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The Cunning Little Vixen

This listing is in the past
Leeds Grand TheatreLeeds, Yorkshire and the Humber, LS1 6NZ, United Kingdom
Dates/times in London time zone
Performers
Opera North
Garry WalkerConductor
Sir David PountneyDirector
Maria BjörnsonSet Designer, Costume Designer
Nick CheltonLighting Designer
Stuart HoppsChoreography
Elin PritchardSopranoVixen (Bystrouška)
Heather LoweMezzo-sopranoFox (Zlatohřbítek)
Henry WaddingtonBassParson
Paul NilonTenorSchoolmaster
James RutherfordBassForester
Richard BurkhardBaritoneForester
Callum ThorpeBass-baritoneHarašta
Miranda BevinSopranoChocholka
Kathryn StephensSopranoJay
Claire PascoeMezzo-sopranoMrs Paškova
Hazel CroftMezzo-sopranoForester’s wife
Kathryn SharpeContraltoWoodpecker
Kamil BienTenorMosquito
Stuart LaingTenorPásek
Paul GibsonBaritoneBadger

A Forester captures a young Vixen and takes her home as a pet for his children. But when she is harassed by the Forester’s amorous dog, and tormented by the children, she escapes back into the wild.

There, the Vixen meets a Fox and has a family, but later she is shot dead as she fends for her cubs. Her children survive, however, and the opera ends in an affirmation of the power of nature to renew itself.

Inspired by the sights and sounds of his native Moravian countryside, Janáček’s colouristic score vividly evokes both the human and animal worlds without a trace of sentimentality. David Pountney’s production – here conducted by Music Director Garry Walker – is widely regarded as a classic.

Sung in English with English titles

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