BaL 31.10.20 - Janáček: The Cunning Little Vixen

[Pulcinella]

33 years ago exactly: 31 October 1987, WNO, Bristol.
I haven't kept the programme though (even if I bought one), so have no record of who was conducting.
Did Mackerras conduct on tour?

[makropulos]

33 years ago exactly: 31 October 1987, WNO, Bristol.
I haven't kept the programme though (even if I bought one), so have no record of who was conducting.
Did Mackerras conduct on tour?

Usually yes,especially Bristol and Birmingham performances, and often Liverpool and Oxford too. However, I've still got the programme for when I saw it in Swansea on 26 September 1987. That tells me that CM did the first four performances: Swansea on 26 Sept and 7 Oct, Birmingham on 14 Oct and Liverpool on 23 Oct. After that he handed over to Wyn Davies who was conducting your performance and did the rest of the run. Since I've got it in front of me, I can tell you that Anne Dawson was the Vixen and Rita Cullis was the Fox. Barry Mora sang the Forester. The rest of the cast included Nigel Douglas as the Schoolmaster and Nicholas Folwell as Harašta.

[Belgrove]

In answer to Makropolus (nice BAL btw, many thanks), I’ve seen it three times. Rattle at the ROH (1990?), Jurowski at Glyndebourne (2012) and Rattle again in 2019, in the semi-staged performance on which the latest recording is based. Sadly, I always feel short-changed by Janacek’s stage works, despite my sensing that I ought to like them, and trying time and time again to do so. I’m never transcended or moved by what others claim as being transcendental moments- it just doesn’t click. The ROH production was spectacular (a huge wheel representing the passage of the seasons), the Glyndebourne was twee, the Barbican had left-field but interesting video accompaniments, directed by Peter Sellars. All were musically distinguished (Jurowski drew almost feral sounds from the LPO), and the LSO played a forensically detailed account of the score for Rattle. I contemplated getting the Rattle as a memento, but concluded that I’d be unlikely to play it often enough to justify the purchase, especially since the Mackerras is already on the shelves.

[Pulcinella]

Usually yes,especially Bristol and Birmingham performances, and often Liverpool and Oxford too. However, I've still got the programme for when I saw it in Swansea on 26 September 1987. That tells me that CM did the first four performances: Swansea on 26 Sept and 7 Oct, Birmingham on 14 Oct and Liverpool on 23 Oct. After that he handed over to Wyn Davies who was conducting your performance and did the rest of the run. Since I've got it in front of me, I can tell you that Anne Dawson was the Vixen and Rita Cullis was the Fox. Barry Mora sang the Forester. The rest of the cast included Nigel Douglas as the Schoolmaster and Nicholas Folwell as Harašta.

Thanks for the information.

[makropulos]

In answer to Makropolus (nice BAL btw, many thanks), I’ve seen it three times. Rattle at the ROH (1990?), Jurowski at Glyndebourne (2012) and Rattle again in 2019, in the semi-staged performance on which the latest recording is based. Sadly, I always feel short-changed by Janacek’s stage works, despite my sensing that I ought to like them, and trying time and time again to do so. I’m never transcended or moved by what others claim as being transcendental moments- it just doesn’t click. The ROH production was spectacular (a huge wheel representing the passage of the seasons), the Glyndebourne was twee, the Barbican had left-field but interesting video accompaniments, directed by Peter Sellars. All were musically distinguished (Jurowski drew almost feral sounds from the LPO), and the LSO played a forensically detailed account of the score for Rattle. I contemplated getting the Rattle as a memento, but concluded that I’d be unlikely to play it often enough to justify the purchase, especially since the Mackerras is already on the shelves.

Completely agree about Jurowski –I was sorry not to be able to mention him this morning as I'd give him very high marks. As for those projections and other bits of staging at the Rattle/LSO performances last year, I know a lot of people found them effective –as you did –but I just hated them and thought they were a distraction. But I certainly wouldn't pontificate about Sellars: Right or Wrong –they were certainly intelligent – but it's one reason I'm glad to have the audio-only souvenir of it. Sorry you miss the transcendental moments, but we're all different :)

[kuligin]

I have seen it 4 times. Glyndebourne on tour 1977 Rattle conducting, Opera North 2001, RNCM reduced orchestration Dove 2006 and Glyndebourne proper 2016

I enjoyed all the productions, love the opera but still prefer Kata,seen it 7 times, Makropolous twice, both in Holland with Dutch surtitles and House of the Dead twice.

Enjoyed this BAL too.

[makropulos]

I have seen it 4 times. Glyndebourne on tour 1977 Rattle conducting, Opera North 2001, RNCM reduced orchestration Dove 2006 and Glyndebourne proper 2016

I enjoyed all the productions, love the opera but still prefer Kata,seen it 7 times, Makropolous twice, both in Holland with Dutch surtitles and House of the Dead twice.

Enjoyed this BAL too.

Glad you liked the BAL – thanks. I was sorry to miss the RNCM production of the Dove version (which is extremely ingenious). As for Katya vs Vixen, that's a very tough choice...not to say an impossible one.

[LHC]

I first saw it in 1983 at the Grand Theatre in Leeds, with Opera North performing the magical David Pountney production, and have loved the opera ever since. Willard White was the Forrester, and Helen Field the Vixen.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Love the WNO Pountney production. Incredibly moving ( ok that’s mostly Janacek’s genius ) and charming and funny . That is such a rare combination in Opera - actually it’s quite rare in high art to be honest . Who’d have thought you could be moved to tears by a stage fox being shot and then the masterly transition to empathy with the murderer . I wish the Pountney production had been filmed.
PS there was a lovely Adventures of Mr Broucek on Friday’s (unusually ) Afternoon Opera .

[jayne lee wilson]

Thank you! The next BAL I'm doing (probably at the end of January) will be a bit less predictable (and not Janacek).

Oh go on...give us a hint...

[Richard Barrett]

Perhaps Hindemith paid the instrument a better homage in the Kammermusiken No.6 of 1927

Hindemith's part in Kammermusik no.6 is idiomatically written for the instrument such that some of the double-stopping and chords are physically impossible on the viola, which is by no means the case in Janáček's supposed viola d'amore parts, although Janáček's music often isn't very idiomatic anyway. Returning to the work under discussion, I wouldn't want to choose between the recent Rattle on one hand and Mackerras on the other. I would like to hear Rattle conducting the other operas, maybe it would be a chance for me finally to get to like Makropulos.

[makropulos]

I wish the Pountney production had been filmed.

It was, way back in 1983 when it was broadcast on BBC Two and Radio 3 (simultaneously) from the New Theatre in Cardiff conducted by Richard Armstrong. The Vixen was Helen Field (perfect) and the Forester was Philip Joll (very good indeed). The only problematic bit of casting is the excellent Arthur Davies as the Fox. There was a time when it was quite common to cast the Fox as a tenor and Davies makes as good a fist of it as you'd expect, but it's still not a great idea. Anyhow, I have a copy of the whole broadcast taken from a VHS tape. The quality of both sound and pictures is what you'd expect for an off-air video in the early 1980s, but Pountney's marvellous production looks superb. Since it looks as if we're all about to have a lot more time on our hands, I'll try to see if I can upload it to YouTube in the next few weeks.

[Bryn]

It was, way back in 1983 when it was broadcast on BBC Two and Radio 3 (simultaneously) from the New Theatre in Cardiff conducted by Richard Armstrong. The Vixen was Helen Field (perfect) and the Forester was Philip Joll (very good indeed). The only problematic bit of casting is the excellent Arthur Davies as the Fox. There was a time when it was quite common to cast the Fox as a tenor and Davies makes as good a fist of it as you'd expect, but it's still not a great idea. Anyhow, I have a copy of the whole broadcast taken from a VHS tape. The quality of both sound and pictures is what you'd expect for an off-air video in the early 1980s, but Pountney's marvellous production looks superb. Since it looks as if we're all about to have a lot more time on our hands, I'll try to see if I can upload it to YouTube in the next few weeks.

Gets my vote. Thanks in advance.

[makropulos]

Gets my vote. Thanks in advance.

You're most welcome –I'm delighted to share it with the caveat about the so-so sound and vision. By the way, do you by any chance have the TV relay of Rattle's ROH Vixen from when it was brand new (it was broadcast on BBC Two on Christmas Day, 1990)? I grabbed it on VHS at the time but it seems to have disappeared. That's another one that deserves circulation.

[Bryn]

You're most welcome –I'm delighted to share it with the caveat about the so-so sound and vision. By the way, do you by any chance have the TV relay of Rattle's ROH Vixen from when it was brand new (it was broadcast on BBC Two on Christmas Day, 1990)? I grabbed it on VHS at the time but it seems to have disappeared. That's another one that deserves circulation.

Sadly, no. I was in digs in Bolton studying at the then BIHE at that time and was without a video recorder - just an FM tuner and ropey second-hand cassette deck.