys’ and were considered the most dangerous of Japanese Americans. The No-Nos were sent to Tule Lake Maximum Security “Segregation Center”—a euphemism if ever there was one—in Tulelake, California. Let us call it what it was: a maximum-security prison filled with innocent men, women, and children whose only crime was being Japanese American. Due process and equality under the law? How quaint.

Oftentimes, answering “No” and “No” to Questions 27 and 28 were done for reasons unrelated to loyalty to Japan. Some Japanese American men were perplexed. If they responded “Yes” to Question 28, would they still be sent into combat despite their conscientious objection to serving? Some No-Nos responded in the negative in protest, but that came with consequences when the camps closed—Tule Lake was shuttered in May 1946, nearly a year after Japan’s surrender.

The Japanese American prisoners at the Tule Lake facility were designated as “enemies of the state” and, as such, placed behind barbed-wire fences with armed guards in watchtowers and housed in barracks unsuitable for human habitation. Medical care was almost non-existent, leading to needless deaths. Food was nearly inedible, protests within camps were mercilessly suppressed, and daily life a struggle. Tule Lake and camps around the country were hellish places.

One of the most unsettling elements of this atrocious history was that once the war was over, the government expected Japanese Americans to forgive Uncle Sam; after all, what was done was done for the sake of the nation’s defense. In other words, “Sorry for doing that to you, but let’s move on…” as if the camps were just an anomaly in an otherwise stellar history of freedom and democracy.

How about “No” ad infinitum?

In 1988, President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act in which Congress apologized on behalf of the nation for the internment camps, saying they did “a grave injustice” to those of Japanese ancestry. Reparations were made: $20,000 was given to over 82,000 of the 112,000 formerly interned Japanese Americans. In total, over one billion dollars went toward reparations (three billion dollars in 2019 money).

Let us put that in perspective. The same year Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, the nation’s defense budget was $309.66 billion. While $20,000 in 1988 was worth more than today, it was still a pittance for a trip to hell, and some of the formerly interned did not get a penny. Japanese Americans lost their homes, their farms, their livelihoods, and their human dignity, yet all the government could spare was one billion dollars. Making tangible amends for past evils is not one of America’s strengths.

Sad. Yes, but sad is an adjective and an emotion. It is right to feel that way about the camps and white America’s hatred toward Japanese Americans, but reprehensible, disgusting, and utterly shameful are the correct adjectives, for they describe the policy, its implementation, and the foul mistreatment of American citizens of Japanese descent from 1941 to 1946.

Comprehending the history of this American tragedy is important to understanding librettist Philip Kan Gotanda’s and composer Max Giteck Duykers’ chamber opera “Both Eyes Open,” which premiered at the Flea Theater in New York on January 12, 2023. A strong sensation of horror sits in your gut when the house lights come on. “Americans did this to other Americans? Oh my God.” Because we have conveniently glossed over details of what Japanese Americans faced, the opera was a gut punch.

You might remark, “Thanks for the history lesson, but what about the opera?”

Understand that the opera’s program was a detailed, history-filled booklet. I applaud the creative team for providing so thorough a background of information. The reviewer appreciates their careful work, and they deserve all the praise and credit for the history that was justly provided.

Opera No Longer Relevant?

The plot of Duykers and Gotanda’s “Both Eyes Open” revolves around a Japanese American farmer named Jinzo Matsumoto, sung by the baritone Suchan Kim, and his romance and marriage to Catharine, whom soprano Zen Wu portrayed. From their awkward courtship through their early marriage, we see the pair during their happiest moments in the 1930s.

With the arrival of 1941 comes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, killing 2,403 people, including 68 civilians. There were over 1,000 casualties. Eight battleships were among the 19 US Navy vessels that were lost or damaged. Japan destroyed the American Pacific Fleet in an hour and fifteen minutes. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who famously wrote in his diary, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a deadly resolve,” realized the implications of the Imperial Navy’s onslaught almost immediately.

Indeed, they did. Later that day, the US declared war on Japan, beginning a brutal conflict that lasted until August 1945.

America was furious, and Japanese Americans would suffer the consequences. They take Jinzo and Catherine into custody, place them on a train with its’ windows blacked out, and send them to a camp in Rohwer, Arkansas, where Catherine and their child pass away during childbirth because of non-existent medical care.

‘The land of opportunity,’ where a Japanese potato farmer named George Shima became the first Asian millionaire in the US, had lost its luster. Jinzo responds “No” to both Questions 27 and 28 of the Loyalty Oath in angry protest, which makes him an enemy of the state, so the government transfers him to Tule Lake.

At the close of the war, all Japanese Americans were given their lives back—so to speak. When Jinzo returns to his farm, he is met by the new owner, a Japanese American woman. The woman knows Jinzo is a No-No Boy and berates and strikes him, angered that her husband had fought and died for traitors like him. He, unlike, the No-Nos, had done his duty as an American. Jinzo’s experience was not uncommon. Nisei men found ways of dealing with their shame—from hiding their past to suicide.

The courageous exploits of the over 14,000 Nisei males who rotated through the all-Japanese American 442nd Regiment, the most decorated in United States history with 18,000 awards—4,000 Purple Hearts and 4,000 Bronze Stars—only compounded No-No shame. Their battlefield successes were testament to their dedication to the ideals of America at a time when white Americans exhibited virulent hatred of all things Japanese.

Jinzo, shamed and penniless, commits suicide, placing himself in front of an oncoming train.

“Both Eyes Open” demonstrates the strength of opera as an art form and its’ contemporary relevance. The audience gets crushed by history throughout Duykers and Gotanda’s opera. It hurts to think about it, and it is challenging not to feel ashamed. It is unusual to hear nothing at all when a show ends. So it was in the Flea Theater. Until the cast took their bows to resounding applause, it appeared like few in the crowd knew how to react.

History Onstage

The opera’s structure, as previously indicated, was not conventional and had substantial amounts of dialogue for an 80-minute performance.

Stage left in the black-box theater were musicians. At center-left downstage, a Daruma doll was perched on a pedestal. Tenor John Duykers—not to be confused with Max Giteck Duykers, the composer—was seated stage right. Kim and Wu stayed center stage throughout the opera.

Duykers played the part of the Daruma Doll and wore a scarlet, flowing robe like a monk’s. The character is an ever-present narrator throughout the opera, but Duykers also plays a number of small, non-speaking roles. He becomes a farmer when he dons a straw cowboy hat. Similarly, when he puts a head mirror on, he transforms into a doctor.

A Daruma doll is what? Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk who lived in the fifth or sixth century CE and is credited with inventing Shaolin kung fu, is known in Japan as ‘Daruma.’ Bodhidharma’s biography is very sketchy, and what is known about him should be treated with caution and as legend. What is true, however, is that the Daruma is the Japanese styling of Bodhidharma.

The doll itself is thought to possess mystical abilities that can bring luck. Usually, they are fashioned of paper mâché and are merely heads, lacking bodies and eyeballs. Owners of a Daruma are required to make a specific wish. One eyeball is painted in once the wish is made. The second eye is added if the wish is granted. The meaning of the title “Both Eyes Open” may be quite subtle, implying both the significance of the doll in Jinzo and Catherine’s lives as a good-luck charm, as well as the idea that seeing things clearly requires having both eyes open. Unfortunately, the Daruma doll Jinzo and Catherine bury in their field does not bring luck.

Tall and with a baritone speaking voice, J. Duykers was the ideal narrator. When he sings, however, he is a tenor and it is apparent why he has appeared at many renowned venues across the world. Famously, he embodied the character of Mao Tse Tung in John Adam’s “Nixon in China.” Duykers has performed in over 100 contemporary works, and he is a passionate advocate for them all.

The question that arose after reading his bio and listening to him was: why is he singing off-key? Duyker’s out-of-tune singing gave the vocal line discord, conflict, and uncertainty. All three states are appropriate for the story. Jinzo and Catherine, both citizens of the United States, struggle to reconcile the country’s terrible xenophobia, bigotry, and racism with its reputation as a land of opportunity and freedom. In the drama’s background, a global struggle rages, and Jinzo, Catherine, and all Japanese Americans face a future that is incredibly uncertain.

Suchan Kim is a compelling baritone with a sophisticated, stentorian voice. Sporadic bright moments show a youthful and somewhat naïve guy with no idea what lies in front of him. The audience witnesses a man’s entire existence destroyed by injustice and cruelty. Kim had to get through the emotional maze in just 80 minutes, not over the course of three or four hours, and he managed the gauntlet wonderfully.

Dramatic coloratura soprano Zen Wu portrayed a young lady whose life is cut short and whose ambitions are crushed, matching Kim’s tremendous stage presence. Catherine is kind but strong, has a sharp mind, and a strong sense of independence. Both songs and conversations feature these characteristics. As she encounters the ugliness of life behind barbed wire, her voice—both speaking and singing—transitions from light innocence to weighty maturity and, finally, utter tragedy. It was heart-wrenching to see Wu’s depiction of Catherine’s final moments. In this scene, M. Duykers and Gotanda brought verismo into the 21st century with a death scene that rivals most of Puccini’s doomed heroines.

Tight Story with Unique Orchestration

Gotanda’s libretto is Verdi-tight. Every scene furthers the plot, never bogging down in minutia or sidetracked by historical background. That can all be found in the program. Without contextualization, the opera is a tragic love story set in an internment camp. When placed within the larger conflicts—Japan against Allied Forces, white Americans against Japanese Americans—it takes on an epic quality by the amount of ground it covers during its short runtime. Jinzo and Catherine are swept up in something infinitely larger than themselves. The macro tragedy of world war intersects with the micro tragedy of personal love and loss. Gotanda trusts his audience to familiarize themselves with the macro through the detailed but easily digestible program notes. This approach freed the librettist to focus solely on the micro without sacrificing the massive sweep of the war years.

There’s another interesting element to the storyline. While the government used national security as its rationale for placing Japanese Americans in concentration camps, was it the only reason? Or was the increasing prosperity of Japanese Americans rankling white farmers? The Alien Land Laws were crafted as a devious way to limit the rights of Asian immigrants. Many Japanese immigrants farmed as a livelihood. Farms are parcels of land, and land is worth money. Removing Japanese Americans from their farms freed up a large amount of land for white Americans. Anti-Japanese groups whipped up hatred that led to such laws through disinformation, pointing to an imaginary economic threat and the lie that Japanese immigrants did not want to assimilate into American society.

The music, composed by M.G. Duykers, was an eerie fusion of conventional and electronic instruments. Four musicians made up Ensemble Ipse: pianist Geoffrey Burleson, clarinetist Christa Van Alstine, and violinist Esther Noh. Guest performer Joel Davel, a Marimba Lumina artist, joined them. A Marimba Lumina is played by striking and activating electronic pads and sliders using mallets. The percussionist/sound alchemist used four mallets to activate and control a broad variety of sounds, from symphony instruments to sound effects. One pad, for instance, might be utilized for a variety of pre-programmed sounds. It was fascinating to witness Davel perform two tasks simultaneously while displaying virtuosity on his hallmark instrument. He incorporated dozens of sounds into the story and emulated extra instruments to give the ensemble’s line more depth.

On the podium was Benjamin Makino, who held the position of Music Director of Opera Memphis and is well-versed in innovation. He left his mark on the company. During his tenure, he introduced innovative community programs, unique commissions, and experimentation. OPERA America has recognized Makino as one of the art form’s future leaders. Interpreting and presenting the innovative score was undoubtedly no small task when a Marimba Lumina was in the mix. Effect cues were mixed in with musical ones. Though his band was small, he had a lot going on, all of which he appeared to handle with ease.

Another creative alchemist’s artistry was on display, literally. Visual alchemist Matthew Eben Jones’ 3D depictions of the Tule Lake barracks, the train ride to Rohwer, and bountiful fields, were some of the best projections I have seen. According to his bio, Eben Jones ‘creates immersive, stereo-scope, audio reactive projections…’ Yes, he certainly does. Visually stunning, the projections—combined with Joel Davel’s wizardry—situated the audience in the story.

The final and most disturbing visual came last. It was a photo of an unknown Japanese American who committed suicide by placing his neck on one of the rails. His body lay on one side, while his head was between the tracks. But returning to the ideas of the macro and the micro, the gruesome photo showed the impact of a US policy born of racism and fear on individuals, using one intensely powerful image of a man driven to suicide by shame, dehumanization, and a very uncertain future. But there is something else intriguing about the photo. A Daruma doll has no legs, no torso, and no arms. It too is just a head.

The post Flea Theater 2023 Review: Both Eyes Open appeared first on OperaWire.

Would any opera house be bold enough to present a work about the horrors of life in a gulag in which the guilty and innocent are thrown together to be abused, debased and left to die? Undoubtedly, the answer is yes! What if it were to be presented in a Christian context, in which Christ walks among the prisoners, a witness to their suffering and misery, yet does not intervene? Again, the answer is likely to be in the affirmative. How about if, after their deaths, the prisoners are resurrected, saved by the blood of the redeemer, to take their place among the saints in Paradise?

The answer is now much less certain.

Well, that is exactly what Brno’s Janáček Festival agreed to, with a double bill of the composer’s final opera “From The House Of The Dead” and his “Glagolitic Mass.”

Not only were the works presented as companion pieces, but the director, Jiri Herman, fused the two so that the “Glagolitic Mass” emerged from “From The House Of The Dead” with only the briefest of pauses, without even time for the audience to applaud. Characters from the opera then reappeared in the Mass. The drama, therefore, continued seamlessly from one to the other, and it worked brilliantly. It could even be argued that the pairing of the two actually enhanced each of them individually.

“From The House Of The Dead” is a brutal depiction of life in one of Russia’s Siberian prison camps. There is no narrative as such. Instead, it presents a group of prisoners, some of whom become known to us, in a series of distinct events that occur over an unstated period of time during the 19^th century. It begins with the arrival of a new prisoner, Gorjančikov, who is immediately abused and beaten, and ends when he is released.

A Picture Of Psychological And Physical Terror

The intervening events are a collage of violence, psychological torment, and abuse meted out by the guards to the prisoners and by the prisoners to each other. It is a horrifying picture of the atrocities that man can inflict on his fellow human beings, in which every attempt possible is made to debase and crush the human spirit and eliminate all hope. In the hands of the right director, it can be a bleak, painful experience to watch the scenes play out, and Herman certainly was up to the task.

From the outset, Tomáš Rusin, the scenographer, using videos of a barren wasteland of snow and iced-up rivers, created a world of isolation, far from civilization, cut off from the accepted attitudes and mores of normal life. In the dimly lit foreground, chained prisoners emerge from beneath the stage. And then the violence began!

Zuzana Štefunková Rusinová used clearly defined costumes to distinguish the guards from the prisoners: the former were dressed in 20^th century, red uniforms while the shaven-headed prisoners were dressed in simple black clothes. The first notable action occurred when a guard started to torment a prisoner by offering him and then withholding a mug of water before giving him a good beating. And so the brutality continued.

Herman’s treatment of individual characters was well-crafted and nuanced and reflected underlying pathologies and the psychological damage caused by their experiences in the camp. Their movements, often angular and jerky, were exaggerated and extreme, and when excited, they became aggressive and violent. Even their facial expressions were manic, deranged by their demented energy. Their random explosions of anger, lust, and violence grew naturally from their characters.

An Expression Of What It Means To Be Human

However, what makes “From The House Of The Dead” such a powerful work is Janáček’s ability to infuse the work with an underlying humanity, which is found both within its characters and scenes. The ever-present atmosphere of wanton cruelty and oppression is unable to quash the desire of the prisoners to give expression to their existence and their own morality, no matter how perverse such expressions may appear to the watching audience, sitting in the warmth and comfort of the theatre. It was something Herman effectively highlighted.

Scenes, such as when Gorjančikov offers to teach the young Aljeja to read, were brought to the fore in a sensitive manner so that the background against which they take place is never ignored. As Aljeja’s face lights up at the prospect of being able to read, another prisoner arrives to disrupt the situation, mocking them both before pushing them back to work. There is nowhere totally private; nowhere where alternative values will not be mocked, derided, or worse, met with physical violence.

Herman really brought home the fundamental clash between the prisoners’ need to express themselves and their distorted and damaged psychologies in the scene in which they perform a play about Don Juan. Acting out the parts gave them the opportunity to convey a whole series of emotions which had been suppressed and to act out situations that they had been denied for so long, that is to express themselves as human beings. Herman had them act out the play with enormous energy and unbounded enthusiasm, but in an exaggerated way to reflect their uncontrolled, distorted emotions and expose their deeper aggressive and lustful tendencies. It was brilliantly managed.

The prisoners are portrayed as believers. When the priest arrives in the camp to distribute alms and say mass, Herman mocks him as he marches around in an absurd manner. Yet the prisoners fall to their knees and kiss his robe and the cross. They are not mocked, as unlike the priest, their faith is genuine.

Herman’s portrait was not, by any stretch of the imagination, an attempt to sentimentalize the prisoners. They included murderers, thieves, and rapists. Many would slit your throat for the coat on your back. They were unpleasant, even evil, people, but they were people with a humanity, no matter how deeply it had been corrupted or buried, and this was how he portrayed them.

Moreover, it was a production fully in line with Janáček’s music. The dramatic flow of the staging was always tightly allied to the musical flows and brilliantly captured the fundamental optimism that inhabits the score, as well as its darker, despairing passages, in which one can almost feel the violence and aggression. The placement of a timpanist, dressed as a guard, on either side of the stage was a master stroke, so that the beating of the drums coincided with the beatings received by the prisoners.

Overt Christian Symbolism

The introduction of Christ into his reading, however, added a note of controversy. At the beginning of the opera, Christ was hanging in chains above the stage as the prisoners emerged. When the prisoners are beaten, it is Christ who writhes in agony as the blows fall upon the victims. He was an ever present, suffering alongside the prisoners.

Such an obvious Christian interpretation of the opera may well have sat uneasily with many people, especially in this secular age, but the arguments for such a reading are strong. Janáček stated that each of the characters “has a spark of God in them.” More importantly, however, the libretto was complied by Janáček from passages taken directly from Dostoyevsky’s “The House Of The Dead,” which itself was based on his four-year period spent in a Siberian prison camp. Dostoyevsky believed completely in the resurrection and saw redemptive qualities in the prisoners, no matter how brutish and repugnant their behavior.

Singers Emerge And Disappear Into The Background

The work is essentially a work without any major roles in the traditional sense, and the chorus is almost an ever present. Characters come to prominence by emerging from the chorus and then dissolving back into it when their part is over. As a group the chorus performed exceptionally well. They sang with real passion and meaning, and their acting was first rate. There were many small roles, and a few with more substance.

Baritone Roman Hoza playing the role of Gorjančikov projected an inner dignity despite his beatings and sang with warmth and attention, successfully capturing his nuanced emotional states.

Mezzo-soprano Jarmila Balážová produced a compelling performance in the role of the teenager Aljeja, capturing his decent, open, helpful, good nature. She possesses a firm, versatile voice, which she used skillfully to develop her character.

Bass Jan Štáva produced a strong performance as the Placmajor, who terrorized the prisoners and meted out summary justice in a random and violent manner. He possesses a resonant, firm voice and sang with an air of authority, coated with a vicious veneer.

Each of the three acts contains a confessional monologue about a murder committed by one of the prisoners. They are gruesome accounts that actually make good cases for their imprisonment. Their three stories are told in very different ways.

In Act one, Luka, played by the tenor Gianluca Zampieri, recounts how he killed a guard during a previous period of imprisonment. His was a half-crazed rendition in which he used his voice with an impressive degree of flexibility to express his mental and emotional instability, in which he almost descends into shouting as he relived the incident. He painted a terrifying picture of a murderer out of control, but his underlying pain was also clearly expressed.

In Act two, the tenor Peter Berger, in the role of Skuratov, produced a lyrically pleasing account of how he murdered the fiancé of a girl he loved. The murder is just a by-product of his love for the girl, whom he remembers fondly.

In Act Three, it was the turn of Šiškov, played by baritone Pavol Kubán. He produced an emotional, animated performance, still possessed by the same emotions that drove him to murder his wife and was still raging at Filka, the man he blamed for his crime.

The musical side of the production was in the hands of the soon-to-be musical director of Covent Garden, Jakub Hruša. He elicited a compelling reading from the Orchestra of the Janacek Theatre Brno with a dramatically nuanced and intensely satisfying reading. Throughout the performance the onstage drama and the music were finely attuned, even the smallest of dramatic incidents was highlighted in the musical detail. The textures were beautifully revealed, and the contrasts between the thinner and thicker passages were wonderfully managed. However, the real glory of Hruša’s conducting was his ability to bring out and develop the beauty and optimism that thread their way through the score’s disturbing, painful and upsetting sections.

Glagolitic Mass 

At the end of “From The House Of The Dead,” Christ hanging from chains above the stage, falls dead onto the floor, and the prisoners, with their backs to the audience, raise their arms in praise to the savior who has given his life for them. The performance, to the sound of bells and bird song, immediately transitions into the “Glagolitic Mass.”

Lasting approximately 40 minutes, the work recounts the resurrection of Christ. Herman presents it as a dramatic work, in which the prisoners and others watch on as Christ is reborn, wrapped in the cloth of God and the Holy Spirit. They then thank Christ for his sacrifice and celebrate his gift of eternal life.

Herman connects the two works more than just through the figure of Christ. Throughout “From The House Of The Dead,” characters appear in non-speaking roles, usually as projections of the prisoners’ memories: women they have loved or killed. They now reappear in the Mass as chorus members or in the case of Katerína Knežíková, who was the woman murdered by Šiškov, as the soprano soloist. The prostitute in “From The House Of The Dead” reappears as Mary Magdalene and washes Christ’s feet. The two works thus become inextricably intertwined.

Knežíková impressed with the beautiful quality of her singing. She possesses a secure voice with a bright, luminous tone, which she used effectively to craft detailed and emotionally strong lines. The other soloists: mezzo-sopranos Balážová and Jana Hrochová; tenors Berger and Eduard Martyniuk; basses, Štáva and Josef Škarka all performed their parts well.

It is the chorus, however, that plays the central role, and it produced a splendid performance, one that captured Janáček’s brilliance at writing choral music. It was by turn uplifting and joyful, adoring and haunting.

Hruša again created a powerful performance that was attentive to the details of the staging and successfully brought out the high emotions in play. His management of the large chorus, soloists, and full orchestra was also impressive, maintaining a near-perfect balance throughout the performance.

An Ending That Justifies Herman’s Staging

At the end of “From The House Of The Dead,” Aljeja despairs at Gorjančikov’s departure. He is alone once again, among the brutality and violence of the camp. Will he ever know freedom?

As the Mass draws to a close, Aljeja stands facing the audience. The backdrop clears to reveal a sun-kissed, green, spacious valley surrounded by hills. He turns and runs toward them: his freedom has been resurrected through Christ.

This was a brilliantly conceived production, magnificently staged and performed. Probably, if “From The House Of The Dead” had been played on its own, then the overt religious symbolism would have fallen flat. But when combined in this manner, both works were enhanced.

Dostoyevsky believed that it is only through the irrationality of faith that one can endure. Surely, given that he was the source for the opera, Herman’s interpretation is perfectly legitimate and reasonable. Moreover, by allowing the Glagolitic Mass to emerge “From The House Of The Dead,” he is highlighting the message contained within both works.

The post Janacek Brno Festival 2022 Review: From The House Of The Dead & The Glagolitic Mass appeared first on OperaWire.

Janáček Brno Festival has announced its 2022 season. For the purpose of this article we will focus on the vocal works only.

A double bill of “From the House of the Dead” and “Glagolitic Mass” spotlights Roman Hoza, Gianluca Zampieri, Tigran Hakobyan, Lukáš Bařák, Jan Šťáva, Kateřina Kněžíková, and Jarmila Balážová. Jakub Hrůša conducts a production by Jiří Heřman.

Performance dates: Nov. 2 – 6, 2022

Mezzo-soprano Markéta Cukrová and the Prague Philharmonic Choir will present the Vladimír Sommer’s Vocal Symphony for Alto, Reciter, Choir and Orchestra. Marko Ivanović conducts. Lukáš Vasilek is the Chorus Master.

Performance date: Nov. 4, 2022

Tenor Aleš Briscein performs Igor Stravinsky’s Mass for Mixed Chorus and Double Wind Quintet and Tenor. Jakub Klecker conducts. Pavla Kopecká plays the harp.

Performance date: Nov. 5, 2022

“Káťa Kabanová,” presented in the Calixto Bieito’s production, features Petra Šimková and Peter Berger. Jaroslav Kyzlink conducts the The National Theatre Orchestra.

Performance date: Nov. 9, 2022

Corinne Winters, Tomas Tomasson, Ladislav Elgr, Elena Zhidkova, Stephan Rügamer and Sam Furness star in the Tatjana Gürbaca’s production of “Káťa Kabanová.” The opera is a production of the Grand Théâtre de Genève. Tomáš Netopil conducts the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

Performance date: Nov. 13, 2022

Baritone Adam Plachetka performs Antonín Dvořák’s “Biblical songs,” op. 99. Works by Benjamin Britten, Richard Wagner, and Leoš Janáček will also be performed. Tomáš Hanus conducts.

Performance date: Nov. 17, 2022

Nicky Spence, Gustav Belacek, and David Stout star in the Olivia Fuchs’ production of “The Makropulos Case.” Tomáš Hanus conducts the Welsh National Opera Orchestra.

Performance date: Nov. 18, 2022

Csilla Boross, Tomasz Konieczny, and David Szendiuch perform Feliks Nowowiejski’s “Quo Vadis,” Dramatic Scenes for Solo Voices, Mixed Choir, Organ and Orchestra, according to a text by Antonie Jüngst, based on the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz. John Fiore conducts.

Performance date: Dec. 19, 2022

Jiří Rožeň conducts Denys Pivnitsky, Tone Kummervold, and Světlana Sozdetaleva in Calixto Bieito’s production of Erwin Schulhoff’s “Flames.”

Performance date: Nov. 20, 2022

The Janáček Brno Festival 2022 Season begins on Nov. 2, and runs through Nov. 20, 2022.

The post Corinne Winters, Nicky Spence & Tomasz Konieczny Lead Janáček Brno Festival 2022 Season appeared first on OperaWire.