# 20th Century Operatic Masterpieces: Part Seven - Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen



## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

20th Century Operatic Masterpieces: Part Seven - Janáček's _The Cunning Little Vixen_



















The story of the Cunning Little Vixen originally appeared in the Czech newspaper Lidove Noviny (Popular Daily), as prose written by staffer Rudolf Tesnohlidek to accompany drawings by Stanislav Lolek. Leos Janácek was a regular reader of Lidove Noviny, and when the story came out in serialized form in 1920, he recognized its potential for operatic treatment. Janácek's housekeeper wrote in her memoirs that she had introduced Janácek to the serial, but the truth of this claim has been disputed.

The idea of composing a work on a story based in the natural world happily coincided with Janácek's 1921 purchase of a house in the country (a luxury which, until then, he had been unable to afford), and once he had adapted the libretto, work went swiftly. By January 1924, the opera was complete, and it premiered in Brno on November 6 of that year. Janácek modified Tesnohlidek's story considerably, condensing it, shifting its chronology, and changing the ending. The libretto contains some chronological impossibilities and confusing references as a result of Janácek's manipulations; characteristically, Janácek cared more for the spirit of the story than the letter of logic.

The work is difficult to stage convincingly, since there are adult singing roles for the fox, for another fox who becomes her husband, and for a badger, a dog, some chickens, and other animals, all on the same stage, with a a variety of human characters who observe and even capture Sharp-Ears. In the immensely touching final scene, Sharp-Ears has died, and her latest cubs carry on with the same sort of endearing comic antics as her mother did. Janácek had a unique penchant for offbeat operatic subjects. In this case he was surely led to this story by an ardent love of nature that pours from every measure of this magical score. It may play clumsily on stage, but when you hear a recording you can stage it in your imagination. The Cunning Little Vixen is perhaps this composer's most lovable work.

Janácek's score makes extensive use of motivic variation, as he maneuvers his speech melodies into different, related forms to suggest parallels between parts of the story. For example, the mournful melody played when the Vixen is captured in the first act recurs to color the penultimate scene's human longings. But the score of The Cunning Little Vixen is distinguished primarily by its brilliance and sunniness. Textures are light and bright; sometimes, as in the Ballet of the Blue Dragonfly, they seem almost transparent. Humor is embraced along with pathos, and the deceptions of the Vixen are treated with the same sense of affectionate play as her forays into love and sensuality. Even the death of the Vixen seems graceful: it is rendered simply with a cymbal-gunshot and a brief silence, The final scene, in which the Forester meditates on the cycle of life, is fearlessly optimistic. The Cunning Little Vixen is one of Janácek's freshest and most vital works.

[Article taken from All Music Guide]

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Another operatic masterpiece from Janáček! What do you guys think of this opera?


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## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

well I have to answer this one as it's simply my favourite work -- and in general I don't even like opera very much. The coda to Jenufa might be even more extraordinary but the Vixen taken as a whole has one of the wisest plots to any opera and clearly shows the composer's pantheistic leanings. The music is simply an endless stream of inspiration and it could only be Janáćek who could write probably the most moving love duet in all opera between two foxes rather than human beings.

As for recordings, the best is NOT, repeat NOT Mackerras whatever most Anglo-Saxon critics might say. He's an important Janáćek scholar and one or two of his recordings, particularly Katja Kabanova, are first class. But the Vixen is too brash somehow. Probably Neumann's 2nd stereo recording is the safest bet -- there's hardly a foot wrong, despite the fact that his first version is in places arguably more strongly characterised. I've seen an excellent production in its home town, namely Brno, which rivalled any recording.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

dko22 said:


> well I have to answer this one as it's simply my favourite work -- and in general I don't even like opera very much. The coda to Jenufa might be even more extraordinary but the Vixen taken as a whole has one of the wisest plots to any opera and clearly shows the composer's pantheistic leanings. The music is simply an endless stream of inspiration and it could only be Janáćek who could write probably the most moving love duet in all opera between two foxes rather than human beings.
> 
> As for recordings, the best is NOT, repeat NOT Mackerras whatever most Anglo-Saxon critics might say. He's an important Janáćek scholar and one or two of his recordings, particularly Katja Kabanova, are first class. But the Vixen is too brash somehow. Probably Neumann's 2nd stereo recording is the safest bet -- there's hardly a foot wrong, despite the fact that his first version is in places arguably more strongly characterised. I've seen an excellent production in its home town, namely Brno, which rivalled any recording.


I quite like the Mackerras on Decca, so shoot me!  But I do love this second Neumann recording as well:










I haven't heard Neumann's earlier recording, but I'm honestly fine with the recordings I own --- I also own the more recent Simon Rattle recoding on the LSO Live label, but I haven't even heard it yet.


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## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

well, the Vixen was the work which made Rattle want to conduct opera in the first place and one of the few works which reliably moves him to tears. I'm not a big Rattle fan but he certainly has something to offer here. I'm referring to the earlier Czech recording -- any Janáćek sung in English is an abomination as the speech rhythms are so important.

As for the Mackerras, I'm afraid I have a lot of people to shoot, including the friend who first introduced me to the work -- with the Mackerras version of course. Obviously it wasn't so bad it put me off the work!


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## REP (Dec 8, 2011)

I share dko22's appreciation for this opera (and for Jenufa, one of my favorite works). The ending is one of the most poignant ever written, and the whole opera deserves praise for departing from the usual subject of romantic love, which had dominated the stories of most operas written up till that time. The Forester's pledge to "do better next time" is a sentiment that many of us pet and animal lovers can fully empathize with. By the end of this opera, I feel as he does -- that a new cycle is beginning and I've been given a second chance. In that regard, I consider _Vixen_ to be one of those rare works of art that can actually make someone a better person from watching it (maybe the Greeks were onto something with that "ethos" stuff).


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

dko22 said:


> well, the Vixen was the work which made Rattle want to conduct opera in the first place and one of the few works which reliably moves him to tears. I'm not a big Rattle fan but he certainly has something to offer here. I'm referring to the earlier Czech recording -- any Janáćek sung in English is an abomination as the speech rhythms are so important.
> 
> As for the Mackerras, I'm afraid I have a lot of people to shoot, including the friend who first introduced me to the work -- with the Mackerras version of course. Obviously it wasn't so bad it put me off the work!


I'm confused --- I thought Neumann only recorded _Vixen_ twice: one in mono and the other stereo. The one you're referring to is in stereo? Are you sure? You'll have post some album covers, so I know what you're talking about.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Apparently Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla has recently taken up Vixen and it will be interesting to see if a recorded performance becomes available. One CBSO member said that she was so immersed in it that she could sing all the parts if needed!

_"Gražinytė-Tyla designed her calendar this season so that it was dominated by “The Cunning Little Vixen” — both in concert, as in Birmingham, and staged, as in Munich ... “The luxury to focus on the ‘Vixen’ — I think it will remain a very important point for me to deal with ...” she said."_


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## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

Neo Romanza said:


> I'm confused --- I thought Neumann only recorded _Vixen_ twice: one in mono and the other stereo. The one you're referring to is in stereo?


yes, that's quite correct. Apologies if I gave a different impression.


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## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

Becca said:


> Apparently Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla has recently taken up Vixen


needless to say, I will be going to see this in Munich. I'm sure it will be worthwhile (just recently bought her Weinberg 3/7 after hearing the 3rd in Munich -- previously 3 had been one of very few Weinberg symphonies I hadn't yet bought but her performance sold me on the work)


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

All I have is the Mackerras box but I'm glad I've got it. I'm a big fan of all of the Janacek music I've heard. But I don't doubt there are other superior performances led by Czech conductors. The one Mackerras CD I found disappointing is his Smetana Ma Vlast. It just sounds rather perfunctory to my ears.


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## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

starthrower said:


> The one Mackerras CD I found disappointing is his Smetana Ma Vlast


I don't think the more patriotic, folkloristic side of Czech music is necessarily of major interest to Mackerras but much of his Vltava is astonishingly perfuctory -- that's exactly the right word-- probably the worst recording I've ever heard of what's actually one of my favourite tone poems.


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## composingmusic (Dec 16, 2021)

Saw this with ENO last year, and have listened to various recorded versions previously. Stunning piece! 

Both with this and his other operas, it’s striking to see how Janácek’s instrumental and vocal writing interact. Generally his instrumental writing is so precise, and there’s nothing unnecessary – in many ways one could use the word minimal to describe his instrumental approach. The text setting is fascinating – it does really follow the rhythm of the text and is generally intelligible in a way that isn’t the case with a lot of modern and contemporary opera.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

There is romantic love in this opera - between foxes !


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I am Slovak born in Czechoslovakia, so this was presented as a basic repertoire to us. It was quite off-puting to me as a child, adults dressing up as foxes and singing. I stayed away from it for quite a while. However, recently I have seen a cartoon version on youtube, which was enjoyable. Later, a musical journalist told me, that the cartoon version cuts important things away, things about aging, which adults will appreciate. So this is a very long way of saying that I don't know the opera well


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## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

composingmusic said:


> Generally his instrumental writing is so precise, and there’s nothing unnecessary – in many ways one could use the word minimal to describe his instrumental approach.


Exactly! I regard Janáček as the greatest composer in terms of precisely putting human emotions into music and is the greatest source of inspiration for my own compositions with text (and chamber music for that matter)


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

This is one of my top three operas of all time, love it to bits! A perfect balance of the tragic and the profane. I have to disagree, and state that for me, Mackerras is absolutely supreme in this. I have the older Neumann and the Bohumil Gregor recordings on Supraphon, a couple of old stage recordings under Bretislav Bakala as well, and a couple of video versions, and Mackerras just gets it all right. And of course the language really should be the original Czech-of-sorts, but Janacek has been very sensitively translated into English, and it works well. Usually I am an incorrigible language Nazi when it comes to these things, not with Janacek, though.....


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

CnC Bartok said:


> This is one of my top three operas of all time, love it to bits! A perfect balance of the tragic and the profane. I have to disagree, and state that for me, Mackerras is absolutely supreme in this. I have the older Neumann and the Bohumil Gregor recordings on Supraphon, a couple of old stage recordings under Bretislav Bakala as well, and a couple of video versions, and Mackerras just gets it all right. And of course the language really should be the original Czech-of-sorts, but Janacek has been very sensitively translated into English, and it works well. Usually I am an incorrigible language Nazi when it comes to these things, not with Janacek, though.....


You and I are of one mind about the Mackerras recording. It's outstanding and still my favorite. Have you heard the newer Rattle recording with the LSO?










I've owned it upon release, but I still haven't got around to listening to it yet.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Not heard it yet, but one of my video recordings is Rattle (Glyndebourne, I'm pretty sure...), and he is a good dedicated Janacekian (sic), although for me I feel Janacek needs a little more wild abandon than Rattle affords him (or did in his relatively early recordings - his Sinfonietta and Glagolitic Mass are both a bit too pure, polished and tame for my tastes!)


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