Alongside the headline operas, the Janáček Brno Festival stages a number of student and alternative projects. One of the works on offer this year was a piece entitled “The Other City,” performed by Ensemble Opera Diversa, written by Czech composer and librettist, Ondřej Kyas, based on a 1993 novel of the same name by Michal Ajvaz.

A man known only as A walks into a secondhand bookshop in Prague, where he finds a mysterious tome. Intrigued, he sets out to discover its hidden secrets and is drawn into a parallel reality in which there exists an ‘other city,’ one that he is determined to find. He wanders the streets of Prague that he both recognizes and yet does not recognize, populated by strange characters and talking beasts. Not all are friendly; some even attempt to kill him, but A is not put off and ploughs on regardlessly. He must find the ‘other city.’

It is a drama that plays with the idea of reality and people’s desire to escape it and find a new one. This is what A is attempting, but it is a path strewn with dangers, and the more he engages with this new reality in search of the ‘other city,’ the more he loses his grip on the old reality. We are witnesses to A’s journey in which he fights a shark, is attacked for not having a weasel, talks to a bird called Felix with whom he has a discussion about the significance of the national epic, and visits a palace in the jungle, among many other weird and wonderful happenings.

Then again, maybe it is just a simple, entertaining fantasy. Either way, it all ends up with A back in the Prague he knew well, specifically in the underground toilet of the Slavia Café.

The opera is presented as a reflective piece. A has kept a diary of his wanderings, and it is through his writings that we learn about his journey in search of the ‘other city.’

The performance took place in a small theatre named ‘The Theatre on Orlí Street’ that seats around 150 people, depending on the size given over to the stage, which in this case was a fairly large space with room for an orchestra of about 25 to 30 musicians, two large video screens, a raised seated area for the eight soloists, and a substantial area for the singers to act out their roles.

A Low Budget Yet Successful Staging

Although the work was given a semi-staged performance, it could easily have been defined as fully staged; the only thing it lacked was scenery, which proved unnecessary as the black space, with one or two simple props, imaginative video projections, along with Anna Laborová’s sensitive lighting, proved more than sufficient to provoke the imagination into conjuring up A’s fantastical journey. In fact, any attempt to reproduce its visual aspects would have been more likely to dull the affect; it certainly would have placed restrictions on the imagination, which is essential for forming a meaningful appreciation of the work.

The director, Katerina Krivánková, and set and costume designer, Sylva Marková, did a fine job in ensuring the audience could follow the narrative, despite its sharp shifts, surreal meanderings and dreamlike dialogue.

There were two distinct areas on the stage. Character A was seated at his desk on one side, reading over his diary and reflecting on his journey while projecting images of the pages of the book and items on his desk onto the video screen using a small camera. The rest of the cast were seated on the other side on the raised area, including a slightly younger A, who played out the drama on the performance floor in the front middle part of the stage. All the characters were dressed in black apart from A.

Krivánková successfully injected each scene with energy and a well-focused momentum that carried the narrative forward, in which each character was clearly drawn. Only the most basic of props were employed, usually no more than a couple of chairs and a table, which gave the sets a minimalist appearance. Often, twisting and turning geometric shapes, designed by Tomáš Hruza, would appear on the video as they sung.

Fine Performances From a Committed Cast

Although the cast was relatively inexperienced, all the singers produced convincing performances, with tenor Michael Robotka, in particular, impressing in the roles of the Librarian, the Parrot Breeder, the Man with a newspaper and a Man in the pub. It was not just his technical competence but his ability to engage with his characters that caught the eye. As the Man with the newspaper, he skillfully moulded his voice to reveal his anxieties at having his daughter kidnapped. He also proved to be an excellent storyteller, able to draw in the audience with his sensitively fashioned monologue, in which he displayed a nuance and variety in his modes of expression.

Each of the three female singers also produced notable performances. Soprano Aneta Podracká Bendová’s singing voice has a captivating beauty, which she used sensitively to shape attractive phrases to portray the parts of a Woman on the boat, a Mysterious Girl and Fate.

Soprano Jana Vondrů produced a powerful reading of Alweyra, Klára and Fate, which allowed her to show off her ability to present different characters. Her singing has an appealing lyricism with a strong, secure upper register.

Mezzo-soprano Alžběta Symerská successfully produced three clearly defined characterizations as the Waiter’s Wife, Felix the bird and Fate, in which she used her colorful palette and vocal expressivity to bring emotional depth to her characters.

As the three Fates, the three combined beautifully for one of the more memorable pieces of the work in a short but beautiful trio.

Bass Tomáš Chloupek gave expressively strong readings as the Head Waiter, the Historian, the Man on the Boat, and the Man at the pub. His singing was confident, often forceful and secure. One negative impression that stood out, however, was an inability to moderate the dynamics; he has an impressive, resonant voice but seemed determined to sing forte no matter the circumstance. As a Man on the Boat, his duet with the Woman on the Boat was beautifully delivered and displayed a sympathetic moulding of the vocal line; if he could have quietened the voice even slightly, it would have been almost perfect.

Bass Aleš Janiga, in the role of A, had a much smaller role than expected, with few opportunities to sing any of the standout pieces; nor was there much variation in what was required of him; he was always earnest, determined and focused but was for the most part a passive observer to the characters around him. His singing was firm, secure and well presented.

Bass Pavel Slivka was cast in the roles of the Maledict, the Merchant, the Barman and the Guardian of the Temple and displayed a notable degree of vocal versatility in the way he defined the roles through his voice. As the Merchant, his singing was clear and lyrical, while as the Maledict, he produced a more uneasy, mysterious sound.

Bass Libor Skokan gave solid performances in the roles of the Priest, the Waiter and as a pub regular, in which he showed off his pleasing timbre and expressive agility.

Lukáš Rieger gave a clear and earnest reading in the spoken role of A at his desk.

The Ensemble Opera Diversa, under the musical direction of Gabriela Tardonová, produced a very dramatic sound, moulding the at times intricate music to bring out its unsettled, energetic and often anxious qualities. It moved seamlessly between passages in which it sat at the forefront of the performance, highlighting significant moments and driving the drama forward, and passages in which it was content to sit in the background, supporting the singers and creating the necessary atmosphere.

Overall, it proved to be a worthwhile production. Musically it was excellent, and the imaginative, low-cost staging carried the drama convincingly, while providing the necessary space for the audience’s imagination to engage productively with the work.

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

(Photo: Marek Olbryzmek)

Linda Ballová’s Stunning Performance

For the Brno National Theatre’s production, it was the relatively unknown Slovakian Linda Ballová who was cast in the role, and the initial impressions were not particularly encouraging. She entered the stage dressed in an insipid green dressing gown, which did absolutely nothing to help her stand out from those about her, and her voice, although technically correct, lacked presence. This proved to be only a short teething problem, and her performance soon developed into a captivating, dramatically powerful interpretation.

Her major confrontation with Jochanaan was expertly crafted to bring out the complete lack of any connection between them. He has nothing but contempt and hatred for her behavior, while she is obsessed with his lips. They barely listened to each other’s words while voicing their own feelings. Ballová’s construction of the vocal line was expressively strong; her colorful and dynamic inflections were brilliantly woven into her presentation, adding depth and strength to her emotionally extreme delivery. It also allowed her to display her vocal agility as she moved the voice freely and securely, climbing smoothly and forcefully into her upper register while soaring above the orchestra, spinning out beautifully long lines, and indulging in audacious leaps underpinned by her frustrations and emotional excess.

She was always attentive to Salome’s state of mind, both in the way she acted out the part and in the nuance with which she engaged with the vocal side of her performance. When Herod tries to persuade her not to go ahead with her demand for Jochanaan’s head, the ice-cold tone with which she was able to imbue the words “Gib mir den Kopf des Jochanaan,” as she stood impassively gazing out towards the audience, was chilling.

“Ah! du wolltest mich nicht deinen Mund küssen lasse” was performed sitting alone at the front of the stage, her face and clothes covered in blood. Her rendition was emotionally overwhelming, as she poured everything into it. The contrasts she was able to bring to the piece were fascinating and captured her mental disconnection with reality. The voice moved calmly and sprang forth erratically without missing a heartbeat. Her ability to hold the line as the voice meandered in different directions was superb, and the consistent quality of the voice as she soared above the orchestra was simply wonderful.

A Strong Cast Throughout

Jaroslav Březina was a weak, pathetic Herod, who was at the mercy of his lecherous passions, which he voiced with a wanton and lascivious fervor, showing off his expressive, high-flying tenor to good effect. He also successfully highlighted his common origins with his crude and unsophisticated behavior and dress. During Salome’s dance, he stared leeringly, overcome with lust and totally incapacitated. Although he operated well outside the normal moral framework, Salome’s demand for the head of the prophet was too much for his fragile mentality, which he expertly captured in his desperate, pleading tones as he begged Salome to reconsider before eventually collapsing in a heap. It was a role that appeared to suit Brezina well.

Herodias is a great role for any female singer wishing to show off their acting skills, and I doubt there have been many as compelling as that of Eva Urbanová. Hers was a Herodious, who had descended into a psychological abyss in which the normal rules of acceptable behavior had long since been abandoned. She had a disdain, verging on contempt, even hatred, for her husband, Herod, attacking him on every possible occasion, brilliantly intoning the line with unconcealed malice. But it was her transformation into an eerily calm, almost contented observer that sent a chill down the spine. As Salome writhed around the stage with the head of Joachannan and Herod lay motionless in the corner, she sat eating a healthy-looking salad, completely untroubled by the horror unfolding around her.

Baritone Birger Radde created a strong impression as the intolerant and intense Jochanaan, successfully capturing the certainty and fervor of his faith. His voice possesses an attractive timber. It is secure, firm and well-grounded, and when singing from his imprisonment in the cistern, he was able to project his voice so that it rang out, his authoritative and defiant tone echoing resonantly across the stage. When Salome demanded to see him, he was defiant and dismissive, barely even bothering to look at her, coating his voice with scorn and contempt to the point that his disgust for her was palpable; not that this bothered Salome, who became more entranced by him.

The tenor Vít Nosek added to the instability of the situation with his effective portrait of Narraboth. Suitably besotted, he could not keep his eyes off Salome, but his jerky physical actions gave the impression of someone who had lost control. His suicide was excellently staged; no one even noticed and certainly didn’t care. Vocally, he was secure and captured his character’s mental instability successfully.

The five Jews, played by tenors Zbigniew Malak, Pavel Valenta, Petr Levíček, Michael Robotka and baritone Kornél Mikecz, were an energetic and noisy bunch, arguing animatedly with each other.

The minor roles were all given strong performances. Mezzo-soprano Jana Hrochová produced a clearly defined reading of Herdodes’ page. Bass Josef Škarka convinced in the roles of the first Nazarene and first soldier; tenor Zoltán Korda was a worthwhile second Nazarene; bass David Nykl was convincing as the second soldier and the Capadocian; and mezzo-soprano Jitka Zerhauová gave a tidy interpretation of the Slave Girl.

The conductor, Marko Ivanović, produced a mixed reading from the Janáčkovy Opera Orchestra. On the positive side, he captured the dramatic side of the score perfectly and was sensitively attuned to the onstage action. It was also a vibrant performance that successfully brought out the dynamic contrasts to good effect and ensured the overall arc of the music was well-managed. However, he failed to highlight the musical contours, especially in the early scenes; the motifs, which give the music a Middle Eastern feel and conjure up the warmth of the desert, slipped by, so that the heat and the sultry atmosphere were largely missed. Fortunately, this aspect of the performance improved over the course of the opera.

Director David Radok’s Clear Characterizations

The director, David Radok, did a brilliant job in delving deep into the cores of the characters in order to build nuanced yet well-defined personalities, even in the cases of the minor roles, to uncover their mental instabilities, which he then highlighted through imaginative devices, ranging from Narraboth’s physical movements to Herodias’ calm demeanor as she ate supper while Salome writhed around on the floor with Jochanaan’s head. The overall result was a completely bizarre environment in which anything was permissible, provided the person possessed the necessary power.

The scenographer, Dragan Stojčevski, created a single set consisting of an all-black stage with a window at the back, opening onto a room in the palace where Herod’s birthday celebration was taking place. In the front, to one side, there was the cistern with a metal cable to raise and lower Jochanaan. Together with Přemysl Janda’s subdued lighting, it created a dark, oppressive atmosphere in which the party in the background was occasionally used to create a sharp contrast with, or to magnify, the grotesque behavior in front, as when the guests appeared to be engaged in a dance of death.

Zuzana Ježková’s costume designs were modern in design, with the exception of Herod’s, who had a toga added to his military costume. Although they fitted comfortably with the staging, their impact was fairly tepid and did little to promote the drama.

At the centre of the opera is the famous “Dance of the Seven Veils.” However, it turned out to be fairly disappointing. The idea behind it was a good one. Rather than dancing just for Herod or in front of a small company of people, Salome was surrounded by Herod and his dinner guests, along with a few servants. She moved between them, taunting them with an air of defiance. However, Andrea Časraková’s choreography did not work. Lacking coordination, it moved from one idea to the next, so that at times Salome appeared to be transitioning between ideas. It gave the impression of having no overall conception and was often not in sympathy with the orchestra.

This may not have been a perfect production, but it was very, very good. This was as intense a production of Strauss’ masterpiece as one may have witnessed. Everything was neatly coordinated to bring out the dysfunction of the characters and the debauched, amoral state of Herod’s court. It was a gripping piece of theatre from start to finish, and Ballová’s performance was breathtaking.

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