Jakub Hrůša: Leoš Janáček - Jenůfa

The opera »Jenůfa« by Leoš Janáček, based on narrow-minded moral concepts, is a work that evokes strong emotions. It was first performed in 1904 at the Czech National Theatre in Brno, and we are pleased to present this three-act work, first in a concert performance on the Bamberg stage and then, in early November, as a staged production at the Janáček Festival in Brno. Initially influenced by role models such as Beethoven and Dvořák, Janáček had by this time developed his own distinctive and expressive idiom, in which the folk music of his homeland continued to play a major role. This thought-provoking masterpiece tells a story from rural Moravian life: Jenůfa, a young woman, is pregnant. The child’s father had actually intended to marry her, but now wants nothing more to do with her over the pregnancy. She delivers the baby in secret nonetheless. Her stepmother, the village sexton’s wife, then worries about her foster daughter’s good name and her own future – and, afraid of being disgraced, makes a terrible and fateful decision: the illegitimate child must die. A gripping social drama about societal constraints, guilt, pain and atonement, but in the end also about longing, forgiveness and love. Janáček composed a compelling score for this work, capturing the characters' emotional extremes and the colourful village life with great ingenuity. This promises to be a deeply moving evening under the baton of our chief conductor, who is convinced that »everyone must be moved by this work« – as it »works on a very immediate level and goes straight to the heart«.