Glyndebourne opera goes on tour

By Joyce Glasser - 19/11/2009

When Leos Janácek’s first successful opera, 'Jenufa', premiered in his hometown of Brno, Czechoslovakia’s greatest composer was already 50 years old. Janácek was 62 when Jenufa’s success in Prague enabled him to enjoy international recognition, and compose two more masterpieces, during the last 12 years of his life. Janácek confirms the thesis of Malcolm Gladwell’s New Yorker article, Late Bloomers, that creativity isn’t restricted to young prodigies.  From 3 November, Glyndebourne Opera Company’s glorious production of Jenufa will be on tour (at affordable prices), along with Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte and Verdi’s Falstaff.

 

Jenufa is about the multi-faceted nature of love, centred around three generations of strong female heroines and mothers.  Set in a claustrophobic, Moravian community whose morality and traditions both shape and smother its inhabitants, the tragic eponymous heroine’s unlikely triumph is almost unique in opera.  Though literally and figuratively scarred for life by love and loss, Jenufa escapes the fate of her bitter step-mother, and her own as a fallen woman, by recognising the power of Laca’s (Peter Wedd) steadfast love. Janácek give us some of the most haunting music (influenced by Moravian folk music) and nuanced characters in the operatic repertoire.

 

Though soprano Giselle Allen fills the house with tender passion and velvety high Cs, she lacks the physical grace, refinement (Jenufa is ‘a born teacher’) and sunny personality that attracted Steva and distinguished Jenufa before her tragedy. Anne Mason gives a powerful performance as the well intentioned but tormented step-mother and Czech tenor Pavel Cernoch is a revelation as Janufa’s cad fiancée, Steva.

 

The Glyndebourne on Tour orchestra interpret Janácek’s score brilliantly under the baton of London-born conductor, Robin Ticciati. 

The clever, striking sets by Tobias Hoheisel and lighting by Paul Hastie are further enhanced by the most effective stage direction that I’ve seen in any production of Jenufa. Hats off to Nikolaus Lehnoff and the revival director, Daniel Dooner.

 

Jenufa is also available on DVD (www.glyndebourne.com/shop). For information on Glyndebourne Touring call 01273 813318